solder tube

This thing is about 3" (75mm) long and ½" (12mm) in diameter.  It's a nice size for holding and doing precise work.

The cap is just a friction fit.  With the tube printed vertically, the layer ridges “snap” into each other and it stays on nicely.  It is designed with zero gap (the top of the tube's outer diameter is identical to the cap's inner diameter) which works well for me.  If it doesn't fit well, I suggest scaling the cap up or down by maybe 0.5%.  If the hole is too small, you can just ream it out with a small drill bit.

To fill it, wrap solder around something with a 4-6mm diameter (a pencil should be fine) in one layer with a continuous tight spiral.  If you try to do multiple layers, you can end up with frustrating snags on this inside when you try to pull more solder out.

Build Instructions

I printed this in PLA with .2mm layer height.  Orient it vertically (as provided in the STL)  with a brim.