Balancing Buddies - Names on a Toothpick

Two names, one tiny point of balance.

Remember the trick with two forks and a toothpick resting on the rim of a glass? Balancing Buddies turns it into a personalized gift. Two little figures carry your names, hang from two crossed sticks and balance on the very tip of a standing toothpick. Give them a nudge: they rock, spin slowly on the tip and always come back to level.

How it works

The figures hang below and in front of the tip, so the centre of mass sits about 7 cm under the contact point. That makes the toy a pendulum: it cannot fall off as long as the toothpick rests in its notch. The weights are solved in the file for each pair, so a boy and a girl (different shapes, different weights) balance just as level as two bears. The calculation even uses the real printed weight (2 walls, 15% infill), so the toothpick sits at its design angle within half a degree.

What you get

·       6 ready-to-print pairs: Bears, Puppies, Kittens, Boy and Girl, Two Boys, Two Girls

·       Plate 1: the toy (both figures, the crossed sticks and a thin print brace), multicolor, one piece, no supports

·       Plate 2: base, standing toothpick and the toothpick that goes in the crossing, one colour

·       Customizer (OpenSCAD) to put any names on the badges and mix any two figures

Make it yours (Customizer)

·       Names: any text, with accents. Up to 8 letters reads best with a 0.4 mm nozzle; the badge grows with the name

·       Pair: pick a theme or choose each figure (bear, puppy, kitten, boy, girl)

·       Size of the figures, distance between them, stick diameter, toothpick length and angle

·       Infill you will print with: the balance is solved for it

·       Stand tip: printed, or a real round wooden toothpick (2.2 mm) pushed into the stand

·       Base size and height, gap between the feet and the base

Printing

·       Profiles made and test-sliced on a Bambu Lab X2D, 0.4 mm nozzle, PLA Basic, 0.16 mm layers, 2 walls, 15% infill

·       No supports. The figures stand on flat feet (full first layer), with a 4 mm brim on the toy

·       The toy is about 11 cm tall while printing; the thin brace from the bed to the crossing keeps it steady. Snap it off after printing: it breaks at a small neck under the crossing

·       Fits any 256 mm class printer (X1, P1, A1, Prusa MK4 and similar). The toy plate needs a multicolor setup; plate 2 is single colour

·       Most of the filament on plate 1 is purge and prime tower from the colour changes around the faces and names (the toy itself is about 22 g)

Assembly (1 minute)

1.     Snap the print brace off the crossing and file the little nub.

2.     Push the toothpick into the hole in the crossing with its flat side and notch facing DOWN. It only goes all the way in that way round, and two small bumps hold it snug.

3.     Push the standing toothpick into the base.

4.     Hang the toy by the notch on the tip of the standing toothpick. Done.

Tips

·       If the toy leans, check the toothpick is pushed in all the way and the notch faces straight down

·       Printing with more infill? Set the same infill in the Customizer before exporting

·       Not suitable for young children: small parts and a pointed tip

Size: about 145 mm tall, 110 mm wide and 100 mm deep, base 80 mm. Figures about 45 mm tall.

If you print it, please post a Make with your names. A Like helps me keep making free, tested models. Thank you!