During WWII, Norway (a neutral country) was occupied by the Germans. An ordinary paperclip, worn on a lapel or sleeve cuff, was a symbol of protesting the German occupation. In honor of Norway’s brave protesters, I have designed a 3D-printable “paperclip earring”.
The photo shows a two-color design (white on the outer layers, with black in the middle). There is only one STEP file, and it contains no color information, but it is easy to use for multi-color printing. (You can, of course, print it in a single color, and then the paperclip design appears as an indentation in the surface, but there is no color change.)
To print in more than one color, you’ll need to work with your slicing software. If you have a 3D printer that automatically switches from one color of filament to another, you can indicate those switch points using a slider in the slicing software. There are 25 layers in the design, and I suggest switching colors for the first 5 and the last 5 layers.
If you have a 3D printer that uses only one filament at a time, you will need to use your slicer to insert “pause” commands at the appropriate layers, and you can switch filaments manually while the printer is paused. I suggest inserting those pauses after the first 5 layers and before the last 5.
In addition to the 3D-printed part of the earring, you will need some additional items. You’ll need a pair of conical plyers, used for making loops. These are available where arts and crafts supplies are sold. You will also need a “head pin” for each earring. This will go through the small vertical hole in the 3D-printed earring. Once it is inserted, you will make a loop in the top of the head pin to connect it to the final item you will need, an earring hook. The headpins and earring hooks are also available from arts and crafts websites and stores.
Enjoy!
The author marked this model as their own original creation.
