by Arkleseizure
Spinning tops are notoriously difficult to print in one piece. No matter how you orient it, one side will look terrible. Cutting it along the "equator" will leave an ugly seam where the parts are glued together, and can easily cause the top to become unbalanced and wobbly.
This is sort of a compromise. There's still a seam, but it's on the underside and barely visible after sanding. If you use a material that doesn't like to be sanded, try printing the top layers in a concentric pattern.
The customizer isn't for changing the shape of the top, but for adjusting tolerances and detail levels. The default values create a nice, snug fit on my Prusa with SteelFill, but your setup may need something different. Prepare for trial-and-error.
Printer Brand:
Prusa
Printer:
Rafts:
No
Supports:
Yes
Resolution:
0.1 mm
Infill:
100%
Notes:
Printed in Colorfabb Steelfill
How this was post-processed
Press the two parts together. Use a file and/or superglue only if nessecary.
P240 sandpaper until layer lines are gone.
P400 sandpaper until sanding lines are gone.
Brass brush until shiny (steel brush is too harsh IME).
Polish until smooth. If you achieve a mirror finish, please tell how.
If the top wobbles too much, try spinning it on P400 sandpaper. That will smooth out the tip.
Polish with a piece of smooth glass or steel or one of those little agate stones that goldsmiths use. Personally I use the titanium-coated steel handle of a folding knife. Some people say a rock tumbler works wonders with SteelFill/BronzeFill prints.
Oh, and please use some kind of breathing protection while sanding this stuff. I don't know what fine steel dust does to lungs, but I'm betting it's more likely to be something bad than something good.
This is my 8th prototype. The first one barely worked at all. The next versions got progrssively better, and my record with the final one is 2 minutes, 13 seconds.
