Turn your printer into an Atronach Forge and conjure this Daedric War Axe
This is a challenging print and build. I printed two versions to double check clearances and printed multiples of many parts to find the best orientations, but even then printer differences could lead to this still being tricky and time consuming. Due to designing within the limitations of not needing to glue parts together, some things must be printed in what would normally be non-ideal orientations or in larger sections than would probably not normally be done. A clean bed and good adhesion are very necessary. If printing in PLA, I suggest to prop the door open as this will help with overhang and support interface cooling performance. This print also results in a ton of support material that sometimes can be a pain to remove and also mostly needs to be carefully removed so as to not snap any thin sections.
This print uses various connectors and screws that are all printed–meaning that no glue is required to assemble into something that is decently sturdy. Still this is an all printed prop, so it cannot be expected to always resist fast movements–I tried though so you don't necessarily have to.
Below I have outlined the printing and assembly guide (with some pictures) and also included videos that show both support removal and full assembly. If you decide to print this I’d love to see some unique color combinations. Good Luck!
Print Guide
Printing can be done without an AMS, but the lower handle is connected to the first part of the pommel and will require a pause to be inserted if you want to print the lower pommel in a different color from the upper handle
I tried to match the colors to how it looks in the game
The handle is dark brown, the main parts of the axe are black, the dark metallic parts are a dark grey, and the lighter metallic parts are silver
For my game accurate print, I used black and brown PLA+ as well as black silk PLA and silver silk PLA
For the red inserts i used translucent red PLA, but can also be done with translucent PETG (in the print profile this is listed as silk because I use the same temp and speed profile for translucent as silk)
I generally like to print long prints overnight and grouped by color with as much on the plate as possible, so there are only 9 plates for something like 40 parts
Feel free to separate these out into more plates if necessary or if changing colors of some parts
Although it may not seem like it for some parts, print orientation was optimized to balance the look, support removal, and assembly position. Change part orientation at your own risk.
The various screws for the head assembly are labeled to help with the correct orientation. They are also arranged in the rough way that they are put into the axe head (as seen in the picture below)
Left / Right side screws are determined by holding the axe head with the edge facing away from you
On some parts, support removal will be difficult and extensive while also having the chance to damage some of the smaller parts
Remove supports slowly and carefully for thin areas and use flush cutters to break trees as high as possible to avoid large sections ripping off small overhangs.
Clearances take into account some unavoidable support scarring, but it is still important to remove as much from specific areas that require assembled parts to join (handle overhangs especially)
A video below shows how I removed supports for all major parts
The last plate contains various sizes of shims that can be used to perfectly align the bottom pommel with the axe head. How far the screw will turn will be very printer dependent, so I suggest trialing some of these. They can be stacked as well if necessary and /or just the smallest (0.2 mm) can be printed multiple times to yield a different height range
For my prints, both needed the 0.2 and 0.28 mm shims combined to align the pommel tight enough so that it doesn’t freely move
Assembly Instructions
Carefully remove all support material and ensure the areas of critical junction points (handle overhangs and handle plaque support interface edge) are as free of support material as possible
Lower Handle
Press each handle plaque into the appropriate slot
The fins have some give since they are thin, but this also means they can easily break so do not jam these in too harshly
If the fins are not fitting well there may still be some support on the handle overhang
Press each plaque firmly into position and pinch near the fins and press inward to ensure they seat properly into the handle cutouts
The handle metal braces then need to be slid down onto the handle, which locks the plaque fins in place
The braces have a top and bottom, the bottom has a small cutout which allows it to stop at the bottom the handle
Clearance here can be very tight, so it may take some effort to slide this into position. It is best to go slowly one side at a time; moving down one plaque at a time to ensure these are not in the way
If you take something relatively heavy and flat (I used a pair of large pliers) you can gently tap the top of the brace to move it down slowly–if doing this keep your hand around the handle and the the brace at the same time to ensure it cannot flex forward or backward as this can cause it to snap and is a nightmare to remove if it does (believe me).
Pommel
Take the pommel organic insert and press it into place above the pommel hook
Take the pommel brace and put it into position so that the alignment tabs lines up with the pommel hook
Take the small end of the pommel screw and thread down into the pommel hook. This will tighten all three pieces together as one
Dry fit the top of the pommel screw into the lower handle and estimate what shims (if any) will be needed to get this into the correct position
Hook point should align with one of the handle plaque sides
Unscrew the pommel screw and place the shims over the screw and then screw the pommel back in place
Repeat with different shims until desired tightness and position are met
Full Handle
Insert four handle connectors into the top of the lower handle and place the middle handle section on top of the these connectors
Insert the other four handle connectors into the top of the middle handle section
Screw the lower inner screw threads into the lower handle until tight
On top the four connectors, place the upper handle
Make sure that the brim is fully removed or dry fit this ahead of time to make sure the brim material is worn down
The upper handle top protrusions should face the same direction as the pommel hook point
Screw the upper inner screw threads down into the lower inner screw until the top overhang pushes against the top of the upper handle
This will lock the entire handle together as one piece
Slide the upper handle band around the curve of the handle and press the pegs into position (this may still have some play, but should stay locked if the sides are pressed in firmly enough
Axe Head
To wear in the 3d printed screws and threads, screw each thread into the appropriate part of the axe head/handle once or twice and remove
Slide the top back piece into position by aligning the tab into the back of the main axe head
The top back piece can be locked into position by inserting the left and right top back connectors
These connectors are very small and the gap in the axe head is tight, so it may be best to dry fit these ahead of time to loosen the fit slightly and make sure no extra brim material needs to be removed
Slide the blade hook into position over the lower part of the outer edge and align the holes with each other
Take care to not break the alignment tab by moving side to side
Slide the outer edge from the left side straight onto the main axe head’s edge
Align the holes and use the left/right front top (L/RFT), left/right front lower (L/RFL), and left/right hook screws (L/R HS) to lock the front of the outer edge in place
Screw the left middle top (LMT) and left middle lower (LML) screws into position to lock the left side into position (this keeps the top back piece from sliding backwards as well)
Repeat on the right side using the RMT and RML screws
Press the left and right front insert parts into position
Be careful when pressing to ensure the connector nibs are not bending as they will break easily
Press these straight down and not at an angle--some force may be required to fully seat these
Use the left and right front insert screws (LFI and RFI) to lock these parts into position
Slide the main axe head down over the top of the upper handle
Take care of the blade hook edges during installation
This can only be installed one way so make sure the pommel is facing the correct direction (same direction as the upper handle band)
Slide the bottom back piece into position over the outside of the main axe head
This part can be tricky since the head is not flat and the bottom is wider than the top. I found it easiest to tilt the bottom back piece up and try to slide it forward and down into position
Place the axe flat with the edge facing toward your left and align the holes of the head, bottom back piece, and handle threads with one another
Over one side, place the left outside bottom piece on top with the holes aligned
Take the left handle top screw (LHT) push it through the non threaded holes and begin threading it slightly until the threads catch and you can make a couple of rotations
Always make sure the screws are straight and not cross threaded
Repeat for the left handle lower screw (LHL)
Flip the axe over and repeat adding the right outside bottom piece and beginning the threads for the right handle top (RHT) and right handle lower screws (RHL)
Threading all four may take some trial and error and threading and unthreading
Is important that these are aligned and straight
Bring all four to as tight as possible with your fingers
To ensure there is little or no play, it is best to further tighten these (carefully) using some tool
I used a pair of pliers to gently grip around the outside the screw and slowly turn no more than a quarter turn at a time. Eventually these will become very hard to turn and any back and forth play should be eliminated
Red Accents
Red inserts are different sizes and shapes so it should be easy to tell which one is which.
The left and right sides are mirrors, so they are not identical
Press these inserts into place and use something small and flat to wedge the corners into position
If support material is difficult to remove use scissors or flush cutters to cut off small slivers of the piece until it can be press fit into position
However, do not remove too much material or these may become too small--causing them to fall out
An additional sleeve can be printed to give the axe some accented red where it would normally glow
The sleeve can be slid onto the back and press fit into the sides after full assembly
_donkey-brains_
