Sting Dagger from The Hobbit and LOTR

Hi!
Thank you for your purchase. You’re right! The updated version doesn’t include the cube piece and actually doesn’t need it. You can print the blade parts and glue them together without any problems. Let me know if there are any other issues.
Thanks for your patience.

Also, it doesn't look like the model can be sliced correctly, at least with PrusaSlicer 2.3.1. Take a look at the big gaps in the model highlighted here: https://imgur.com/a/gnuclwd

Hello again and thank you for your purchase!
The entire dagger should measure 23 inches or about 58.5 cm in length.
I did some calculations I think the model needs to be rescaled to roughly 300%.
Btw what slicer program do you use? maybe I can help.
If you have any more questions feel free to ask.
And if you print with ABS, beware of the warping effect and keep the printing environment warm.

Hi! I'm using PrusaSlicer 2.3.1, but I can't get the model to slice properly. Even setting 0.05 mm layer height (which I can't actually print anyway, max I can do with good quality is 0.15mm), there are gaps in the model. I ed a picture* in another comment where you'll see the issue, but it's currently awaiting moderation. Enabling "detect thin walls" makes it ever worse.

• the image is at imgur, /a/gnuclwd

I took a look at the image and I see the small gaps but it should print just fine.
Have you given it a try?
I recommend setting layer height to something small like 0.1 or 0.15mm and small nozzle size if available (0.2mm would be perfect).
I personally use Simplify3d and I saw the same thing as you pointed out, but it's a minor issue.
Printing thin objects like swords and blades are always harder.
I suggest you give it a try. Set your printing speed as low as possible.
I have a prusa printer myself and I would print this at 2400mm/min printing speed, 4800mm/min XY movement, 1000mm/min Z movement speed. I don't know about PrusaSlicer but in Simplify3d there's an option to print layers which take less than 15 seconds with 20% speed. I have this option checked.
Here is a link for more info : imgur com /a/vFDTjf8
I provided my settings for Simplify3d but it should be the same for PrusaSlicer.
Give it a try and share the results!

I'm giving it a shot, but the edge looks really rough so far: imgur com /a/RYwiDQu I'll keep it going for now and see what comes out at the end, but it looks like the edge of the blade is going to need a lot or reconstruction. I'm printing at 0.15mm with a 0.4mm nozzle, though, I don't have a smaller one yet.

I think you should print with a smaller nozzle. This model has thin parts and you can’t print it with 0.4mm nozzle. I suggest you get a smaller nozzle and try again. (0.3 or 0.2mm nozzle)

I don't know, even if I configure the slicer with a 0.25mm nozzle and an insane 0.05mm layer height (which would take an absurd 23 hours just to print this half of the blade), the edge looks like it wouldn't print cleanly: imgur com /a/3lzPQC1 . I just ordered a 0.25mm nozzle so I'll be able to confirm soon, but honestly I don't think an FDM printer could handle that edge.

Have you printed this model? Can you share a picture of the result?

I don't think the problem is the layer height, although 0.1 or 0.15mm layers tend to produce more accurate results.
The nozzle size especially when printing sharp corners (like blades) really matters.
I configured Simplify3d to print with 0.25mm nozzle and 0.1mm layer height and it says it takes about 13 hours for all parts of the dagger!
Just try the settings I sent you (imgur com /a/vFDTjf8), you could change your nozzle size to 0.25mm for better results.
I have not yet printed the model, but whenever I do I will post a picture.
I believe you can print it without a problem if you change your nozzle and follow my instructions.

Also, the reason your sliced model looks like that in PrusaSlicer is because you set the layer height too low (obviously most FDM printers can't handle less than 0.1mm layer heights).
try with 0.1 or 0.15mm layer heights.

I could just slice the blade along its length and print separately (like my Voldemort Wand). But then the inscriptions on the blade wouldn't be as detailed so I decided to slice the blade this way to preserve details when printed.

I know the nozzle size matters for sharp corners, and I will try with a 0.25mm nozzle and 0.1mm layer height as soon as I have one. However, I don't think it will make much of a difference. Even in the preview with your settings (imgur com /a/vFDTjf8, third image), Simplify3d is showing you that it's not going to be able to print the edge that sharp. You don't have to take my word for it or print the entire model, just try to print the top part of the bottom half of the blade (the part with the curl at the end of the inscription). The mesh is way too thin to be printable. Even scaled by 434.24% it's too thin, you can see it as well using a mesh analyzer to look for parts of the mesh with a thickness of less than 0.1mm: imgur com /a/msb4MgV

By the way, the 23 hour time estimate I mentioned before was with the model scaled up. Obviously it would take far less at your original scale, but I'm trying to print a sword, not a letter opener. :P I calculated the 434.24% scaling factor as what is needed for the blade to be 490mm, as indicated in www wetanz com /shop/weapons/sting .

Yeah, unfortunately swords are too sharp to print accurately, but I'm sure you can get around that!
Keep me updated with your process.
I might make some adjustments to the model after all!

I received my 0.25mm nozzle and I tried to print this model with the settings you suggested. I can confirm that the blade is not printable as designed.

Thank you for your update. Can you specify exactly what went wrong?

As the slicer view shows, the blade is too thin in parts and there are holes in the model. The edge of the blade is also too thin and doesn't print too well, but that could probably be sanded down. The gaps in the model can't really be worked around very well.

Thank you for the info, I try to mitigate the problems as soon as possible. Stay tuned!

Hey I modified the model and I hope this fixes your problems.
I thickened the blade by 30% and fixed the holes.

if the problem persists, try printing the blade horizontally.

I'm afraid this still doesn't fix all the issues (imgur com /a/cKJpTWZ). From my tests, the edge of the blade has to have a radius of at least 0.1mm to be printable with a 0.25mm nozzle, or 0.2mm with a 0.4mm nozzle. 0.1mm is kind of pushing it, though, 0.2mm would give a bit more breathing room.

Besides that, any two exterior walls with less than 0.25mm (0.25mm nozzle) or 0.4 (0.4mm nozzle) between them is going to be hard/impossible to print cleanly. Here (imgur com /a/amZ8bvF) is a screenshot of PrusaSlicer with "detect thin walls" enabled and showing the thickness of each area. The entire edge of the blade is dark blue, at 0.05mm it is way too thin and just prints as a stringy mess that will snap off very easily.

I see, you can try to print it horizontally if that fixes your problem.
duplicate the parts you want to print horizontally and place them horizontally halfway through the printer bed. don't forget to rotate one part face-up and the other duplicate face-down.
as an alternative, you can just print the blade and snap the strings. this leaves you with a bit smaller blade. nevertheless it should look fine.

I think it is not possible to print the blade edges cleanly in FDM printers no matter what you do. the best you can do is to print according to your printer's specs. although it doesn't mean the results would be bad. just that the results may not represent the model 100%.

Because the edges are perfectly sharp, you can't expect to be able to print it that way. this is the physical limitation of the printer. the printer can print the edges to whatever extent it can possibly print.

Here is how you would print them horizontally: https://imgur.com/a/9sOssSE

Hello there!
I don't quite understand what you are pointing at.
Do you mean it should look more like a saber?
I modeled the blade tracing reference images so it must be quite accurate.
Unfortunately I don't have a 3D print of it nearby.
You can take a look at it more closely at this link: https://sketchfab.com/3d-models/sting-sword-from-the-hobbit-and-lotr-f8f1bbe437324f7c99800afe95db6932
but note that the model in sketchfab is the "low-poly" version.
Thanks for your comment!

I took a look at the link you mentioned and all of them were actually my reference images!

Looking at one of the references and your model side by side, it looks like the reference sword is wider at it's widest part (at the height of Frodo's eyes). The reference blade looks curvier, although I it it's a subtle difference...

Side-by-side comparison: https://imgur.com/a/YDvKR5P

Maybe the difference is there because there are two sets of reference for Sting: one was crafted for LOTR and the other for Hobbit