by JP1
This representation of the Angel Moroni is both a Christmas tree topper or a year round shelf display.
While not an exact replica the overall look is reminiscent of the Salt Lake City Temple and the different parts allow for the simulation of a granite ball attached to the base or a gold one attached to Moroni like on the Payson Utah Temple. The ball is also included separate for further mixing and matching of the corresponding parts if desired.
The parts are Cura scaled and oriented for printing. Supports touching the build plate are required for the angel (yes, printed upside down) and the trumpet. With a good part cooling fan additional supports are minimal. Please read the post processing tips for inserting the trumpet.
Since the fit of the parts is quite precise it is highly recommended that you use thermally calibrated filament. I use these clips to calibrate mine with great precision. The parts will fit together right off the printer with no additional clean up of the mating surfaces.
https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:1037301
or
https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:2502677
Printer:
ReliaBuild3D RB3
Rafts:
No
Supports:
Yes
Resolution:
0.10 mm
Infill:
10%
Filament: Vortex 3DP and Amazon PLA Lt Grey and Silk Gold
Notes:
A 10 line brim is recommended for the small surface area parts like the angel (only the knuckles of his right hand touch the build plate) and the trumpet (only the bottom edge of the bell touches the build plate). I have found that supports everywhere at 30% density and at a minimum required angle to put supports under the angels left hand fingers is all that is needed. The trumpet needs support along the entire length when printed horizontal and printing two trumpets at the same time works best.
When printing the base, if you have a really good part cooling fan duct that blows horizontally across the nozzle tip, you will hear a whistle from the air blowing across the print as the center hole narrows towards the top of the print. This is the part cooling fan duct I use for my printers.
https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:2901039
Inserting the trumpet
After support removal and general cleanup the hole for holding the trumpet through the right hand needs to be cleaned out. I have found that the cleanest way is to use three drill bit sizes and slowly work my way up. I start with a 1/16" bit and then use a 5/64" and finish with a 3/32". I get no deformation this way and don't break off the fingers. Using a sharp hobby knife I clear away the chip and the trumpet slides right through and lines up with the mouth of Moroni. A drop of super glue on the mouth piece and at the hand holds it in place.
Glue the angel to the base with a little glue around the sides on the ends of the pegs of the corresponding parts.
Design history
A friend of mine has wanted to do this project for a long time and sent me some non-printable surface models of the various parts of the Angel Moroni to try and construct it. Thank you to whoever did the original scans and modeling!
I turned the surface scans into solids and placed them in their proper orientations with modifications as needed to correct protruding, crossed, reversed, and missing surfaces. I created the base and globe from scratch. With the addition of location pegs and a complete redesign of the trumpet I had a set of solid printable parts that could be mixed and matched accordingly. The program I used for the modeling was trueSpace 6.6.
