Introduction: Molecule Ornaments

About: Community Manager for Instructables and Tinkercad.

Molecule ornaments make for a fun and unique decoration for your Christmas tree. After making molecule rhinestone pendants, I thought it would be fun to make a set of ornaments. Because the pendants were designed to lay flush against someone when worn and to hold rhinestones, I had to remake these with basic shapes to get them just the way I wanted them (and make it so they can hang from one central point).

It's really quick and easy to print off a set for your tree!

All you need to make these is a Printer, White Filament (or another color of choice that stands out when on the tree) and Ornament Hooks (or string).

If you want something a little fancier, check out my Rhinestone Molecule Necklaces.

You can also purchase a set of these ornaments in my Etsy store :)

Instructable 291

Step 1: Designing and Files

All are of the ornaments are about 3/16" thick. I wanted them not too bulky but also noticable when they were on the tree.

I used my molecule pendants as a basis for quickly drawing out these ornaments using pentagons, hexagons, and rectangles.

I also swapped out the rhinestone cuttouts with regular cylinders with cylinder cutouts to make them really simple.

After unsucessful prints, I made them slightly larger than the pendants to get the best print (I was getting a lot of gaps in my early prints).

My biggest issue with these ornaments was, surprisingly, the loop where the ornament hook would attach. If it wasn't at the center of mass, the ornament would tilt too much to one side. Some of them were easy (Caffeine and Serotonin) but the other three were a bit more difficult. GABA was particularily odd. I ended up putting the loop on one of the points and off to the side.

Step 2: Printing

Printing these is pretty straightforward. I reccomend using 35% overlap to get good coverage and 100% infill.

Once they are printed, just add your hook or string and you can hang them up!

Step 3: Finished Ornaments

And hand for size :)