Repair pin for old Eheim Aquaball holder, suction cup pin replacement

Again, lots of thing, read the text carefully!

I know, I know, this is a bit tricky, but I figured that if anyone has broken holder for this old Aquaball series this will save it, even if it needs abit doing!

I got this old Eheim Aquaball, it has totally hardened suction cups, one of the pins to hold those had already broken and one broke off when I tried to remove suction cup. So I made this repair thingie for it!

First problem was that it really should be PETG in aquarium, but you can't glue it and I'm not sure if glue is even very good thing to put into your aquarium, so I wanted it to be melted together. Use flame carefully, heat it slowly, that way it keeps hot and melty for a longer time. If you heat it fast it propably will cool too much before you can get everything together. I hold the part with pliers while heating and putting it to its place but then I used fingers to press the parts. It is hot, but not unbearable. Still, be carefull, it is quite hot. It will also catch fire very easily.

This took quite alot of trying and failing before I got it. Now the part is about as high as the original pins, so you can mix them. It should also fit new suction cups easily, allthough I don't have new ones yet, I just fitted it with those old ones I cut open to get them off. 

You need to clear the broken parts from the holder and make sure the hole is about round. So the pin will fit. Try the parts before you melt it! Try to melt some and put together outside of the holder before you try to put them in the holder because it's not that easy. So print extra! It will not take too much filament.

Print this with 100% infill with PETG, pin needs supports. For the pin don't put too many perimeters so it will fill it with crossing layers to make it stronger.

I could not get the cup part to export as a ready part because it just did not want to export the negative parts with it no matter how hard I tried and how many versions I tried. But if you just can't get the cup part working, you always can melt and press the pin part without it, just don't burn yourself. So don't use fingers on the melty plastic, it will burn you. Press with something, use your imagination. It will not be as nice and clean, but in the emergency it will work. 

I did include version of the cup that has so bad overhang on the edge that it might be annoying but if nothing else helps, you might be able to use that. 

I included a project file that has the cup parts together, it is made with PrusaSlicer so I cannot guarantee it will work in anything else. 

If you put the cup part together from the separate parts, note that it will be off center because of the cut the cup part has on it to fit it onto the holder. Just try to make sure you get enough material all around the negative part and it does not come out of the positive part's cut on the side.

Like I said, a bit tricky, but this might save your Aquaball!