Making Architectural Details With a 3D Printer

by vanweb

3.4K3111

Intro: Making Architectural Details With a 3D Printer

I live in an apartment within a 120 year old historical building. The Apartments were built "new" 10 years ago but retained some historical features like 10 foot ceilings and lots of millwork (fancy trim) around doors and windows. The building is named the "King Edward" and its logo is a Crown. Above each door and window inside the apartment there is a plain "panel" that just screams for some architectural detail. What better than a 3D Crown glued in the center.

STEP 1: Create a 3D Crown

In order to create the 3D crown I found a PDF the had a good image of the crown and expanded it to get a large clear view. I then clipped the image and saved it as a JPG. Using an online converter site (https://convertio.co/jpg-svg/) I converted the file to SVG and using the import feature I imported it into Tinkercad allowing me to modify the crown for 3D printing.

STEP 2: Shape the Crown

In Tinkercad I created a Square and took a half moon out of it using the hole function, then converted the whole shape to a "hole". I sized the shape to cover the imported crown and joined them to add a curve the full width of the crown. Next I wanted the cross at the top of the crown to be inset a bit so I created a "hole" and placed it over the top and lifted it off the bed and joined the shapes. I did the same at the bottom of the crown to inset the bottom curve.

Finally I exported the Crown as an STL to be used on my 3D printer.

STEP 3: Print the Crown

I printed the Crown on my 3D printer using white filament as my walls panels are white and then the crowns do not need to be painted. Taping the test print crown to a panel allowed me to stand to make sure the sizing was correct. Once I tweaked the sizing I printed the final crowns. Four crowns were needed: three doors and one window.

STEP 4: Attach the Crown to the Wall

Mark the center point of each panel and use Silicone to attach the crown to the wall by placing juts a few dots of it on the "solid" areas of the crown. The crown is very light as 3D prints are pretty much hollow and light plastic (PLA) but I still used some green painters tape to hold the crown in place until the Silicon set (I gave it 24 hours).

Using white Silicon has several advantages:

  1. White Silicon will blend with the wall if a bit leaks out between the small holes in the crown
  2. It is "permanent" yet "removable", the crown will not fall off but if you want to remove it you can peel it off (you may need to pull thin fishing line behind the crown to break the seal) and then remove the residue with something like "Goof Off"
  3. As opposed to using things like double sided tape the Silicone does not have a gap between the wall and the crown making it look more like part of the architecture

I now have a 3D Crown architectural detail above each door and window inside my apartment giving it a vintage feel with a very low cost. As the crowns are the same color as the panel and are 9 ft up they are very subtle but I feel like they are something that would have been done 120 years ago when the building was first built.

10 Comments

Albertv3 1 year ago

I like your project idea. But using Thinkercad is sadly something I won't do simply because it went from a nice program to a completely online only limited program. And I prefer using software offline. Also there is no reason at all why they did that other than to protect their program from being used portable, or an excuse to copy our uploads? Offline usable would have made it a much better tool anyway!

vanweb 1 year ago

For a program that is FREE I can live with some minor inconveniences, I find it powerful enough for what I need and it also is great that all my models are stored online so no matter if my computer crashes or I am using someone elses computer I can still use it and all my files are there.

Albertv3 1 year ago

True, but for me it is a no go area if software is only accessible online or when it is neither portable. Which in those cases also means that an expensive internet provider subscription is needed and that the program doesn't work without having one!

vanweb 1 year ago

Instructables is online only :-) and to create an Instructable it needs around an hour or two of work to create one online.

Aaaecm 1 year ago

Terrific idea! Well written Instructable too. I'm new to the 3D Printer experience and am constantly looking for new ways to put mine to use. Thanks.

vanweb 1 year ago

Thank you.. I also made 3D printed Metal (through Shapeways) drawer pulls with the same crown..

Penolopy Bulnick 1 year ago

Ooh, I've wondered about getting some prints done in metal through Shapeways, but always chicken out from the cost. What did you think of the experience and results?

vanweb 1 year ago

I have been using them for years I did an instructable in 2014 where I had a charm printed in silver through them. https://www.instructables.com/Custom-3D-Printed-in...
I love their service and have used them for many things over the years. Cost is high BUT they do stuff that is almost impossible to get done otherwise.