by isirc10
DISCLAIMER: Do not print with low temp plastics, and do not run without water cooling. This goes without saying, but the tip of the iron gets hot and could easily melt the plastic grip and become a fire hazard. This is meant to be printed in a liquid resin or high temp plastic.
I like to practice pyrography (burning images into wood) and the entry level iron I was using was uncomfortable to use. The grip was too far away from the tip and would get uncomfortably warm after about 45 minutes of use. The iron itself is the cheap generic 60w adjustable iron you find on aliexpress and amazon for around $10 but it does the job well.
The plastic handle is made in two parts:
The grip slips over the metal and ceramic heating element at the front of the iron. This has a nice texture, a flare at the front to keep your fingers from slipping off and hitting the heated burning tip, and an internal spiral in the water jacket (show in the photos) to keep the water circulating evenly. If you are using an fdm printer, you may struggle with the thickness of the spirals - this can be edited in the Fusion 360 files.
The nut slips over the rear of the iron and screws onto the threaded portion of the grip, helping secure the handle against the body and main nut of the soldering iron. This has been designed with 0.2mm tolerances on the acme threads to help the fit if your resin shrinks after curing. In order to fit this nut on the rear of the iron, you must temporarily cut off the plug or disassemble the iron to allow it to slip over the cord and rear iron body.
I have also included a holder that hangs on the drawer handle of my IKEA desk - this can be adjusted to fit your desk using Fusion 360 and the included source file.
I use a small 12vdc brushless water pump to circulate water through a 5m long hose and keep the grip cool. You can find may of them on Amazon. I use silicone tubing with an ID of 4mm and an OD of 6mm. The fit on the inlet and outlet pipes of the grip is very tight on purpose, to prevent leaks. It may be necessary to heat the ends of the water tubing and force it over a conical object to spread it out a bit.
Printer Brand:
Anycubic
Printer:
Photon
Rafts:
Yes
Supports:
Yes
Resolution:
0.05
Notes:
Print the grip vertically with the flared end facing the build platform. Use heavy or medium supports. The nut can be printed directly on the build plate. The holder should be printed with supports and a diagonal 25 degree orientation to the build platform. I used Elegoo grey resin and Anycubic black and both did well to withstand the heat of 3+ hour burning sessions with the iron at 300 degrees, with the water being constantly circulated.
