Summary

These are the pips and squeaks for a Star Trek "monster maroon" costume that go on the cuff to tell how long you've been in Starfleet.

Print Settings

Printer Brand:

Creality

                                            <p class="detail-setting printer"><strong>Printer: </strong>                     <div><p>Ender 3</p></div></p>                                                                                <p class="detail-setting rafts"><strong>Rafts: </strong>                     <div><p>No</p></div></p>                                                                                <p class="detail-setting supports"><strong>Supports: </strong>                     <div><p>No</p></div></p>                                                                                <p class="detail-setting resolution"><strong>Resolution: </strong>                     <div><p>0.12mm</p></div></p>                                                                                <p class="detail-setting infill"><strong>Infill: </strong>                     <div><p>20%</p></div></p>                                                    <strong>Filament:</strong> Hatchbox PLA                Black                    <br>                        <p class="detail-setting notes"><strong>Notes: </strong>                    </p><div><p>Print these with the flat sides down. The perfectly flat side is the bottom. I still can't figure out how to get Fusion 360 to export these things so they're not rotated weird. Drop me a comment if you know.</p><p>I didn't try this with a metallic filament, but that might be interesting. If you paint it, it doesn't matter what color filament.</p></div>

Post-Printing

Sand and paint

            <div><p>I only sanded the sides, and only a little. I didn't sand the top or the bottom - the top would lose detail and the bottom doesn't get painted.</p><p>I painted this with Rust-Oleum gold paint. It isn't shiny/reflective metal paint but it covers well and looks good. I then give it a little gold Rub n' Buff to get a bit more metal look.</p></div>                <p class="detail-title"><strong>Glue a pin to the back</strong></p>            <div><p>I bought "butterfly clutch blank pins" - these are the same things you see on lots of pins, where you pinch the pin back to release it. You can get these "headless" where it's just a pin and the back. Super glue one pin to the back of each pip (the round one) and two to each squeak (the oblong/oval-ish one).</p></div>

How I Designed This

Research

            <div><p>The size and detail was based on three things:</p><ol><li>Reference photos - these are all over the internet, but it's hard to find dimensions.</li><li>Commercial replica printed dimensions - the dimensions are listed on some commercial ones I saw on a web site for sale, so I started there.</li><li>Look and feel - my first couple of tries were too thick and didn't sit nicely on the sleeve so I adjusted until it looked about as thick as the other pins.</li></ol></div>

Star Trek Monster Maroon Pips and Squeaks