From the Loftsmith Workshop
Mason jar lantern lid with swing handle for LED tea lights
Turns a mason jar into a little hanging lantern for an LED tea light. The lid has a hole to hold the light, and a swing handle pivots on two pins so it carries upright. A ribbed ring screws on to lock it. Change the tea light size to match yours.
3 parts · 34 g · 198 × 108 × 102 mm
Ask for the sizes you want to tweak, e.g. “make the width adjustable”.
How to print it
Parts
- lid · PETG · Top face down on the bed, skirt and light pocket pointing up; no supports
About 20 g, 32 min at 2 walls/15%. Prints as one object with the handle (print group 'lantern'). PETG because the lantern may stand outdoors and the LED pocket can get warm.
- handle · PETG · Lying flat beside the lid, already on its pins (same object as the lid)
About 8 g, 15 min. Print-in-place swing handle: 5 mm pins, 0.35 mm radial gap, 0.45 mm side gaps. Flex it gently after printing to free it.
- fit ring · PETG · Flat, as modelled; no supports
About 6 g, 12 min. Optional (Thread fit-test ring toggle). It has the same thread as the lid in a 9.5 mm band; print it first to check your jar.
Print settings
- Layer height
- 0.2 mm
- Walls
- 3 walls recommended (the page figure uses 2)
- Infill
- 15%
- Supports
- None
- Notes
- At the page's default 2 walls/15%, the whole set (lid + handle + fit ring) is about 35 g and 1 h 1 min, and lid + handle alone about 28 g and 47 min. At the recommended 3 walls/15%, the whole set is about 47 g and 1 h 22 min. Print lid and handle as one object so the pin gaps stay. Do not use a brim
Hardware
- LED tea light, 36–41 mm diameter, 12–20 mm body height (battery powered) · Set the Tea light diameter and height sliders to your light. LED only, never a real candle.
- Mason jar, regular mouth (about 70 mm thread) or wide mouth (about 86 mm thread) · Pick it with the Jar mouth choice. The lid replaces the band and flat lid.
Assembly
- Print the fit ring first and screw it onto your jar. It should run down about a full turn without binding and feel firm, not loose.
- If it binds or will not start, raise Thread clearance or change Thread pitch (6 TPI is 4.23 mm; some wide-mouth jars measure about 6–6.5 mm), then print another ring. If it rattles, lower the clearance.
- Print the lid and handle together, top face down. After printing, push the handle gently up and over a few times to free the pins.
- Switch the LED tea light on, turn it upside down (flame end down) and drop it into the pocket. It rests on the seat with its switch facing up. Lift it out with the two thumb notches.
- Screw the lid onto the jar like a normal band, lift the handle and carry it.
Good to know
- LED lights only. Never put a candle or any flame under this printed lid.
- The handle and pins are checked for a 1.5 kg jar plus contents, doubled for a jolt. That is a design estimate, not a load test. Do not hang it above head height or over walkways, and keep heavy fillings like sand or water out of tall jars.
- The jar thread sizes are typical values (regular 70 mm OD and 67.3 mm root, wide 86 mm OD and 83.3 mm root), not measured from one brand. Thread pitch also varies between jars, so print the fit ring before the lid.
- The skirt reaches 11.4–14.4 mm below the jar lip, depending on pitch, so the jar needs at least that much straight neck above its shoulder.
- The tea light rests on its seat by its own weight. It stays put when you carry or tilt the lantern, but it falls out if the lantern is turned upside down.
- The print-in-place pin gap (0.35 mm by default) depends on your printer. If the handle prints fused, raise the Handle pin gap slider. Clearances were checked in CAD, but the lantern has not been printed.
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