This week’s selection is the Sanding Blocks collection by Printables contributor Jan Štech.
Sanding is one of the inevitable tasks you didn’t expect to be doing when you purchased your 3D printer. However, in order to make surfaces smooth, you’d better break out the sandpaper.
Unlike the bulk sanding done to big flat wooden surfaces, the sanding of 3D prints is usually dealing with small, curved or angled surfaces. It is quite a tedious job, especially with a loose piece of sandpaper.
Sandpaper is sold in sheets, and if you’re smart you’ll buy a product that comes with a handy holder. Holders can make sanding 3D prints much more straightforward: they can present a much smaller sandpaper section against tiny detailed areas on a print.
The problem is that sandpaper holders, if they come at all with your sandpaper purchase, have only one shape. If that shape doesn’t match the geometry of your print, it’s harder to sand with the holder.
Enter the 3D printable sanding block collection. This is a set of three differently-shaped sanding blocks to hold small sections of sandpaper.
In the image at top you can see the three styles: a flat surface, a curved surface and a precision sharper curved surface.
It’s very likely these three holders will make your 3D print sanding job a lot easier.
You will need some additional hardware, however. In order to mount a section of sandpaper on the block, you’ll have to tie it down with a cover that’s fastened by a standard M6 bolt and nut. One set will be required for each block.
If you find this item useful, you’ll also like several of Štech’s other designs. They’ve provided no less than 23 unique models on Printables, including many that are specifically for 3D printing operations, like the sanding block. There’s also a honeycomb wall holder for these designs, including the sanding blocks.
Via Printables
