Posted: 8/24/2026 6:55:58 PM EDT
| What's the recommendation, respooler or rings? I use some Polymaker for specific colors/types, but the cardboard spools suck. I found a link to respooler from here, but it's no longer working. Is respooling the way to go, or do folks prefer printing rings for the cardboard? |
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Respooling is far better. The rings sometimes work, sometimes don't, and will snap if you don't use them fairly quickly. Send me a PM with your email. Ill send you the respooler files directly. Im assuming its mine youre speaking of. Attached File I have a large format version as well. Attached File |
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Originally Posted By -Obsessed-: Respooling is far better. The rings sometimes work, sometimes don't, and will snap if you don't use them fairly quickly. Send me a PM with your email. Ill send you the respooler files directly. Im assuming its mine youre speaking of. https://www.ar15.com/media/mediaFiles/467079/11779_jpg-3816574.JPG I have a large format version as well. https://www.ar15.com/media/mediaFiles/467079/11777_jpg-3816575.JPG Do you have those posted somewhere? Been looking for a decent one for transferring from a 3kg spool to a 1kg. |
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Here, just decided to host them on Google Drive. Shared Prints This link has the Hexa-Flexa spooler, which is compatible with 1, 3, and 5kg spools, and the Hexa-Mini spooler which is compatible with 1kg spools only. I recommend you print it out of ABS, the quick release design isn't super kind to PLA as the friction will melt it pretty quickly. My ABS prototypes have held up well. |
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Originally Posted By -Obsessed-: Here, just decided to host them on Google Drive. Shared Prints This link has the Hexa-Flexa spooler, which is compatible with 1, 3, and 5kg spools, and the Hexa-Mini spooler which is compatible with 1kg spools only. I recommend you print it out of ABS, the quick release design isn't super kind to PLA as the friction will melt it pretty quickly. My ABS prototypes have held up well. Thank you |
| About 90% printed; just waiting on some ABS support filament for the guide body and follower, which should be here in a day or two. Colors are random; basically used what oddball stuff I had lying around. Then ran out in the middle and had to switch colors mid-print. Also had a silver spool of ABS that ran dry, and naturally, the replacement roll was bunched up and didn't fit properly on the spool. If only I had a respooler to fix it...OH WAIT. lol... |
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Originally Posted By NAM: About 90% printed; just waiting on some ABS support filament for the guide body and follower, which should be here in a day or two. Colors are random; basically used what oddball stuff I had lying around. Then ran out in the middle and had to switch colors mid-print. Also had a silver spool of ABS that ran dry, and naturally, the replacement roll was bunched up and didn't fit properly on the spool. If only I had a respooler to fix it...OH WAIT. lol... Hah! I built it with mediumish clearances. Out of the fifty or so people who have given me feedback, I e had one out of fifty say that the follower doesnt run perfectly true and can switch direction before the end of the scroll sleeve. If this happens reprint the follower scaled 1.01 vertically and try again. You shouldn't have issues though. Ive found that there is a vast, vast range of printer calibration skills and effort so I tried to play the middle. You may find it sloppy, tight, or juat right depending on where you fall. 
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Maiden voyage was mixed. Had a Bambu spool that kept tangling up, and wasn't spooled properly. Started to hand crank, and it went pretty well...till the plastic bambu spool came apart. Had to help it along by hand to keep it from binding up, and managed to overtorque the mechanism when the spool abruptly stopped. Broke the crank shaft mounts. But was able to still use the 3/8 square, so proceeded with that. After much careful winding and unfucking, I managed to save a spool of ABS. The spool guide body and follower were made out of PLA, because my ABS support filament hasn't arrived yet. Surprisingly, it held up reasonably well, but started skipping towards the end. Not a problem; served it's purpose. I'll try again when the filament comes in. Any specific infill recommended? I went with 10%, and it feels like it could probably use a bit more. Then again, with more infill and more strength, my tangled spool could have really become a mess. |
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Originally Posted By NAM: Maiden voyage was mixed. Had a Bambu spool that kept tangling up, and wasn't spooled properly. Started to hand crank, and it went pretty well...till the plastic bambu spool came apart. Had to help it along by hand to keep it from binding up, and managed to overtorque the mechanism when the spool abruptly stopped. Broke the crank shaft mounts. But was able to still use the 3/8 square, so proceeded with that. After much careful winding and unfucking, I managed to save a spool of ABS. The spool guide body and follower were made out of PLA, because my ABS support filament hasn't arrived yet. Surprisingly, it held up reasonably well, but started skipping towards the end. Not a problem; served it's purpose. I'll try again when the filament comes in. Any specific infill recommended? I went with 10%, and it feels like it could probably use a bit more. Then again, with more infill and more strength, my tangled spool could have really become a mess. I forget what settings I put in the 3MF but I printed the one I use out of ABS, printed it HOT and SLOW to maximize layer adhesion and prevent heat artifacts, and I want to say I did 20% grid with like 5 walls. And there are a few places, like the crank handle connector / neck that I did 100% infill. |
| Got the ABS support filament in. Printed the filament guide, and it keeps randomly changing direction. Naturally, that screws up the spooling, and things go downhill from there. Gonna try an O-ring or other spacer ro raise the guide a hair, hopefully making it ride in the rail more snugly. If that works, I'll try increasing the size ever so slightly. |
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Originally Posted By nikdfish: Just started a Ever have any luck? Mine's been mixed; still troubleshooting. |
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Originally Posted By NAM: Ever have any luck? Mine's been mixed; still troubleshooting. Haven't done a live test yet, just dry firing. The traverse motion shuttle has been solid in both low speed & high speed so far in operation without filament, hasn't jumped track or made a wrong turn yet. Engagement with spiral track is solid. |
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Tried printing the guide follower at 1.01, still jumps. Will have to do some tinkering around, but so far, I've had more problems respooling than just using cardboard spools as-is. ETA: Seems like faster is better. I pushed through, and once I got up to speed, it only jumped 1-2 times near the end. So either speed, or maybe a burr or two that wore down. Not perfect, but much better than I was getting. |