Bladed Spoke Holder

Using pliers to hold bladed spokes still whilst adjusting spoke tension is just inconvenient and probably not much good for the spokes. The spoke holders on the market get in the way of turning the key unless you slide them well down the spoke, which doesn't work well if your spoke is tough to turn (which they often are, initially).

This one is is shaped to fit inside the classic Park Tool spoke key, which means you can get it to the very top of the bladed section and still turn the key a decent amount.

I have created three thicknesses, but the Blender file is also here if you want to adjust the notch width. If you don't know how to use Blender, you should learn! But feel free to ask me to create a version with a different notch width (or depth). I have also included a size check piece, which only takes 5 minutes to print, so you can test with that before choosing one of the spoke holder STL files to print.

No supports needed. I have found it strong when enough printing with PLA at 60% infill, using the Tri-Hexagon pattern for maximum horizontal shear strength. The best way to increase strength without adding too much time and material is probably to increase the wall thickness.

Happy wheel truing!