Last month I mentioned that I was working on a 3D design for something to hold the pipes and valves of my tuba so they can dry out but with less chance of mixing them up. The valves in particular will fit in the wrong slots but then you can’t blow through the instrument. Here is the finished result:

I don’t have a multicolour printer and, at the time I ran it off, I didn’t even have PLA filament in any colour other than black, so it was printed in that. It has worked well but the numbers were a little hard to read. Last night I applied some white acrylic paint and this morning I used Dremel-like tool to tidy it up, making them much clearer. The pieces have been designed to tessellate, with the large end having two spikes for the pipe extensions, a valve holder in the middle and then a spike to hold a spring at the other end.

Once the parts have finished drying, I’ll check the lubrication and then pop them back on the tuba, ready for some more practise.