daviseri Posted May 21, 2019 Share Posted May 21, 2019 Has anyone tried 3D printing replacement buttons? if so- any tips you’ve learned? Was it succesful? Best, Eric Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bruce Thomson Posted May 21, 2019 Share Posted May 21, 2019 Eric, I've replaced several buttons much more easily than 3D printing, by buying a special plastic called Polymorph that you can order online or get downtown, for about $15 a kg. It melts at 60º C, meaning that you dip it in very hot water to make it mouldable and drillable with a hot wire or drill. Roll out a suitable-diameter rod of it, cut it, drill it, etc. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nedly Posted May 21, 2019 Share Posted May 21, 2019 Hi Eric we 3D print at work all the time so I don’t see why it wouldn’t work. I would recommend using PLA as it prints really well. All you will need is a 3D model which can be done simply on a free version of autocad fusion which is readily available Cheers Ned 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CursingLlama Posted May 24, 2019 Share Posted May 24, 2019 I just picked up a 3d printer about a month ago. I haven't played my concertina enough to need a replacement button yet however. I don't think there'd be any problems with printing a button. If you are going to play with it outside a fair bit or in warmer temperatures I'd probably recommend PETG over PLA for the material as it holds up to the elements better. I haven't worked with PETG myself yet, but it's supposedly close to PLA in ease of printing but with higher temperatures. Seems someone had the idea already though, so there is a 3d model already available. https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:2061077 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
caj Posted May 26, 2019 Share Posted May 26, 2019 Hi, It might be easier to simply machine them from Delrin. I had to replace the buttons on my concertina (I bought it in a condition where many of the metal buttons were worn down significantly.) What I did was buy Delrin rods from McMaster-Carr, and mill them to shape with a Dremel tool. To make the bottom peg of the button, I discovered a neat Dremel trick. I set a Dremel tool in that dinky Dremel drill press that they sell, with a fat cylindrical grinding bit close to the drill press platform (a little less than one rod diameter away). Then I'd take a few inches of Delrin rod, hold it firmly to the platform with both hands at the ends, and roll it firmly so that the middle of it rolls into/under the grinding bit. By rolling it in, this mills the middle to a skinnier diameter, and I then cut it in the middle to produce two button blanks. It took surprisingly little time to make a full set of replacement buttons this way, machined with great uniformity despite my grad student budget and my cheapo tools. 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
daviseri Posted November 4, 2022 Author Share Posted November 4, 2022 I did have some 3d printed.. they work, but have a bit more friction than the nickel plated originals. I used brown paper to sand them down a bit. Eventually I hope to replace with proper ones, but they have kept it playable. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fanie Posted November 8, 2022 Share Posted November 8, 2022 On 5/26/2019 at 6:32 AM, caj said: Hi, It might be easier to simply machine them from Delrin. I had to replace the buttons on my concertina (I bought it in a condition where many of the metal buttons were worn down significantly.) What I did was buy Delrin rods from McMaster-Carr, and mill them to shape with a Dremel tool. To make the bottom peg of the button, I discovered a neat Dremel trick. I set a Dremel tool in that dinky Dremel drill press that they sell, with a fat cylindrical grinding bit close to the drill press platform (a little less than one rod diameter away). Then I'd take a few inches of Delrin rod, hold it firmly to the platform with both hands at the ends, and roll it firmly so that the middle of it rolls into/under the grinding bit. By rolling it in, this mills the middle to a skinnier diameter, and I then cut it in the middle to produce two button blanks. It took surprisingly little time to make a full set of replacement buttons this way, machined with great uniformity despite my grad student budget and my cheapo tools. Can you please show a picture or video how you do it? Thanks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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