How to Create Your Own 3D Printed Door Knocker with Dragon Design

If a machine which is capable of producing almost everything that you can possibly imagine is given to someone with an artistic mind, for sure he can come up with amazing results. 3D printer definitely has lots of uses especially if it is used by a gifted artist. There will be no limits with the designs that they can make for different products such as jewelry, fashion, or anything that can be displayed.

People usually consider 3D printer as a technology or a device. However, for an artist, this is just a kind of tool that they can use in applying what they have in mind. They can compare it to a paint brush or a pencil that they need in creating their artworks. This is how a Spanish artist named Sonia Verdu has used 3D printer in producing her remarkable works that you have not seen before. She created a Robotica doll and Braq which is a posable dragon.

Verdu is now working on her newest project which is a 3D printed door knocker with a dragon head design that will surely fit the castles in Westeros. This is one of the products of 3D printing that will soon become useful to people. However, it really takes a lot of effort for someone to create this door knocker to look like a metal. This is where you will notice how Verdu came up with an idea to make this happen.

How Verdu Created the 3D Printed Door Knocker

For the process of printing the dragon head as well as for the cleaning, smoothing, and finishing the product, Verdu has thought of uploading an instructable to see the details. This is not an easy thing to do because she applied some tricks to make the door knocker look like a real metal. The good thing is that even if this project is difficult to do, it can still be possible for anyone to produce a replicate as long as they have the patience and willing to make efforts for the project.

The first thing that you have to do is to create a 3D printed door knocker. Though you can use any material, it is advisable that you go for something which is gray in color knowing the fact that you will no longer have to paint the product. In order to make the rough parts of the knocker smooth, Verdu has filed and even used a soldering iron. After that, she coated the knocker wit resin for a smooth finish.

Once the coating was applied, you will have to put iron powder to the knocker before it becomes wet. This will provide a metallic look to the knocker. If you notice that the resin no longer absorbs the powder, you have to let it dry the whole night. You can apply a weathering effect for the door knocker by using ammonium chloride with water just like what Verdu did. You can polish it with a furniture wax. If you want more details on how Verdu has created the door knocker, you just have to look on her Instructable or her blog.