Mouth-blown airbrush lid for a Gerber baby food jar

Update June 13th 2023: Significantly improved functionality.

Do you have old Gerber baby food jars lying around? Do you wish you had an airbrush but don't want to spend the money? Turn two problems plus a 3D printer into a solution!

This model will turn an old Gerber baby food jar into the reservoir for a simple mouth-blown airbrush. It's inspired by the commercially available steel sprayers that are often used for spraying glaze onto clay.

To Print

This prints in two pieces – the main lid piece and the nozzle/blowpipe.

Print the lid upside down. Paint on supports in the groove and on the flat area around the nozzle. I recommend printing it with the nozzle hole toward the cooling fan (toward the front end of the printer if you're using a Prusa MK3S+) to get the best overhang quality on the front slope. The lid should also be printed with classic perimeter generation and “detect thin walls” turned on in Prusa Slicer.

The nozzle assembly should be printed on its side with Arachne perimeter generation and supports under the tip of the nozzle.

To use

Insert the shorter end of the nozzle piece into the smaller hole in the lid. Snap the blowpipe in place in the groove. See the grey render image for how it should look when assembled. The photo of the printed version may not match the current version of the model.

Screw the lid on a Gerber jar. Use the larger hole to fill with the liquid you want to spray. Blow strongly through the blowpipe to produce a fine mist.

Tips

Be sure to wear protective glasses or goggles if working with chemicals. Attach a vinyl tube or surgical tubing to the blowpipe to be able to operate your airbrush from a greater distance.