I have been collaborating with a local 3D printer, X of All Trades, to design a spindle that can be used as a supported spindle or a drop spindle, adjustable weight, and a body which acts like a nostepinne to make center pull balls as you spin. The challenge has been the narrow neck breaking, so we have been experimenting different materials. The last round of prints using bottle plastic looked promising, but the filament printing isn’t precise, and tended to bubble and create rough edges. Then they found Tough Resin. 3D printed resin can make much more precise and smooth objects, but tends to be brittle, as I found out on our first printed rounds. Tough Resin fixes the brittleness and with some tweaking of the head and neck of my model, X of All Trades has printed a lovely tool that so far has not shattered when dropped.

I couldn’t wait long to test the spindle. I was pleased that it still spins well with the head changes, and I really like the black resin, which has a prismatic effect along the print lines.

I have put in an order for a small production run, which is quite exciting.

I’m still working on the design of my 3D printed spindle. I’ve now had a local printer make up three sizes, and have tested them all with the same fiber blend.

We aren’t there quite yet. I need some input from other spinners, and we need to change the printing density to reinforce the neck. The smallest version has never broken, but the hole in the yarn ball is too small. The largest has a great diameter hole in the cop of yarn, but is unwieldy. The middle one is the closest to feeling right, but still needs some adjustments.