Fixing Household Items with 3D Printing: Two Simple Projects

3D printing has become an incredibly useful tool for household repairs. With a little creativity, you can fix broken items instead of throwing them away. In this post, Christian will share how he used a Prusa 3D printer to repair two everyday items: a toilet roll holder and a window blind clip.

Project 1: Toilet Roll Holder Repair
When the mounting bracket of my toilet roll holder broke, I decided to design a custom clip to fix it. Here’s how I did it:

Problem: The original bracket snapped, making the holder unusable.
Solution: I measured the dimensions of the broken part and designed a replacement in CAD software.
Process: I printed the new clip using a Prusa 3D printer, and it fit perfectly. The 3D-printed part is sturdy and works just like the original.
Materials: PLA filament, 0.2mm layer height.
Time: Approximately 1 hour to print.

13/09/202419/10/2024

October Repair Cafe

Bring your broken gadgets and gizmos to get them fixed by skilled volunteers at TOG Hackerspace!
Save your things from the landﬁll and your wallet from having to replace them.

Join us in Tog on Saturday 19th of October from 2 pm – 6 pm.

What objects can you bring in?

Clothes and accessories
Toys
Small electrical appliances and electronics
Small furniture
… and many other things!

Safety testing (PAT) for electrical devices will be available.

Whether it’s a wonky toaster or a glitchy switch, our experienced volunteers are here to help. No need to throw things away when they can be fixed! Swing by with your items and let’s get them back in working order together. TOG members will be on hand to show you around the space – come and enjoy a tea or coﬀee and a tour while you wait!

See you there!

Where? – Unit 1B Motor City, Kylemore Road, Dublin 12, D12 CF6V
When? – Saturday, October 19th, 2 pm – 6 pm
Admission is free – but book a ticket so we can plan numbers – all are welcome!

https://www.eventbrite.ie/e/repair-cafe-tickets-1015213750657?aff=tog

If you would like to be a fixer, drop us an email.

09/09/2024

Dublin Climate Action Week 2024 Launch

We’re excited to share that our very own Jeffrey Roe presented Tog’s latest initiative, the “Repair Café in a Box”, at the Dublin Climate Action Week 2024 Launch. This event brought together an inspiring mix of community groups from all four Dublin local authorities: Dublin City, Dún Laoghaire–Rathdown, Fingal, and South Dublin.

Repair Cafés provide a volunteer-run space where people can bring broken household items—anything from electronics to furniture—to be fixed. Our new “Repair Café in a Box” model aims to make it even easier for community groups to set up their own repair cafés by providing them with all the essential tools and resources, available for free rental.

This initiative is not just about fixing broken items but about fostering a culture of repair, sustainability, and community-driven action. It aligns perfectly with the themes of Dublin Climate Action Week, focusing on reducing waste and supporting local climate initiatives.

Check out some of the press coverage from the event below:

https://www.thejournal.ie/dublin-climate-action-week-2024-6482926-Sep2024

25/08/202409/09/2024

Repair Cafe At Dublin Maker

Do you have broken items at-home – clothes, small appliances, toys, electronics?

No need to throw them away!
Save your things from the landﬁll and your wallet from having to replace them.

Bring them to our repair café and learn how to ﬁx them together with our volunteers. We have tools, materials, space to work on your item, and repair experts who will help you with your repair.

We have a special edition of our repair cafe that will take place at this year’s Dublin Maker.

Dublin Maker

Dublin Maker is a free to attend, community run event, which will be held on Saturday August 31st & Sunday September 1st 2024 in Richmond Barracks from 10 am until 6 pm.

Dublin Maker takes the form of a “show and tell” experience where inventors/makers sourced through an open call, will have an opportunity to showcase their creations at individual booths in a carnival atmosphere.

Makers range from tech enthusiasts to crafters, educators, tinkerers, hobbyists, engineers, artists, science clubs, students, authors and commercial exhibitors. They are of all ages and backgrounds, coming from all over Ireland and beyond.

Our Repair Cafe takes place on Sunday, the 1st of September from 10:30 – 13:00 at Richmond Barracks.

14/08/2024

Climate Action Fund – Repair Café in a box

We are delighted to announce that we have received a grant for a new programme called “Repair Café in a box”. The funding comes from the Community Climate Action Programme under the Government’s Climate Action Fund.

https://www.dublincity.ie/news/eu19m-awarded-51-community-groups-dublin-city

51 groups in Dublin City were awarded over €1.9m and will benefit sports clubs, resident associations, community centres, community gardens, religious institutions, and others. It was made possible by Dublin City Council in partnership with the Department of Environment, Climate and Communications.

“Repair Cafe in a Box” will provide a suite of tools and equipment that
any community group can rent (at no cost) for their event. It will include
commonly used tools, and signage in transportable carry cases. The aim of the project is to address the issues of the community not having the tools to get started hosting repair events. In the coming months, we will be building up this library of tools and post further details on how community groups within Dublin City can rent them.

16/06/2024

June Repair Cafe

Do you have broken items at-home – clothes, small appliances, toys, electronics?

No need to throw them away!
Save your things from the landﬁll and your wallet from having to replace them.

Bring them to our repair café and learn how to ﬁx them together with our volunteers. We have tools, materials, space to work on your item, and repair experts who will help you with your repair.

Join us in Tog on Sunday 30th of June from 12 pm – 4 pm.

A repair cafe is a community gathering place where people can bring their broken items, such as appliances, clothing, bicycles, or electronics, to be repaired by skilled volunteers for free. The idea behind repair cafes is to promote sustainability and reduce waste by encouraging people to repair and reuse their belongings instead of throwing them away.