Seasonal Lantern

A seasonal lantern I designed as a gift for a friend. The whole model is designed to print in seven sections and be screwed together. The top is secured with magnets to make it easy to remove for taking out the tealight or changing the panels.

Designed in FreeCAD by me. 

I am not currently going to release the source FreeCAD file.

These instructions have been created from memory so may not be entirely complete. I was in a bit of a rush to complete this so it got to my friend before Christmas so didn't take photos of the entire build process.

You will need:

4 x M4x16mm countersunk screws

4 x M4 hexagonal nuts

8 x 10mmx3mm magnets

1 x M5x16mm hexagonal head bolt

1 x M5 nut

1 M5 washer

1 short length of stiff wire (coat-hanger wire is perfect)

IMPORTANT: Make sure that all the magnets are inserted the correct way around.

The poles of all four magnets in the roof should be placed in the opposite direction as the four in the uprights.

If in doubt, double check before fitting any of the magnets and continuing the print. You will not be able to correct this once either print is finished. Retrieval of the magnets will require destruction of the print.

Printed in PLA at 0.2mm layer height.

Uprights WILL need brims to prevent them from being pulled off the print bed by the nozzle.

Brims are also recommended for the inserts to prevent warping although mouse ears could be added using your slicer.

For uprights:

You will need to set your slicer to pause the print just before the holes at the top of each upright are filled in (the large holes for the magnets). At this point you can insert the magnets and continue the print.

For roof:

Once again you will need to pause the print just before the holes for the magnets are filled. 

Insert the magnets and continue the print

Once all parts are printed:

Handle:

The M5 bolt should fit snugly inside the hexagon-shaped hole. Use a nail or a screwdriver alongside a hammer to gently tap it down as far as it will go.

Cut a suitable piece of the stiff wire, or coathanger. This should be bent into a hook shape. The lower half should form an “L” so it will fit through the hole in the handle. Insert the straight end into the hole until the long vertical section rests against the plastic. Bend the other end up at ninety degrees and cut off any excess so the wire handle is now fixed to the plastic.

Use the nut and washer to secure this to the roof of the lantern.

Insert the hex nuts into the base of each upright. They should fit snugly.

These can be screwed to the base using the four countersunk M4 screws. The ridges on the baseplate should make alignment easier. 

Ensure the slots align correctly. The curved parts of each upright should be facing outwards.

Once the uprights are installed you can install the side panels. These are designed to slide into the slots in the uprights and should be easy to remove and change when needed.

Make sure they slide down to the bottom of each slot so they clear the magnets at the top otherwise the roof will not fit correctly.

Place the tealight into the circular holder in the base. The top can now be fitted. The magnets should make it easy to align and they should snap together when brought close enough together.