#0038 Finger Splint (with integrated straps)

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Recently I found myself singing: “I fought the saw and the..saw won. I fought the saw and the…saw won”.  (Who can tell me what song I'm referring to?) 

Seven stitches later, I found that the finger splint the doctor gave me was very uncomfortable so I started to look for an alternative.  

I was inspired by Prusa's efforts at emergency splints, and printed out their finger splint to try out.  But found it lacking a key feature: integrated straps to hold the splint in place.  

So I designed my own (it looks like a remix but it's not):

1. Has integrated straps in two places
2. Prints in under 30 minutes on Quality setting
3. Intended to be printed using honeycomb infill, so the model that you download may look “boring”, but will look interesting once printed. You can experiment with any alternate infill pattern you want.
4. This is a great application to use PLA.

Recommended Print Settings:

1. Use PLA for its low glass transition temperature.  Have fun with your color choices!
2. 4+ vertical walls and zero top and bottom layers, 0.2mm layer.
3. Use honeycomb infill pattern @ 20%
4. NOT recommended to print solid because you will need to keep your finger ventilated to minimize moisture buildup that promotes bacterial growth.

Application Guidelines (read completely before you form the splint):

1.  After printing and initial removal from print bed, increase bed temperature to 90degC to make the splint soft--give it ~20 seconds to uniformly soften.
2. Alternative 1: you can use a bowl of 80degC water to dip it in.  This might get the injured finger a little wet during the splint forming process.
3. Alternative 2: use heat gun or hair dryer to soften the splint.
4. Wrap injured finger in the gauze that you intend to use (and also serves as a heat barrier from the splint).
5. Whether you have someone else helping you or you do this yourself (like me) wear some gloves for quick and comfortable handling of the warmed “spaghetti like” splint.
6. Quickly wrap the splint in place (you have a few seconds before it stiffens up again), including wrapping the straps and hold it in place with a firm but light pressure against the finger for 30-40 seconds or until the splint keeps its shape.
7. Tip: “rehearse” or “practice” the wrapping motions (using an imaginary splint) a few times before you actually do it, so it goes smoothly with the real splint.
8. If you mess up, just flatten it back up on the heat bed with help from a lighter/torch/heat gun and use your spatula/scraper to press it flat for uniform softening, leave it for ~30 seconds then try to form the splint again.
9. If you can't bend or wrap the straps in time, just hold the splint in place so it holds its shape, then take if off and use a lighter or mini torch to soften each strap and form/sculpt it into place. (take care not to burn the material, or yourself).
10. Test fit and repeat 9. as necessary for a comfortable fit.

Now you have a custom-formed splint that you can't find anywhere else outside of a medical or therapeutic setting!

Note: This was designed for adult sized hands but you can always scale it down for child sized hands.

If you download this model and/or add it to your collection, please click the LIKE button and give it some STARS!  

And please share some pics of your make too, if you are up to it (if you are downloading this, you must not be feeling great and/or in pain, but keep your chin up!)

Happy Printing!