Advice needed with 3D printing soap stamps

[Babyshoes]

My friends have a 3D printer and are happy to print some stamps for me in exchange for some soap...

I know next to nothing about creating a 3D design for soap stamps - I've never even used one! I'd really like one with a pair of ferret foot prints, and maybe one with a cat silhouette.

Apparently their printer likes an STL file. From my googling it seems there are sample designs of various objects available to use or adapt. Can anyone point me towards a good starting design? Something like a blank handle with a face to put the design on, for example.

Also, for those who use a 3D printed soap stamp, what would you say is important to know? Handle? Border? Thickness of lines? Something I've not thought of yet?

Thank you.

 

[amd]

Check out Thingiverse . com they have lots of free patterns there. Once you find a style that you like, it should be fairly easy to create the stamp face that you want.

*disclaimer: I do not have a 3D printer but have several friends who do and have made things for me over the years. I'm merely sharing their "mode of operation" for handling my requests.

Side note: I have a 3D printer in my cart to gift my husband for Christmas 2021. Best gift ever for both of us!

 

[ResolvableOwl]

I'm not a 3D printer owner myself, but a friend has one and is glad about every opportunity to use it .
For some project, I sent him a greyscale bitmap, and he printed it as a 3D relief.

Yes, 3D printers “speak” STL, but most driver software offers translation of bitmaps into STL, like brightness = height profile. It's easier for you to keep out of 3D design details (internal and external support structures, layering, etc.), and your friend doesn't have to fix your beginner mistakes, and can learn how to 3D print relief bitmaps .

 

[user 29214]

You can create a 3d printed design, and export it as an STL file in a free website called Tinkercad. You can import SVG images into it, if you already have a file with the image you like. At the beginning of this video below, I give a quick overview of how I created a 3d printed image from a picture. If you could find an image of the silhouette cat or ferret paw prints (look for one that is not copyrighted). You could convert that too into an STL file after designing the stamp. In the description in youtube, I include a link to another video I watched that gave me a good starting point. Once you have the image you like, you can place it and merge it into a square shape that you could be the handle of the stamp. Tinkercad also has a free course for new users that walks you through the basic steps. However, for a one time design, I wonder if you will find the time invested in learning the "how to" worth it. I wonder if your friends could help you with that.

 

[Babyshoes]

You can create a 3d printed design, and export it as an STL file in a free website called Tinkercad. You can import SVG images into it, if you already have a file with the image you like. At the beginning of this video below, I give a quick overview of how I created a 3d printed image from a picture. If you could find an image of the silhouette cat or ferret paw prints (look for one that is not copyrighted). You could convert that too into an STL file after designing the stamp. In the description in youtube, I include a link to another video I watched that gave me a good starting point. Once you have the image you like, you can place it and merge it into a square shape that you could be the handle of the stamp. Tinkercad also has a free course for new users that walks you through the basic steps. However, for a one time design, I wonder if you will find the time invested in learning the "how to" worth it. I wonder if your friends could help you with that.

Thank you! This is very useful.

They are indeed happy to help, but I also want to learn some of the how... Time is a thing I have plenty of at the moment. Energy is the limiting factor these days!