Year of the Rat Chinese New Year Decorations

thingiverse

Happy Year of the Rat! ==================== I usually buy decorations for Chinese New Year but decided to give printing them a try. When I couldn't find exactly what I wanted on Thingiverse, I gave designing some a go. The result: four medallions, an <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Endless_knot">endless knot</a>, a Fú (福) charm, and a split ring to join everything together. The tassel is printed as well but not yet ready for publication. Once I've worked out the kinks, I'll post it as a separate Thing and link it here. **If you print any of the decorations, please post a make; I'd love to see it! :)** P.S. The <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fu_(character)">Chinese character Fú (福)</a> means "fortune" or "good luck." If it is displayed upside-down, it means "good luck arrives." <hr></hr> <b>General Printing Notes</b> --------------------- * Printed at .2 layer height except as noted below. No support needed. * Filament: 1.75mm PLA in Hatchbox Red and Gold * Printers: Ender 3 and Monoprice Select Mini v2. * To print with two colours as shown, change filament around layers 6 or 7 (double check in your slicer to see which layer works best for your printer). <a href="https://mattshub.com/blog/2017/04/25/material-change">Filament swap instructions</a> if you don't know how. * Most differences between the files are the number of hangers. Top and bottom hanger, top hanger only, or no hanger. This way they can be combined as you wish or simply used as coasters. * Since there are a lot of STLs, it may be quicker to just download only the ones you want from the <a href="https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:4101597/files">Thing Files</a> page. <b>Split Ring</b> --------------------- This file is the trickiest to print and it might not be worth your time. If you have string or <a href="https://www.amazon.com/s?k=jump+rings&ref=nb_sb_noss_1">jump rings</a> on hand, that might be your better option. That said, after much model/slicer tweaks, I was able to get repeatable results with my Ender 3. They work quite well for their purpose. Here are the Cura settings I used: * Layer height: .28 (any lower and the print will fuse too much) * Print speed: 10 mm/s * No support * No part cooling You should be able to split the ring apart with a fingernail. Other settings that may help with different machines include printing the outer wall before the inner, and/or reducing flow. <hr></hr> <b>Credits</b> --------------------- I used a variety of free vectors from <a href="https://www.vecteezy.com/">Vecteezy</a> and <a href="https://www.istockphoto.com/ca/vector/2020-chinese-new-year-year-of-the-rat-gm1170438209-323878158">one that I purchased from iStock Photo</a>. As per Vecteezy's terms of use, here are the attribution links for each file I used: * <a href="https://www.vecteezy.com/free-vector/red-envelope">Red Envelope</a> * <a href="https://www.vecteezy.com/free-vector/chinese-new-year-2020">Chinese New Year 2020</a> * <a href="https://www.vecteezy.com/free-vector/chinese-frame">Chinese Frame</a> * <a href="https://www.vecteezy.com/vector-art/124191-chinese-wedding-free-vector-pack">Chinese Wedding Free Vector</a> * <a href="https://www.vecteezy.com/free-vector/rat-illustration">Rat Illustration</a> * <a href="https://www.vecteezy.com/vector-art/173909-chinese-new-year-of-the-dog-vector-illustration-concept">Chinese New Year of the Dog Vector Illustration Concept</a>