TRex Solder 3rd Hand

A weighted, non-slip, non-wobble soldering third hand.

Huge thanks to Modular Hose for giving me the Loc-Line samples I used to make this!

Why is it called TRex? It's gotreally short arms …

Despite what Thingiverse might say, this isnot a Customizer project. Opening that link will disappoint. Also, Thingiverse's Markdown parser is utterly broken, so please excuse the formatting here.

Print Settings

Printer Brand:

Prusa

Printer:

I3 MK3S

Rafts:

No

Supports:

No

Resolution:

0.3 mm

Infill:

20%

Filament: Atomic Filament PLA Neon Yellow UV Reactive

Notes:

Printed with 3 perimeters/vertical shells.

Post-Printing

Parts required

*at least 12× ¼" Loc-Line segments

• 2× Loc-Line ¼" NPT threaded connectors
• 2× Loc-Line ¼" nozzles
• 2× alligator clips
• 3× adhesive round non-slip feet (up to 16 mm diameter)
• appx. 60 g steel BB shot (or available equivalent) as ballast
• hot glue to secure ballast and seal port in place
• Polycaprolactone (PCL; trade names includeInstaMorph) warm-melt granules to secure clips into nozzles

*(optional) PTFE plumber's tape.

Note that Modular Hose promotional Loc-Line keyrings each have 3 segments plus a threaded connector and nozzle, so four keyrings provide enough parts to build this.

Assembly

1. assemble the two Loc-Line arms with a threaded connector and at least six segments each
2. secure the ends of the alligator clips in the nozzles using softened PCL or hot glue. Make sure that the ball joint connector surface is clear of material, as you'll need this to fit the nozzle onto the arm
3. fill the tool body with ballast, apply a plug of hot glue to stop it rattling and secure the end port in place
4. Carefully thread the arms onto the tool body. NPT threads are tapered, so become gradually tighter as they go in. Use a little plumber's tape if they're too loose. Be careful not to over tighten, as this might crack the tool
5. Apply the non-slip feet, applying appropriate pressure to activate the adhesive
6. Get soldering!

How I Designed This

Acknowledgements

Dan Kirshner's Thread-drawing modules for OpenSCAD were used to make the nice ¼" NPT taper-profile thread. Thanks, Dan!