3D Print

 I managed to find a print file on-line for the knobs of the Mobylette toolbox.

They connect a bolt that holds the two sides of the toolbox to the frame. Original ones are as rare as hen's teeth and the ones I've managed to find on various forums are at least £24 for a pair, which is a bit steep. That said, these two cost me a 3D printer (£95), although that will be amortized over many such print runs.

They require a 3mm, threaded brass insert to take the bolt before they're complete, or else an M3 thread being put into the plastic, which is less stable.

I also found a print file for a bolt sizer.

Very useful when rebuilding a car.

I then spotted a Galaxy Z Fold 4 support that I rather liked on Thingyverse.com and thought I'd have a go at printing it, as it would be useful for watching streaming service videos when away in the motorhome.

When I started printing it I was shocked that the printer said it would take 15 hours to print. Surely not?

Well, I started printing it on Thursday lunchtime and by the time I was about to go to bed it was only 20% complete. I paused the print, else the noise would keep us awake (open plan house). Flashed it up again the next morning and off it chuntered, but seemed to be ripping through the time a lot faster.

It would seem the initial print estimation may be based on the assumption that the base of the object is the same length and width all the way up, which it isn't in this case. I'm not sure how long it did take, as I had to go out for several hours and it was complete when I returned.

However, I think the bloke who designed this made a few errors. If you look at the photo below, you'll see some serious spooling of the filament - this was caused by the design requiring some mid-air printing. It was the same with the knurled knobs further up - they would have been better flipped vertically for printing.

It works as intended though and I deburred most of the spooling with a craft knife.

I also found print files for a Triumph GT6 dashboard, but the panels require a print bed much larger than mine, although the designer is considering breaking the design into smaller, interlocking pieces.