3D Printer Sleeve for Loose Tenon Fix

[Kirklands]

I've repaired two pipes with loose tenons/stems (that is, the tenon fit loosely in the mortise) by using a sleeve made in a 3d printer. It seems to me that this process could be useful, although it needs fine tuning.

Here's the small pipe - horn stem with metal tenon - loose.

I enlarged the mortise. Then measured carefully.


I had my son make a sleeve on his 3d printer. Here's what he said about the resin "It's a blend of UV curing resins. The brand is Siraya Tech and it's 90% 'ABS Like' and 10% 'Tenacious', blended together."

I scored the inside of the mortise to give it more surface area for the glue to adhere to, then I used superglue to glue it in. That was a mistake; I should have used a different glue. It was tricky getting the glue on the sleeve and then the glue dried too quickly. I ended not being able to push the sleeve all the way in. Even so, it went in most the way and with a bit of filing it worked.

Here's how it turned out (below). A bit too tight, but I can carefully sand the new mortise.

Here's a few things I want to remember for next time:

1. Use a different, more slow-drying glue.
2. When hand drilling out the mortise, mark the bit the exact length needed so that there is no gunk-catching ridge at the bottom of the sleeve.
3. Related to 2., if there is a ridge on the bottom of the sleeve, then bevel it before inserting. Likewise bevel the top of the sleeve to make inserting the tenon easier.

 

[georged]

Props to your energy, determination, and inventiveness, but you pretty much crossed the street in front of your westward-facing house by walking 25,000 miles to the east.

 

[Kirklands]

you pretty much crossed the street in front of your westward-facing house by walking 25,000 miles to the east.

I started just wanting to do something cool with a 3d printer and pipe repair with my son. But , actually its pretty easy and very cheap.

 

[OzPiper]

This is the sort of solution my nerdy industrial designer son loves.
I remember a high school project where he was asked to design and make a can crusher
$300 worth of materials and equipment later ................ a rather Heath Robinson-esque contraption

 

[Kirklands]

$300 worth of materials and equipment later ................ a rather Heath Robinson-esque contraption

Yes, that is a temptation for some of us--like my son . He and one of my grandsons use 3d printers for a lot of small projects, some of them money-making--its a hobby. He said the sleeves cost pennies but the first time they take about 15 minutes to set up. Also - time for true confession - I'm ignorant of better ways to tighten a stem with a metal tenon. Vulcanite is easier with heating and a set of small pins I bought designed for expanding the tenons girth. I've heard of just smoking the pipe, or using fingernail polish, but the former only works on occasion, and I can't get the latter to work. I bought 10 or so of these nice little horn-stem pipes with metal tenons in a lot from France and most of them have some kind of cork or cushiony material lining the mortise that is now compressed and worn out. So the tenons are very loose. So if you can point me to some better ways of making the tenons fit I'll be grateful.

 

[Chasing Embers]

cork or cushiony material lining the mortise that is now compressed and worn out

Those can sometimes be revived by applying lanolin with a Q-tip.

 

[OzPiper]

You can get thin cork sheets from hardware stores
May be a bit fiddly, but definitely a low-tech solution.
I’m technically challenged.

Now that’s a very strong clue as to which decade I was born

 

[Chasing Embers]

You can get thin cork sheets from hardware stores
May be a bit fiddly, but definitely a low-tech solution.
I’m technically challenged.

Now that’s a very strong clue as to which decade I was born

You can also drill a hole in a cork the size of the tenon then trim the cork down to fit the mortise.

 

[RustiePyles CPG]

Be careful doing that with a vulcanite tenon. Vulcanite and PLA can fuse at the right temp and conditions. Same goes for acrylic. Any time you have thermoplastic and or rubber interference fit you run the risk of welding. Aluminum and delrin are fine though. However the aluminum will eventually resize the ID of the PLA bushing and it will be loose again, how long that might take though is unknown.

A nicely done repair though, congrats. For what it's worth, G Flex epoxy has a VERY long working time and is much better than CA glue. I try to avoid using CA on pipe repairs, but it does have its applications..

 

[AJL67]

This is the sort of solution my nerdy industrial designer son loves.
I remember a high school project where he was asked to design and make a can crusher
$300 worth of materials and equipment later ................ a rather Heath Robinson-esque contraption

So he didn't invent a large sheet of plywood to put over the cans and then drive your car across .. the way we used to do it back in the day. lol