3D Printed Stormbreaker - FINISHED

[Magnavis]

Hi all,

I'm back with another big 3D printed project. This time I'm tackling Stormbreaker. Originally I just wanted to try and model it, but once I had done so, it would have been rude not to get it printed and finished up.

As of now, I've almost finished printing it. There are a few more bits to go, but with the majority done, I thought I'd post it here, and kick the project off.

If anyone is interested in the files (Shameless plug), you can get them here : Stormbreaker - Avengers: Infinity War by Magnavis

Modelling

The main Hammer and Axe head were modelled in Fusion 360. This was the project that really got me comfortable in Fusion. It took a fair while, and a couple of delete all, start agains before I was happy.

The handle was modelled and sculpted in Blender. The technique for this wasn't ideal, I was slightly lazy in the way I did it, which caused a few problems when cutting the top most section for printing, but it worked out well in the end.

I cut the files into chunks ready for printing. I actually had to cut some parts further to print on my printer. 1 piece was 1.5mm too high to print...

A few revisions were made, and I'll be updating the Thingiverse files SoonTM with the parts cut for printing that I printed.

Printing

Roughly 2 rolls of filament to get to this stage, and maybe 60-70 hours of printing. Probably more. I printed things in manageable chunks, that fit on my Wanhao i3 Plus. My longest print was arund 16.5 hours, which is a record for me. Cura lied to me on that part though; it was only supposed to take 15 hours (only...)

Everything has printed really well on my printer so far, which at the moment, is printing along very happily.

That's all for now. Will update once the final 2 or 3 pieces are printed out.

 

[mikid]

going to offer?.....nice work

 

[Grenex]

Looks awesome!!

 

[Magnavis]

going to offer?.....nice work

What do you mean?

 

[Magnavis]

Looks awesome!!

Thanks!

 

[mikid]

Was wondering if your going to offer ones up for sale

 

[Magnavis]

Was wondering if your going to offer ones up for sale

Oh....errrm, probably not for this. Not at this stage at-least.

 

[Magnavis]

Handle has gone together. Leaving the very top bit off for now. I'll probably sand the Hammer and Axe a little before I stick them all together. There are a few small bits that'll be easier to get to initially before gluing

Handle assembly was a mixture of Super Glue, and Gorilla Glue, with 8mm studding for added strength/weight.

2 separate pieces of studding, due to the curve. It feels pretty sturdy. There is only 1 part that is flat surface to flat surface, and that's near the top. It should be strong enough

 

[Mad Monkey]

That's fantastic!

Thank you for the hard work. I have a friend looking for stormbreaker for Halloween so I'll be running this off over the year! Whenev5my. Build plate is empty hahah.

 

[Magnavis]

Ive started the sanding. Everything got a good sand with some 80 and 120 grit paper, and then the same again once all of the parts were assembled.

The handle was given a sand with an 80 grit sanding sponge. my plan for the handle is to give it a couple of coats of XTC-3D and then sand it. A little texture will help sell the wood effect, so not looking to sand it to within an inch of its life...the Hammer and Axe head however..

I got hold of some of the 3M green spot putty that a lot of people seem to use. It's a lot more convenient than 2 part filler. I've covered one side of the axe head almost entirely with it, and then sanded back. I then applied a layer of primer, just to see where I was, and to see the comparison of the other side which as of yet, has not had any filler.

A good initial dent, but a lot of work to do still!

Sanded with 80 and 120 grit paper

After first round of filler

Just the primer and initial sanding

 

[mikid]

looking very nice at this point.....

 

[Mad Monkey]

What print settings did you use for the head?

 

[Magnavis]

What print settings did you use for the head?

All pretty standard honestly, nothing too crazy.

.2 layer height, 5% infill (I think). 1.2mm walls. A couple of bits required support, but not a great deal. Printed most of these parts at 50mm/s speed.

 

[Magnavis]

Work on Stormbreaker continues at good pace. As you can guess, sanding and filling is all that's being done right now.

When I last posted, I had done the first round of filling and sanding on the Axe head, and given it some primer. We continued with some more filling and sanding where needed. I then went ahead and gave the Axe Head a good coat of XTC-3D. I don't like using XTC over a raw print, I don't think it's the best way to use it. Instead, I use it after the first major round of filling and sanding. This then does 2 things: It seals that layer (The filler was stripping the primer = Annoying!) But most importantly, it's a good overall filler. It'll make sure seam lines are filled in nicely, and also any other major gaps. You then sand it back to a more dull finish, and any shiny parts that are left are low spots, so you can touch them up. I really like using it, as I find it definitely helps shorten the finishing process, if used in this way.

After initial sanding and filling..

XTC Coat..

XTC Coat dried..

Sanded back to dull finish..

The axe head now isn't too far away from being ready for painting. Next step is to get the Hammer head to the same stage, and then do the last few bits on both together. I have one more piece to print for the hammer head, which is the round disc on the end, but it won't take long, and I will get it on once the bulk of the sanding on this part is done.

A full covering of spot filler..

 

[Magnavis]

Everything sanded back on the Hammer Head, and - like the Axe Head - was given a coat of XTC-3D. Once dried, I sanded it a little more, which seems to have done the trick. Almost there now with these parts. A little more filling needed, but nothing too difficult.

 

[DarthSkykiller]

Great work so far!

 

[Magnavis]

Think the Axe and Hammer head are ready to go now! Finished off the last couple of bits. Got the Center Block and the Disk at the top of the Hammer Head printed, sanded, filled and sanded some more. Glued the disk to the top of the hammer head.

Next step is to wet sand everything up to an ungodly grade (normally 400-3000 for me) I'll paint the hammer and Axe head separately, and glue them together at the end. (I think). Once we sanded, they'll get a good coat of normal grey primer. If I see anything that needs fixing, I'll have to do it, but I'm pretty sure I've got all the seams out, and the vast majority of print blemishes, and lines. I could prime it before wet sanding, but I don't want to waste primer..



So the handle won't be fully assembled until after the Axe and Hammer Head are painted and glued together. The plan is to cover that all up, and then attach the handle, and the final top piece. The Handle will be prepared as much as it can be up to that point. In theory, there should just be the seam at the connection of the very top piece of the handle to get rid of.

For now though, I've sanded the seams with 60 grit, just to try and make them as flush as possible. The handle will get a couple of coats of XTC-3D, and that should be it. I'm not interested in getting a perfectly smooth and flawless finish on the handle. Imperfections should help sell the idea that it's wood...Aslong as the seams aren't visible, I'll be happy with it!

 

[Rupidupe]

Outstanding work!

 

[Magnavis]

Getting the handle to a point where it's more or less ready to go for painting.

I started by applying a good coat of XTC-3D to the handle. Once cured, I filled the seams, and sanded back. I then added a second coat of XTC, and sanded lightly with a sanding sponge once cured. This is now ready to go more or less. The top piece wont be connected until after the Hammer and Axe head have been painted, so all that'll need fixing is the seam that will leave, which will be pretty straight forward.

First coat of XTC-3D


Seams filled,and sanded back


Second coat of XTC-3D - Quick sand with 80 and 120 grit sanding sponge.

 

[Magnavis]

Wet sanding done. Ready for some flat grey primer!