Cheap(er) Safe Finials

[Sir Ken]

More of an FYI post. I'm sure there are far more detailed missing parts on safes out there than just my hinge caps/finials.

I know the rest of you likely have access to lathes and mills but all I have is a 3D printer.

My current safe restoration project only had one original hinge cap/finial... and that cap looks like it was installed with a hammer.



Original pieces, if you can find them, are way out of my price range.

I was able to determine the bolt size and thread of the original cap/finial and found a site that lets you freely download their cad drawings.



I removed the threaded part from the bolt cad drawing and added it to the 'button' looking design of my original cap/finial.



Off to the printer and test to see if the part fit the threads on the safe hinge.



Looks like I have lots of sanding to do but I am hopeful that after applying primer and gloss paint, I will have safe caps/finials that no one will be able to tell are not original pieces.

I guess you could make your missing cap/finials look like just about anything or even use the PLA filament used in the 3D printer and go the 'lost-wax' type of casting.

[Kenneth_V]

Looks great.

[GWiens2001]

My son came across this tip a few days ago. We have yet to try it out.

1. Get yourself a blender, and grind some salt by pulsing it until the salt is as fine as flour.
2. Put it in an oven safe container, with your printed finial in the middle. Pack the salt firmly around the finial.
3. Put it in an oven at 300 degrees for about 30 minutes.
4. Let it cool to room temperature.

It is supposed to melt the part and allow it to re-solidify into a more durable part.

Again, have not tried it myself, but you can give it a shot.

Gordon

[Sir Ken]

Again, have not tried it myself, but you can give it a shot.

Gordon

Worst thing that could happen is I would just print another one if it failed. I’ll see what happens and report back. Just decorative and doesn’t need to be too strong to begin with, I guess.

[demux]

My son came across this tip a few days ago. We have yet to try it out.

1. Get yourself a blender, and grind some salt by pulsing it until the salt is as fine as flour.
2. Put it in an oven safe container, with your printed finial in the middle. Pack the salt firmly around the finial.
3. Put it in an oven at 300 degrees for about 30 minutes.
4. Let it cool to room temperature.

It is supposed to melt the part and allow it to re-solidify into a more durable part.

Again, have not tried it myself, but you can give it a shot.

Gordon

Fine sand would probably also do the same trick. I remember when I was much younger, my optometrist at the time had a similar setup for heating the temples on glasses to custom fit them. Basically an industrial hot plate with fine sand to apply the heat evenly. You couldn't get glasses adjusted for the first 30-45 minutes after the office opened because it took that long for the sand to heat up, but once it did, a quarter or half minute in the hot sand for each temple and he could adjust to an amazingly comfortable fit.

[blue60]

I use Bondo and sandpaper for 3D printed parts all the time.
Then a good plastic paint will give you a very nice end product (use a Filler primer for best results).

[GWiens2001]

Great tip, Demux!
The salt ground to flour consistency would hold the detail better.

Have also considered trying green sand (for casting metals), as I have some with my aluminum casting stuff.

Blue60, are you talking about using the bondo to smooth the rough edges of the 3D parts?

Gordon

[blue60]

Great tip, Demux!
The salt ground to flour consistency would hold the detail better.

Have also considered trying green sand (for casting metals), as I have some with my aluminum casting stuff.

Blue60, are you talking about using the bondo to smooth the rough edges of the 3D parts?

Gordon

Gordon, yeah I have used Bondo to hide the "grain" of the print when we wanted a model to have more of a injection molded look.