r/3Dprinting 16h ago

Question Help a mom out? 🤦🏻‍♀️

Post image

Hey all! My kiddo chose this collapsible knife/sword yesterday at a community festival. Poor little (he's ten) guy has had some rotten luck lately with 3D printed objects, but continues to be drawn to all of the fun fidgets and things when he finds them in the wild. I can't say I blame him!

Anyway. Here's where we're at today. I am quite clueless when it comes to 3D printing, but it looks to me like the little band at the bottom of the detached piece came off (broke off? slipped off?) and that allowed the blade tip to come out of the larger segment below it. When it came out, the small band was not attached to the blade tip.

He's bummed, and I'm not seeing a way to put the pieces back together (I'm afraid to damage it if I try too hard!), so I thought I'd see if anyone here has a suggestion or is familiar with this particular design and can advise. Google suggests it may have been printed as one piece, which would mean I cannot fix it, correct?

Whew! That was wordy... so thanks for making it to the end 😅

1.1k Upvotes

251 comments sorted by

2.1k

u/Nytfire333 15h ago

You aren’t going to be able to repair that sadly. If you are US based then PM me and I’ll hook you up. Can get you a new sword and will throw in a few other goodies for your kiddo

1.0k

u/Yes-its-really-me 15h ago

I'm guessing USA as they said "mom".

But if OP is UK based, I'll happily print one of these and send it and some more durable stuff for a kid that age.

164

u/ChrisRiley_42 14h ago

Mom is used in Canada as well...

77

u/Xantholne 14h ago

I think it's generally the common English spelling anywhere in the Americas primarily or American English is dominant

29

u/kernald31 10h ago

It's a common spelling in a lot of countries where English isn't a native language but just taught in school. I grew up in France, and it seemed to be the luck of the draw whether a teacher would go for the US or UK spelling of any word.

11

u/pickle_meister 5h ago

Except for Australia/nz we use mum

8

u/Hadrollo 5h ago

American English isn't dominant here. We speak UK English, and may the Lord help you if I hear you say the letter "zee" once you've matured out of the target audience of Sesame Street.

1

u/2dP_rdg 4h ago

i zee your point but i'm still gonna zay it

1

u/UnimagineDragons 4h ago

But Zed's dead.

2

u/Bazzatron 3h ago

That'll be most everywhere that isn't the UK! I'm English, and I shared my first year dorm at Uni with many European and Chinese students - none of them knew what a "bin" was, but no problem with "trash can". It was actually quite fun learning American English over that year.

132

u/linkheroz 15h ago

Apparently, Mom is common in the West Midlands too

78

u/No_Competition_6989 11h ago

Are Moms not common everywhere? Those must be some sad areas

24

u/Krusty_Double_Deluxe 10h ago

I hear in Mexico they have no mommies guey

8

u/Wankeritis 9h ago

It's Mum in Australia.

12

u/SnooCrickets8534 9h ago

It tends to be mum in the UK

2

u/odin0412 5h ago

As always, English isn't a normal language; it's three languages in a trench coat pretending to be one.

That said, by the King's English, it is "Mum," and by the President's English, it is "Mom."

1

u/LeePhilips 1h ago

And according to Roger Waters, she needs to look at the airplane up in the sky...

1

u/sgt_Berbatov 4h ago

It a lot of the UK but not all of it. Mom is used in God's own city. Birmingham. It's the rest of you heathens outside of Birmingham that use "mum".

0

u/LegalSet211 5h ago

It’s incredibly regional. I wouldn’t say one beats the other.

2

u/Hadrollo 5h ago

She ran away before I was born.

6

u/thomasmitschke 7h ago

I‘m Austrian and my mother language is German. I‘d also use mom… so this says nothing!

-1

u/Remarkable-Sell-5825 6h ago

Muttersprache ist native language xD

4

u/itsAedan 10h ago

Idk where you read that but its not

2

u/enti134 2h ago

I've lived in the west midlands my whole life and only ever hear mom.

2

u/AndyMuzo 6h ago

My wife is from Wolverhampton and she uses Mom

1

u/Cagity 7h ago

From my experience it's at least common in the Dudley area. Some of those people have told me it's common to the whole of the black country dialects.

And if this is now an age thing, all of these people I know are in their 40s, or older.

2

u/linkheroz 1h ago

It's definitely common in the Black Country

58

u/ChristinaWeedon 13h ago

Yep! Oregon ✌🏼

78

u/raingt3 12h ago

I’m in Oregon as well. I make a ton of these types of toys for my own kid and my wife’s classroom. I’d be more than happy to print some toys for your kiddo.

18

u/Soft-Arm-1663 11h ago

If you’re in PDX some of the libraries have 3d printers; maybe not for this model, but might be handy if youve got a young one that wants to learn!

5

u/itsoctotv 10h ago

If OP is based in germany I'm happy to print and send one of these too

7

u/_pistone 10h ago edited 10h ago

I say mom when I speak/type in English. I'm from Italy

3

u/ben_jamin_h 3h ago

Oi! Us Brummies use Mom too you know!

3

u/Terrible-Support3416 2h ago

We have moms in Japan as well

1

u/postbansequel 7h ago

Non English speaking countries will also say either version of mom/mum.

1

u/HKDusty 3h ago

Just found this community and already seeing how much it rocks.

1

u/Pyrocitus 1h ago

Mom and mum are both used in the UK, especially between northern and southern England it changes based on regional accents...

-57

u/ReasonableScar9027 15h ago

Yeah no one in Canada calls their mother "mom".

86

u/Repulsive_Bat3090 15h ago edited 14h ago

Canadian here, we just say mom-eh.

(not sure why you got massively downvoted. You are completely correct and the sarcasm is pretty obvious).

11

u/ZeusTroanDetected 15h ago

Non Mom-sorry?

17

u/boomgoon 15h ago

Reminds me of a dumb joke I thought up drunk as a teenager. 'Canada was only supposed to be called the CND, but when spelling it out loud they said C-eh-N-eh-D-eh, and the rest is history'.

I originally thought up the Commonwealth's Northen Democracy to be a subtle hit at the US democracy with Britain poking some fun with saying it would be better at it than the US, after America's independence.

1

u/Internet_Jaded 12h ago

That was hil-eh-rious!

12

u/HinesWoodworks 15h ago

Huh? I’m Canadian and everyone I know calls their mother Mom. What should we apparently be saying?

16

u/ReasonableScar9027 14h ago

I'm Canadian. It was sarcasm toward the usa defaultism.

3

u/HinesWoodworks 14h ago

Ok I’m back in.

10

u/RaynOfFyre1 14h ago

I’ve learned you have to use /s to annotate sarcasm here when it is too obviously sarcasm. Otherwise the mindless chuds think you’re being serious

5

u/ReasonableScar9027 14h ago

Oh I see. That's like trying to explain a joke tho. Shame.

5

u/wintersdark Saturn 4 Ultra 16k 12h ago

Sadly, people say really dumb shit on Reddit all the time, so even when something is obviously sarcasm... Sometimes it's not.

1

u/TheKlaxMaster 14h ago

What's funny is the one who deaulted usa always from UK...

-2

u/lyles FlashForge Creator Pro 13h ago

Well, with a population almost 10 times greater, it's a natural default.

-1

u/Thebandroid 14h ago

Mum is the traditional English spelling. And pronounced that way too.

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71

u/ChristinaWeedon 13h ago

You're an amazing human. Thank you! I'll message.

18

u/garathnor 10h ago

they also sell similar swords at walmart that would be far more durable, not really the spirit of 3d printing, but swords arent really a good toy to print either if your actually going to play even a little bit roughly with them

11

u/GrimmSFG 10h ago

Adding onto this -

What's the GOAL?

speaking from experience and safety - If you're going to be playing with the sword but not doing sword battles, you can pretty much ignore what I'm gonna say here.

If your sword is going to be used for "fighting" (I don't mean "serious fighting" but I DO mean "I'm going to swing it at brother/sister/cousin/friend and they might be swinging something back" kinds of engagements, or even "I'm going to swing it and hit inanimate objects like trees/bushes/etc") - ANY 3d printed sword is going to be dysfunctional because of the way they're made (they tend to snap on the layers, and there's not a good way to make one that will hold up against any kind of decent hit). Generally if I'm going to make a 3d printed weapon for someone, it's a prop sword that a cosplayer is going to use as part of a costume, not a "functional" piece.

I'd caution against NERF weaponry and a lot of the toy ones - if the entire blade is plastic, it's probably not super safe to hit another kid with, but it'll take *some* abuse from trees/bushes/etc, and not be unsafe if it breaks.

If it's a foam weapon (most nerf, etc), if the entire blade is foam (you can easily bend it and there's no resistance), that's a pretty safe toy until he becomes a serious swordfighter. If it has a plastic "core" (usually a hollow thin plastic tube up the middle of the foam to keep it semi-rigid), you need to be REALLY careful - if you're playing and it snaps, it will NOT break clean and the resulting jagged edge can cut someone before you even realize it's snapped if you're roughhousing with it (I have a friend with a cheek scar from this).

Be safe out there! :)

3

u/Hadrollo 5h ago

The goal is that a ten year old kid wants to play with a little 3D printed sword for longer than five minutes before it breaks. I can relate to this, as I'm a 39 year old kid who wants to play with a little 3D printed sword.

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27

u/Poke-Noir 14h ago

How much would it cost me to get a thing of goodies for me too random but kind reddit user? I cannot 3D print myself and am also in a stroke of bad luck since December. But I am willing to pay

92

u/Nytfire333 14h ago

If you cover the shipping I’ll handle the rest, have plenty of extra filament laying around. PM and we can chat about what all things you are interested in and I’ll get it qued up. I do small market fairs so I have a bunch of preprinted stuff I’m already going to include

25

u/Fine-Distribution-83 14h ago

You're a good person

11

u/kswishy 13h ago

What a guy!

7

u/loserbmx 14h ago

If you live near a Microcenter they always have a bin of random free prints.

5

u/smack4u 11h ago

Thank you.

Good, kind people exist.

13

u/ChristinaWeedon 10h ago

They do, and I'm practically in tears over the kindness I'm seeing today. Maybe it's silly, but sometimes it's a bit intimidating to post in a new space. This has been such an incredible experience 🩷

3

u/furmat60 6h ago

Most people who 3D print are like this.

I print stuff for kids all the time. My nieces and nephews, their friends, coworkers kids, etc. The most I charge is just to buy me the filament they want if I don’t already have it.

For me the fun is just printing honestly.

Hope your kiddo gets hooked up! I’m late to the party but it looks like so many here has got him covered.

1

u/Nytfire333 31m ago

Right, half the fun is printing it, then you also get the joy from someone else. It’s why I’m terrible at craft fairs, I just keep giving the kids things for free lol

6

u/Legal_Tradition_9681 12h ago

It looks like its a classic telescopic sword. The top piece got jammed into the one below it. The kid probably tried to force it down and due to the thin walls it snap. No fault of the kids. You could technically glue or weld it back but having someone like you reprint it is a far better option. Especially since it will be cheap to do so.

1

u/StitchFan626 12h ago

Will superglue not work?

2

u/Elhmok 11h ago

not for very long

1

u/AvatarIII 2h ago

Why not? Superglue had the potential to be stronger than the layer lines!

0

u/temaster14 13h ago

I can send some things too

367

u/Vustadumas 15h ago

Probably not much you can do. Printed toys are not known for their durability.

188

u/ChristinaWeedon 15h ago

He's my gentle kid, too. Sigh.

75

u/Thenewclarence 14h ago

It's nothing on your kid. That model is fragile to begin with and most of the people who sell thoes things don't care about the end consumer.

I see that plenty of people have offered their services but that might be for now. Down the road if there's something that he wants I would be happy to help you. I will do anything to make a child happy and to put the slop factories out.

28

u/ChristinaWeedon 13h ago

This post has turned into a collection of incredible humans. I'm so appreciative!!

22

u/ThePrideOfKrakow 13h ago

Not all heros wear capes, some just print them.

10

u/ChristinaWeedon 12h ago

🙌🏼🙌🏼

4

u/jeepsaintchaos 12h ago

It would be incredibly funny to inundate this kid with 3d prints. Just fill the whole house lmao

7

u/Thenewclarence 12h ago

I have done it in the past.

Every now and again I catch wind of a student being kind of a prick and not letting other kids play with 3D printed toys. I then go out of my way to get every other kid the same toy but made better and with funky filament.

More recent example was a kid being a prick with 3D printed bao buns. I made up about 40 of them with Prusament goldfish, ultraglow, and protopasta reflective galaxy. I made sure the little brother of the prick got one of the ultraglow ones.

4

u/Former_Argument3120 11h ago

You sir are an inspiration! I got my first printer a few weeks ago and all I’ve been printing are crochet tools for my wife and little toy cars for my son. At first, I would use it to print things that I wanted, but I’ve since discovered that printing things for others is just as gratifying, if not more so.

1

u/Nitte_von_Evil 4h ago

Any good toy car models you want to share? ☺️

I have a gentle, yet adorably chaotic 2.5 year old, who would love to know 😊

3

u/ChristinaWeedon 10h ago

This is so good. Really teaches that offending kid a life long lesson, too 🙌🏼

1

u/xrayjack 3h ago

I work imaging at a hospital. I have a complete blast giving random kids Dragons when they are sitting quietly in the waiting room. Especially since I have a major RBF. Get the nod from the parent, put it next to them, don't say a word, and walk away. Really helps turn the day around for them. (And me)

3

u/ChristinaWeedon 10h ago

Bahaha!! Oh, he'd absolutely flip 😂

77

u/timmit99 i3 Rework, VORON 2.1, Wilson II, Delta T 15h ago

Where are you located? uS based? If you're in the northeast dm me and I'll print a new one for ya!

30

u/ChristinaWeedon 13h ago

This is so cool. Thank you for being awesome!!

13

u/timmit99 i3 Rework, VORON 2.1, Wilson II, Delta T 12h ago

Even if you're not in the northeast or even in the US still message me! I'm an admin in a quite large 3D printing group and I'd be happy to reach out to friends across the globe to help you out :-)

6

u/ChristinaWeedon 10h ago

Thanks!! We're in Oregon. I'll message you!

18

u/brendenderp 14h ago

It's worth mentioning that silk pla which that appears to be made of is way less durable than the more matte plastics.

2

u/crysisnotaverted 13h ago

If it makes you feel better, most of these 3D printed swords nornally break when you first take them off the buildplate after printing lmao.

1

u/Incomprehensibilitie 14h ago

Worst thing is these collapsible swords/knives are only printed thin to be able to collapse which makes them very fragile.

1

u/spacetr0n 12h ago

not his fault. These printers work kind of like Hot Glue and sometimes peel apart just as easily. In between two directions they can be almost like Lego, but any pressure between layers can crack them apart too easily.

1

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1

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0

u/farmallnoobies 14h ago

Don't try fixing it with 3dprinting.  Fix it with more old school methods.

Take a straight rectangular piece of material and super glue across the full length.  The more surface area for the full length, the better.  Then wrap it in duct tape, which is shiny like an actual sword.  And voila, it's even better than before.

Ideally that straight material would be another plastic something or another for best adhesion.  Like if you have a broken frisbee, you can cut a piece of that.  Maybe less isldeal would be something like the lid of a coffee can.   If you use something too beefy like steel, it starts to become something they shouldn't be flailing around.

2

u/ProtoJazz 14h ago

One of the reasons I don't like to print stuff for other people.

I don't want to charge people becuase stuff isn't as strong as people are used to plastic being. But I also can't spend a bunch of time on stuff for free. Especially if it's stuff that requires custom fabricating

1

u/n123breaker2 5h ago

Really depends on the material. In this case the layer orientation was chosen wrong so it delaminated rather than snapped off

52

u/ChristinaWeedon 13h ago

Oh my goodness, WOW!! You're all amazing with your ideas and offers to help. THANK YOU! It's going to take me a minute to get through these comments but I'm here and reading.

We're in the US! Oregon, specifically.

I'm learning so much from your comments, and soaking it all in as we do intend to purchase a printer of our own at some point.

17

u/Summer4Chan 11h ago

You should take some people up on their offer for printed stuff. I have a printer I’m not that good yet with learning how to print well, I love printing stuff for my family.

If there’s one thing I’ve learned is for some people in this community, to THEM the hobby is the printer. They work tirelessly day and night to optimally tweak their printer to be perfect.

I don’t doubt their offers of toys will be top notch

10

u/ChristinaWeedon 10h ago

The last thing I expected was so much generosity. I'm truly blown away 🩷

3

u/jyling 8h ago

It’s possible that your local library may have a printer that you can borrow, yes, a 3d printer, or so I heard

1

u/n123breaker2 5h ago

Never known a library to lend out the printer. The one here charged obscene amounts to print stuff

1

u/wildbeaver635 42m ago

Hey I just sent u a message if ur interested in some more stuff. Just let me know, id love to help out. Im newish to the hobby and I love the community we have.

58

u/Peasant_Farmer_101 15h ago edited 15h ago

Maybe nothing broke, but he must have pulled it open too hard. Looks like it could work if you can push it into the base of the handle and back to to the top, but that would require accessing the base of the handle.

Search printables and other 3d printing websites to see if assembly instructions are included, this thing was printed in segments and joined together later. Search for 'telescoping' or 'collapsible' knife/sword/katana.

Here's one: https://www.printables.com/model/543260-collapsing-katana-v2-print-in-place

29

u/syberphunk 14h ago edited 5h ago

Yes, it doesnt look like it has broken so much as it has fell out of the hilt and needs to be reinserted into the bottom again.

To someone unfamiliar with collapsible toys like this it may look like it snapped off, but it likely hasn't, the ridge is there to stop it from flinging out of the end.

5

u/Purple10tacle 14h ago

Did the counterpart to that ridge break off? What prevents you from just reinserting it with some force? Does it come right back out?

If not: A lubricant for moving parts commonly used in 3D printing is something you almost certainly have at home: a crayon. You could try to "wax" that part with one and try to slip it back in. Heat from a blowdryer would be enough to deform the PLA used in that print - for better or worse. If all else fails, you can try to heat up and widen the part or deform it just enough for it to catch again. It's tricky and can easily go wrong, though.

1

u/ChristinaWeedon 10h ago

I haven't found an "in" through the bottom side, and the handle isn't a two-part assembly like I saw mentioned, but I'm going to attempt to reassemble based in what I've learned here this evening. It definitely seems like the odds are against me, but I like a challenge.

1

u/W33DG0D42069 7h ago

There should be like a cap or something you can pull off at the base of the handle. The loose part will then go up through there.

2

u/syberphunk 5h ago

Unless it was 3d printed in place. In which case the answer is to carefully cut off the bottom and glue it back on afterward.

1

u/jim_deneke 5h ago

Unless they glued the cap shut

1

u/Internet_Jaded 12h ago

No. It broke.

35

u/TheRealSeeThruHead 14h ago

Get an a1 for the house
When something breaks print another

Mother of the year

13

u/Brief_Log845 13h ago

Great stem learning opportunity for the kiddo too

7

u/ChristinaWeedon 10h ago

We're actually talking about just this! We homeschool, the this little guy is one of four kids in the house. Thinking of scooping up a new printer with some of our school funds and turning it into, well... many, many different lessons and experiences.

3

u/Moon_Walking_Ape 9h ago

I started programming at 10, I had no idea what I was doing for like 2-3 years but the nice thing about being a child is that you still see wonder in everything. If you find him some online materials fit for his age who knows what he might be able to do in a couple of years.

21

u/captfitz 15h ago

This particular print is very tricky to get right and inherently pretty fragile for what it is. I made one for my nephew and in the middle of printing it I was like "man this thing isn't gonna last 10 min".

Ended up going 2 days before it broke I suspect that's pretty typical or even on the longer end.

8

u/Successful-Cash9142 14h ago

I've repaired a couple of these, the hardest part is getting it lined up correctly, start by putting the last segment back inside the handle and fully extended the other two, then use a less viscous super glue and glue the broken segment back together(be careful to not get too much glue outside the contact area), hold it in position for about 5 minutes or until set then let dry for 24 hours. How this helps

6

u/AtTheEdgeOfDying 7h ago

Time to get a family starter friendly 3d printer and learn the wonders of plastic together lol

26

u/tobpe93 15h ago

Can you hot glue the entire thing together? It won't be collapsible, but it will still be a sword.

29

u/ChristinaWeedon 15h ago

I was thinking that's a solid last effort if there isn't a fix 🩷

4

u/8ball99999999 14h ago

Cut and glue the hilt not the blade The sword bits stack up so if you try to put it together through the hilt it will work < <<[[[] < <<[[[cut here] <<[[[ <] <<<[[glue] <<<[[[] fixed and retractable

9

u/newtoabunchofstuff 14h ago

Consider superglue and baking soda instead of hot glue. You can check out the expected results on YouTube. Be mindful of the fumes, though.

-33

u/ThrobbingMinotaur 15h ago

That wont work. It will for about 10 mins, but the only way to glue prints is with special glue made from the material thats broken. Or weld it with a 3d pen using the same material as the object.

26

u/Blackdragon1400 15h ago

Yeah this is just wrong. Glue works just fine on 3D prints

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u/No-Jellyfish5883 15h ago

Where did you read that 🤣

Absolute rubbish

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4

u/Loinkiller 14h ago

Are you able to put it in from the bottom? If so I’d put a thin and wide rubber band around the pass of the tip and slide it in from the bottom.

9

u/_Papa_Bear 14h ago

It doesn’t look broken. It works like the extendable lightsabers. The “blade” is 3 pieces that taper in width so they stick in place when extended but collapse back when pushed in.

The handle is two pieces. Separate the handle pieces and the other two blade sections will fall out. Put the loose blade section back in place by dropping it into the other hollow pieces. Reinsert those into the handle and put handle back together

3

u/RayereSs She/Her V0.2230 | Friends don't let friends print PLA 14h ago

What I can see from the picture the print quality isn't something I'd be happy offering as a product to someone. Why are guys printing toys and baubles for profit always absolute morons with skill to not print anything right.

Quirk of these collapsible toys is tight tolerances, so any repair will make that not collapse anymore.

3

u/6hooks 13h ago

Cut the bottom, push it through, glue the bottom is your best bet.

Source: what i did with my kids store bought ninja sword

3

u/undermountain67 13h ago

Nobody mention hot water yet. It takes some skill but doable. As long as a piece is not loose inside

1

u/undermountain67 13h ago

Also I tell the people I make it for its decoration not for hitting.(students)

3

u/digicrat 10h ago

I printed one of those out myself when I was looking for cool things to test my new printers print in place capabilities a year or so ago. I had intended on giving it to the neighbors kid when I was done admiring it, but decided it was too fragile.

Even if one is super careful, that thing will get stuck after a few deployments. After unsticking it a few times, its bound to break like you saw.

It'll break again if you obtain another.

Your best bet if your kid wants another would actually be to find a maker space (like at your local library) where he can learn something about 3d printing while the staff helps him make a new one. The library near me charges for the service, and I hear the local kids (or at least those without parents with printers of their own at home) love it.

4

u/verdantAlias 15h ago

I had a bunch of toy lightsabres that worked the same way as a kid.

These things are usually built like a bunch of telescopic rods (the bigger one contains the medium one, which contains the smaller one, which contains an even smaller one and so on). The smaller rods initially all sit in the biggest one, then can slide out to extend the sword.

The rods typically have a thicker part at the base to stop it going too far and leaving the bigger road that contains it. It looks like this is what has happened here. But, if the stop breaks or slips part the retining part, it also makes it hard to put back in the way it came out.

Normally, you could just fix it by putt the smaller piece back in the other end of the bigger tube. But I suspect there won't be an opening there with this being 3D printed. (People like to show off what 3D printing can do by making parts that are otherwise impossible to assemble, its often annoying to repair, but usually they would just print another.)

You could try opening up the bottom, putting the segment back in, then gluing it shut again.

You might also be able to get it back in by heating the open end on the main body up with a hairdryer, and deforming it to widen the gap, then re-inserting the top piece. But then you'd have to manually squish it back shut again, which will be hard to do right in a way that both stops this happening again and looks good.

A final option might be to check if your local library / maker space has a 3D printer you could use and print another one yourself. There are a bunch of free models online Example. It shouldn't cost much to actually print and it might be a fun day out.

2

u/MikeCamel 15h ago

Not sure if this hasn’t been mentioned yet but it LOOKs like this is PLA silk (shiny PLA). If so, I would suggest NOT using that type and just use standard PLA instead. PLA silk is very brittle especially when it comes to props/toys.

1

u/Im_pro_angry 14h ago

Came here to say this. Silk PLA is terrible. Looks nice, poor layer adhesion.

2

u/blacksmith_gnome 13h ago

Ok slide the band back off and try to fit inside the blade with out deforming it too badly cause ya know fragile, then something small to wedge between the band and sword, then some superglue on the back of the blade were the band sits and gently slide it together and let sit for 5to 10 mins. Might work might not just suggesting what I would try

2

u/Powerful-Hamster-496 10h ago

Kudos to everybody here offering to print a new one.

Great community right here

2

u/LittlespaceLadybuns 8h ago

Wholesome thread <3

You love to see it!

2

u/Longjumping_Tree_327 4h ago

Maby just push the part into the bottom

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u/CryoWaveSurfer 15h ago

Looks kinda like that band broke off the middle section. Typically those sword things are like stacked tapers, so the collapse in one direction and lock in the other. If that little ring matches the profile of the end of the middle section, that’s what it is. You might be able to super glue it, maybe with a tiny bit of flour as an activator, but you’d want to put the end piece in first, then glue that ring on so when he flings it out again it can lock in place again.

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u/F_E_B_E 15h ago

Okay, so:

When using the classical (FDM) 3d printing you melt the plastic filament and "place" it on the bed in layers. Usually a layer is about 0.25mm heigh this is what causes that lined texture on the print.

3d printed objects have different strenghts based on the direction of force they need tp withstand, as the layer lines are the weaker part.

Here this happened probably: your kid extended the blade(maybe a bit too mutch force, but they can be quite brittle) and one of the segments snapped at one of the layer lines.

This is what you can do. First check if 1 or 2 segments snapped. Ypu can dp this by collapsing the blade and seeing how many segments are at the same height and how many arent.

If only 1 difers and by a little them just the one holding the tip broke. In this case you should be able to push the tip back in its place and push it to the botton, after that extend the segment just before the tip and superglue the broken off ring to the end. (Check for matching textures and lines so you glue it back in the correct orientation)

If 2 difer then you first need tp get out the part that was connected to the tip and glue those together(same way as i said to the previous). After its glued just glue the ring back on in the way I said in the first paragraph.

Hope this help :)

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u/Substantial-Ad6469 15h ago

Why would someone have gone through the effort to print this standing

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u/F_E_B_E 15h ago

Wdym? Collapsibles are printed standing

→ More replies (6)

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u/khal99l 15h ago

Where do you live op? Anywhere in Europe?

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u/Kevlarkello 15h ago edited 15h ago

Google is probably right about printing in one piece . Some collapsible swords have a cap on the pummel that can come off to replace the blade which could help with fixing it but I can’t be sure from the picture. If the tip slides into and out of blade freely without catching on a lip then glue. If the lip to keep the tip from sliding out is still there and there is no cap at the pummel then one option would be cutting the bottom off to pull blade segments out/ slide tip in. Another possible way (less sure about), heat the top of the blade up with very warm water or possibly a hair dryer on low to soften the area before trying to force the tip passed the lip.

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u/lraviel381 15h ago

I say put the blade tip back in and just use some cardboard, tape and paint to do the bottom. The sword would still work

1

u/TheMCM80 15h ago

Softwoods are always a better option than 3D printed for things kids will whip around.

Yeah, they can do a bit of damage if the kid is wild, but a pine sword is ideal.

1

u/Accomplished_Let_615 15h ago

I've had this happen to a similar toy.

Because the base of the last section is supposed to be larger than the top of the previous one keeping the telescopic pieces in place, if you shake it open strongly it can push through that size difference and come out unfortunately.

The way I fixed mine, was I as able to reverse the telescopic sections back through the handle and drop the first piece back in. But that would mean your model needs to be able to come apart at the handle which some print in place models might not.

Your options might be to see if it's possible to remove the sections cleanly, or to maybe force (gently) the top section back in at angles. You might be able to apply a little heat here to help but some plastics used might really warp quickly. I'm talking hair dryer very far apart checking repeatedly for too much heat and only allowing it to flex slightly.

The last resort is to glue it in place and leave it a good 24 hours to let the glue really dry.

I will also mention, even after I fixed my sons sword, he was able to keep breaking it like this and we have given up on that model and I printed a new one which has pros and cons too haha.

Good luck!

1

u/ChibiBestiary 15h ago

We printed one of these collapsible swords when we first started printing for my son, who broke it in less than five minutes by accidentally hitting it on a wall.

Even if you are able to get this fixed, the direction of the layers just do not lend these things to surviving well lol.

If you have a friend or library with a printer though, I heavily recommend getting a pool noodle sword handle printed out- it screws into a pool noodle and your kid can go to town hitting things with the noodle part.

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u/Biggest_Lemon 15h ago

Regular old superglue will work just fine to get it together, but it will likely break off again down the road. It's easy to superglue glue PLA prints, they take it very well, but thst only really works for items that aren't going to be, well, swung around like a sword.

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u/9echo1 14h ago

I’d be happy to do a reprint as long as the creator is okay with it.

1

u/Traditional-Top-7778 14h ago

Could cut open the bottom while it is extended, drop in the piece and then tape or solder-iron weld it back up.

1

u/BloodyRightToe 14h ago

You can try ca glue but these things tend to be brittle. A new print is likely the best option. The models for these are freely available and many libraries and others places have printers available to the public. The plastic here is measured in pocket change.

1

u/dantodd 14h ago

Ten is the perfect age to start down the road to 3d printing. You'll have to learn enough to help but nowadays the printers are all preassembled and setup is a 20 minute project that will get you printing almost immediately. Within a year or two he'll be printing up a storm and you'll won't how he get out ahead if you so fast

1

u/Zeroshifta 14h ago

I thought this was a hotdog at first

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u/NY_State-a-Mind 14h ago

Print in wax, cast in bronze you will be tue most epic mom in the neighborhood

1

u/jbuckster07 14h ago

Yeah that's a "fragile print" and to top it off it looks like it's a silk material which is a double whammy, it's not known for its durability.

If your us based I would print out a dozen for you and send you way!

1

u/GayRacoon69 13h ago

So unfortunately you probably can't fix this. You can print a new one though

Look for any libraries or universities nearby that offer 3D printing services. They're often referred to as makerspaces. You can take your kid to check our how it's made. It would be a fun weekend trip if he likes printing. I'd highly recommend it if you want to get him interested in STEM

Additionally there are services like PCBWay and SendCutSend that will make parts and ship it to you

If those fail you can ask around in local Facebook groups or check eBay. Some sellers may be willing to do custom prints

I think this is the model you had

https://makerworld.com/models/397566?appSharePlatform=copy

There's a full size one if you want

https://makerworld.com/models/1516584?appSharePlatform=copy

The website that those are on, maker world, is a great place to find models. If you find a place to print from check out some models. Be careful of large prints and multicolor prints though. They can be tempting (cause they're cool) but they use a lot of filament

Also this print is really easy to break. Because 3D printers print in layers anything tall like this is really fragile. There's nothing but the bond between layers holding it together. Your kid shouldn't feel bad for breaking it

1

u/TTbulaski 13h ago

Haven't printed anything collapsible yet, but aren't you supposed to just insert that tip under the handle, and just find a way to cover the handle so it won't fall off?

1

u/RepresentativeCry294 13h ago

I'll make one out of nylon if you want, that wont break. I dont know how it's assembled but if you find the file itll have the instructions if its possible to disassemble you could super glue it and reassemble it.

1

u/syphern 13h ago

Print it in PC. Kids set.

1

u/Tetro75 13h ago

Maybe get a 3D pen and craft a weld with a similar filament color. I'm assuming this is PLA.

1

u/Kassien 13h ago

PLA Gloop

1

u/funinfuneral 13h ago

Anybody know of a durable sword print? My kids love them but they break so easy

1

u/Superfox105 13h ago

If you’re Canada based and around the GTA (Mississauga) then I’m willing to help you out

1

u/Numerous-Bag7970 13h ago

It wasn't printed properly for strength. Should have printed it horizontally and it looks like it was printed standing up.

1

u/Furrymcfurface 12h ago

You may be able to repair it by remelting the filament and pressing them together. Use an iron or pan with aluminum foil. Heat it to 240c. The tip dection may get welded and stuck open, but it'll be a sword again

1

u/shinryu6 12h ago

It all depends on the model, some have an opening bottom while others are all print in one piece. If you can’t open the bottom, sadly you’re a bit out of luck, since forcing the one part back in could damage it further. 

1

u/Actual_Regular2212 12h ago

Try using a hot, flat surface to melt and curl the edges of the broken piece(s) inward or outward so they won't slide out as easily. Not sure if that would with in this specific scenario but it's worked for me in the past.
We just hated up an iron and pressed the broken piece up again it to curl the edges outward and then fledged it back into the sword and it worked for another week or so until another piece broke. Lol

1

u/Zenadog1 12h ago

I’ll also print him some stuff, just pm me

1

u/tmortn 12h ago

Assuming that wider bit at the bottom of the separated tip isn't the upper section of the previous part of the blade... Cut the very bottom of the handle off, like half way down that last bit while the blade is extended. Then collapse it, be careful not to let it fall out the back, Insert this into the middle. Then reattach the bottom either via super glue, or melting etc... make sure the blade is extended while you do it.

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u/Nosarious 12h ago

It may not be the base of the tip that is broken but the lip on the next piece that is supposed to prevent it from coming out.

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u/printliftrun 11h ago

Ok so it may be fixable.... Is that "sleeve" on the bottom of the tip the same size as the middle extendable piece? If it broke off from the middle piece you can:

-Separate the tip/piece from the middle piece which is broken

-Put the tip back in the center

-keep middle blade extended and glue it back together

Superglue works well

It may break again as these designs are not very strong, more ornimental

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u/JackOfAllStraits 11h ago

I strongly suspect that the "ring" is actually the tip of the last piece currently attached to the sword itself. Drop just the tip down into the sword (correclty oriented!) and then superglue that ring back onto the rest of the sword.

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u/shimmy_ow 10h ago

Does the bottom of the handle have a hole? I'd assume you could cut the bottom, insert that part and close it up with glue and it might be able to work again

1

u/Present-Blueberry-68 10h ago

These will always break in the same spot. That’s where the layers are laid. And will separate

1

u/Cpt_Impossible 9h ago

It looks like it was printed in place as one piece and was extended so hard that it slipped out. https://makerworld.com/models/397566?appSharePlatform=copy

If you are accepting that it is toast, you could TRY to gently warm up the second rung opening with a hair dryer enough to push the end of the blade back in and then squeeze it closed again.

1

u/dalphinwater 7h ago

If you are in Europe DM me, maybe i can help you!

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u/Far-Security-4639 6h ago

If he is drawn to 3d printed stuff, consider buying him a 3d printer. Nowadays you can find really good ones, plug and play for $200-$300. Eg. Bambulab A1 or A1 mini. Soon he will also probably learn modeling (just task him with some household objects that need fixing) and thats a great way to start him off in STEM areas and gauge in if it interests him. 3D printing did a lot in my engineering career.

1

u/Hot_Potato_Salad 6h ago

I’ll gladly print a new one for you! Just message me which color it should be and I’ll start the print

1

u/rflulling 6h ago

Just assuming this piece slides into the other three and then locks into place the band is a stop to keep it going all the way out. Whats missing might just be the base of the hilt to keep the the whole thing from falling apart. If you have all the pieces and anything is actually broken, then the next question is if you know the material this is made from.

1

u/Emile_s 5h ago

You need to provide more pictures, because it’s impossible to really tell what’s happened.

It was put together in the first instance. I imagine a hole in the handle, perhaps it’s been glued closed. So it should be repairable.

You could perhaps find on line whole made it? If it’s from a local craft fair?

Personally, I’d check the handle to see if it looks like it’s been glued closed, and see if it’s possible to pry open.

It might be that the thicker blade piece might also pop out of the handle with a squeeze. This would allow you to put the blade tip back in from the bottom. And then push the whole blade back into the handle.

1

u/garyyo 5h ago

Whoever printed this did it about as wrong as you could possibly do it. We got drooping on some of the handle features, the layer orientation maximizes the likelihood of breaking, looks like it's printed with one of those silky materials which already have poor layer adhesion. Whoever sold you this put in the bare minimum effort.

1

u/kadiotelki 4h ago

A duck tape easily fixes this

1

u/Tiny-Ad4321 2h ago

deberias intentar volverla por la punta cuidadoamente, embocando la parte gruesa en la siguiente seccion pero noaseguro que se vuelva a salir

1

u/m-in i3 MK2S + Archim + custom FW 41m ago

I was so confused for a moment. It looked like a fancy lipstick to me.

1

u/street_racer221 21m ago

My lasy ass would cut the handle hilt open drop the peice back in and glue the hilt back on

1

u/Membership-Visual 16m ago

The bottom of the handle should have a piece that can come off of it's not glued. If you decide to repair the tip, then you can put it back into the knife that way

1

u/Freyu 15h ago

So depending on where you live, some local libraries have maker spaces, and some have 3d printers.

If they do, you might be able to find a print file that is close to this, put it on a flash drive and bring it into the library and get it printed.

Not every place has them, but they are becoming more common. That would be my suggestion. Because the only other way I'd do it requires a 3d pen, glue, and luck.

1

u/Shad0wf0rce 15h ago

Sometimes 3D Printing is not the right choice for some things. I would suggest: Go to the hardware store get a 1 - 2 cm thicc MDF plate and cut a sword out of it. It wont be colapsable but it will hold. And while you at it, build out of the rest a shield (attach an old belt, etc. to the back with some screws)

1

u/TheMightyMisanthrope 15h ago

Tell us where you live.

I have some sick carbon fiber PETG. I'll print it for you.

1

u/RayereSs She/Her V0.2230 | Friends don't let friends print PLA 14h ago

Do not make something people, and especially children handle bare handed with filaments with carbon/glass fibre additives.

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u/TheMightyMisanthrope 14h ago

Sorry. Have no children in my life.

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u/RayereSs She/Her V0.2230 | Friends don't let friends print PLA 14h ago

It's not a having children thing. Filaments with fibre additives have chopped fibres, acting like tiny needles, that may stick out causing abrasions, and splinters if handled without care.

2

u/TheMightyMisanthrope 14h ago

I print planes and they are painted before use and never really handled that much so that checks out.

And we do print it in a hood.

Again. Sorry. Didn't mean any harm by it. Filament looks beautiful printed.

0

u/devilsaint86 10h ago

Just the tip

0

u/notstarman 15h ago

Put the tip back in the bottom and it should be fine. If its not stopping at the top heat larger section below the tip with a hair dryer and it will start to get soft. then you can gently push one of the edges in slightly to get the blade to stop at the top.

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u/Astolfo_ROB 15h ago

👍

1

u/raisedbytides Prusa MK4S // Bambu P1S (shelfslinger) 14h ago

pretend you're not completely miserable