Traditional K6 British Phone Box

Description

This is just a little bit of whimsy, undertaken because I had most of a reel of red filament lying around. There are also variations to allow use as a piggy bank, or as an LED lamp. I designed it, full size, from photos on the internet, and then scaled it down to the size I wanted. It's not a true scale model, although the measurements are approximations of the real thing, so it's close enough for display purposes. You'll need to print 1 base, 1 roof, 1 back panel, 1 door panel, and 2 sides - Note that the two side panels are not interchangeable!! For the glazing, print 1 door window, 2 side windows, and the rear sign. If you leave out the rear sign, you have a ready-made coin slot. The base is best in black, with the body parts in red. I printed the windows in white, although I suspect semi-transparent would work well too. I plan to glue it together permanently but, as everything is a tight fit, it can be assembled without glueing. The clearances are tight, so gentle filing will be necessary where appropriate - along with the occasional "tap" with a hammer and a block of wood! I printed mine at 0.15mm. I wanted to do it at 0.1, but for some reason Cura wouldn't slice the stl file correctly at that resolution. This lower resolution meant that the writing on the "telephone" signs didn't print, but I have decided I will laser print those instead, and affix them afterwards. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Printing ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Experience has taught me that it is best to print the top piece with the dome pointing down towards the print bed. Use support, obviously! Once printed, it's far easier to remove the support structures, and the dome can be sanded smooth afterwards. If you finish the sanding with a Scotchbrite, and possibly even liquid metal polish (clean off the residue with isopropyl afterwards), you will get rather good results. All side panels need to be printed with their inner faces to the print bed. When printing these for use as an illuminated version, using a gyroid infill will minimise the visibility of the infill structure when the light is turned on. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Assembly: ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Fit the single sign panel to the roof first (this step may be omitted if you wish to use the opening as a coin slot on the money box). The correct position is easily identified because it is the only one with a ledge to hold the sign in place. It may need a dab of glue. Then fit the windows to the door and side panels - note that the door panel glazing is different from the sides (it has a missing pane adjacent to the door's handle). I used of a piece of flat wood and a hammer to gently drive the glazing panels into the frame. But, BEFORE resorting to this, do make sure the frame apertures and glazing units are properly cleared of any excess material on their mating faces. Next, fit the newly-glazed door panel to the roof unit, making sure that the glazed sign above the door panel clicks firmly into place. Glue if necessary. Now fit the two newly-glazed side assemblies to the roof panel. Note they are NOT interchangeable (there are different angles at the front and rear edges). Again, making sure the roof sign glazing is firmly pressed into the roof sign opening. Glue if needed, obviously. Once those three assemblies are in place, you should now be able to slide the back panel into position. IT WILL BE TIGHT at first!! You can now place this complete assembly into the base opening - noting the thicker recess for the rear panel. You will probably need to place the base down on a flat surface, then align the assembled body with the cutouts. It WILL be tight, so tap it into the base with the flat of your hand. If all went well you should now have a model phone box. If not, you did something wrong, maybe you muddled the side panels up, or the mating surfaces aren't clean enough. So that's my take on the traditional British 'phone box. I'd love to tell you more, but I've got to go now, as there's somebody on the phone! Happy printing! ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- Updates: ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- 5th February 2019: Files for Piggy Bank base and plug now added. (these have now been superceded by new stl files in August 2020). 6th February 2019: Files for a back panel to accept 12mm OD chassis mount 2.1mm standard barrel connector, a roof unit designed to hold a Circular G4 Bulb unit, and another roof unit to hold a short length of 10mm LED tape of your choice. 24th August 2020: Updated moneybox base and bung with a larger opening and to make the operation easier. Parts must be thoroughly deburred to work smoothly. From experience of printing loads of these boxes, I also recommend the use of a smear of vaseline, or similar, to aid rotation of the bayonet pins on the plug.

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