Has anybody 3D printed anything for their shamisen recently? Some people seem to think it’s viable to print komas:
3d printers dont grow on a tree.
I’m waiting for a 3-D Bachi that is coming in the mail for me. I’ll let everyone know once it arrives!
Don’t forget to post a pic, Kevin, I can’t wait to see. I love these home fabricated things, being a craft nerd myself, lol.
I LOVED that blue koma! It looked beautiful!
Chris Farina tried 3D printing some bachi, and I’ve been working on some designs too. Certainly worth a try to make koma! Hopefully they are sturdier than regular plastic koma. 
I could try printing that koma and see how it turns out. I do have my reservations about a bachi though. Printing is great but not the most resilient structures!
I have printed one bridge (柱, ji) for koto. It took about 1,5 hours.
Here in Helsinki in Finland you can easily print 3D at the public library. The cost is about 2 euros for 2 hours including printing plastic.
Lucky!! I’m still waiting for our library to get books that aren’t two decades old!
Man, that’s really cool. I imagine there is a really long waiting list.
Yep I’m a bit doubtful, probably you can’t get anywhere near commercial quality at home?
Especially low-end 3D printers have an issue with structure (durability, sound quality?) and finish (rough surfaces).
Professionals might be more interested as they may have access to better printers (add 1 or 2 zeroes to price tag) and could print other materials than just plastic. Could be useful for a new revolution in shamisen construction - how about experimenting with new koma shapes? Ceramic koma? And of course the faux bekkou and other plastics(?). Maybe more exotic materials in the future…
Doukake could actually be an interesting piece to print at home - you could have nice webbed patterns for a really personal doukake! A new style synthetic neo? Then of course custom bachi forms… maybe something that fits really well into your hand? Or a printed bachi sleeve?
Heck, why not just print a whole shamisen!
Heck, why not just print a whole shamisen!
Heh. Once I get some free time, I might go ahead and model it out in 3D and print one out
Hey guys I used the design from the original post and found someone to print it for me! It definitely needs some good sanding, but I think it’s okay for the price. I got mine for just under $10. I can send pics as well. I’m going to sand it (hopefully to smooth perfection) later today if I have time.
Hey guys I used the design from the original post and found someone to print it for me! It definitely needs some good sanding, but I think it’s okay for the price. I got mine for just under $10. I can send pics as well. I’m going to sand it (hopefully to smooth perfection) later today if I have time.
Is it made from ABS or PLA? If ABS you might be better off with an acetone bath to smooth out the print lines.
It’s PLA. I’m going to do experiements with other materials too.
Okay, so PLA is a strong plastic. So I’d suggest a combination of sanding and filler primer, then more sanding and more filler, etc until it’s smooth.
I wouldn’t use any of the other types of fillers, which are based on epoxy resin. Epoxy resin is very strong, but it’s fragile under high stress, so a good tataki would snap it.
This was printed with what percentage of infill?
(Sorry for the questions, I do lots of 3D printing and this intrigues me)
I’m sorry to say that I do not have very much knowledge at all of 3D printing. I had to find someone to do it for me. I will ask that person and try to get an answer.
Thank you very much for the tips. I will try your suggestion and update when I can. I’m very excited to see how it finally turns out.
The bridge for koto I printed makes quite a good sound.
Hello
I have printed koma recenly:
Best regards,
Alexey