Friday, December 30, 2011

Dropper Caps for Extract Bottles

Two of the four droppers I bought from KAF
 I got a four-pack of dropper lids for my citrus oils, because they are so strong you measure them in drops. Unfortunately, they only fit on the amber bottles, like the butterscotch bottle in the photo below.

Not being in a mood to be denied, I decided to pull the dropper out of the original cap, and make a cap to fit the clear, small mouth bottles. Using Alibre and calipers, it was easier than I had hoped, and also fit the McCormic bottles from the grocery store! Hurrah!

Orange oil with dropper, and three more caps I printed.
I went back and added some texture details to make the cap easier to turn, and more attractive. I decided to offer the model for free at Thingiverse, and the caps for sale on Shapeways at my store's kitchen section. They are more expensive than I would like, but perhaps worth a splurge if you frequently use extracts or oils in this kind of bottle. Either way, you'll need to purchase the droppers.

While Shapeways says that the plastic is not food safe, the cap doesn't touch the extracts. The black rubber on the dropper acts as a gasket/seal, and serves as a barrier between the cap and the bottle. If this makes you uncomfortable, then I suggest not getting them. Personally, I am comfortable that it is safe.
Variety of bottles with and without droppers.
McCormic bottle with and without dropper.

Filament Guide

The feed motor on my Up! printer failed a while back, and I have been living with a duck tape repair. Catching my breath after Christmas festivities, I decided it was high time to make a proper fix.

The feed motor is not needed, as the nozzle feed is strong enough to pull the filament from the spool unassisted. After first trying to modify someone else's model in Sketchup, and getting frustrated with the lack of associativity, I used Alibre instead. I sure wish I could find a way to import an stl for free, so I could trace off of the existing model, but instead I grabbed my calipers and started measuring.

It's pretty simple. Slip the filament in through the end, no need to pull it out of the nozzle, and the guide keeps the filament in check as it comes off the spool. While lacking frills, it works and looks better than tape. Model available at Thingiverse.