Gothic boss

The centre of the lawn mower steering wheel broke and fell out. A perfect opportunity to adorn it with a gothic or perhaps pirate style boss.

The liquid effect is XTC-3D resin mixed with black acrylic paint.

I also discovered a new technique. The PLA plastic used for the 3D print is easily formed using a normal hot air gun.

I heated up the fingers with the hot air in less than 10 seconds and the fingers stayed pliable more than long enough to form them to exactly sit on the curved edge of the steering wheel. The idea being they are less likely to be broken off if they touch the surface.

Lawnmower starting handle

When the pull cord handle on Shelley's lawnmower broke I made this as a replacement:

The pull cord passes up the handle, round and out in the bone under the skull. To be knotted then pulled back and hidden in the cross bone.

Here is the handle in design and production:

Shelley found it very comfortable to use.

Pimp My Lawnmowers

Once I'd started I had to go a bit further. I made a stencil and added some skulls to the little lawnmower and the bigger sit on mower :-)

Downloads:
WARNING: Pull starting engines can be dangerous. There is a risk that the handle can be pulled out of your hand so fast that it breaks bones. Always read the instructions. Do not use this replacement unless you are confident that you know how to use the equipment you are attaching it to. You use this entirely at your own risk.

Skull handle Blend file
Skull handle STL file
Skull handle licence share alike

Updated May 2016, August 2016, April 2017 and again June 2017. This version is hopefully stronger. The earlier ones cracked in two places when the pull handle hit the lawn mower metal tube.

Printer settings (updated August 2017):
Ultimaker 2+
Filament = 14m
Layer thickness = 0.15mm with 0.4mm nozzle
In fill = 100% solid (for strength but there are modelled in hollow sections where acceptable)
Speed = 40mm/s
Support = everywhere (there is also an additional support modelled in, that supports the supports!)
Adhesion = Raft

I have used various PLA derivatives and PETG. The PETG is the strongest but the latest design has survived for several months printed in PLA.

Attribution:
Parts of the model have been derived from others. With kind thanks to the authors of the following:
Skull - http://www.thingiverse.com/thing:179795
Other Bones - http://www.thingiverse.com/thing:157696
The stencil was derived from: https://openclipart.org/detail/169804/skull

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