Buck-Chuckets from A Minecraft Movie

The Print:

• Ender 3 Max Neo, upgraded with Creality Direct Drive print head
• 0.4 mm nozzle
• Comgrow Grey PETG
• 235°C nozzle, 70°C bed temps
• 0.24mm layer height (I was in a rush)
• 2 walls, 2 top and bottom shells, 10% adaptive cubic infill
• Normal (auto) supports with a 1° threshold angle (again, in a rush. Tree supports would be better for loops)

You'll need: 2 buckets, 2 handles, and 24 chain links. The handles are cut in a way to simply push onto the loops at the tops of the buckets. The links are split to allow them to twist open and slip onto the next link and the handles.

This is the first model I've made from scratch and shared. Constructive feedback is welcome!

The story:

This is my very first shared model. I was already teaching myself 3D modeling with Autodesk Fusion when I saw Jason Momoa smash some iron bars on a crafting table into a pair of buckets linked by a chain and got a fantastic idea for a little prop for my kids to carry into the theater on premier night.

So while pretending to work, I looked back and forth between Fusion and a screencap of the preview to guess at dimensions and proportions, looked up tutorials on how to make things like linked chains, gave it a little chamfer and kicked it out into a series of STLs. I then shrank those STLs in Orcaslicer to 66% to fit everything onto my Ender 3 Max Neo's bed to try and get it done by the premier.

We did not make premier night, which was fine as it wasn't done printing. But on the second night it was assembled and ready to show off to everyone at our local theater.

The buckets were fine, the handles came out better than expected, but the linked chain printed like crap, especially where I had to put a link at a weird angle to make a turn. I wasn't about to share a design that, in a sugar-energized child's hands, could become an accidental projectile. So after some iteration and “swing testing”, I came up with the design I've posted here.

The bucket is still largely the original and will require supports under the bottom and possibly to hold the lip at the top and to bridge the loops. The handles clip onto the loops with a simple press and hold surprisingly well. For the chain, I abandoned the print-in-place links and went with a more reliable split link design. You'll need to print 24 of these to be accurate to the movie prop. They print flat and open enough with a slight twist to slip over the next link and the handle. (At my 66% size I had to manually separate the split on some of the links with pliers, but it should be okay at 100%). I printed in PETG for flexibility and durability. I have not tested the chain in PLA, but I figure they should be okay if the walls aren't too thick.