The file 'Tic Tac Mini Ammo Can 3D Printer Model' is (FCStd,stl) file type, size is 2.4MB.
OK, you made one of those popular "Tic Tac Guns" (TTG or TTG2) for yourself or the kids. So where do you keep your stash of Tic Tac "Ammo" for handy access? How about an appropriately styled "Ammo Can" designed specifically for Tic Tac "Magazines?" This ammo can is sized to hold up to 5 large 1oz (29g) Tic Tac containers. Inside dimensions (approx.): 86mm long, 46mm wide, 73mm deep.
This simplified mini ammo can has been designed specifically for easy printing and assembly, while still basically resembling and working like a common "real" ammo can. There are only four parts to print, and one clasp to be made from wire (such as a common wire coat hanger, etc.). If your printer can span a gap of about 6mm (most will), you can print these parts without supports.
Fill it up with ammo as a great gift for someone who has one of these cool Tic Tac Guns!
Of course, it can also be used for storing many other small objects. Be imaginative!
Update 8/19/2021
Added Optional moisture-resistant lid for purposes like Geocaching, and fold-flat handle for more realistic ammo-can appearance and operation. See details in the "Optional Features" section below.
Wire Bending and Assembly
Three photos above show the steps (and suggested dimensions) for bending the wire that needs to be cut and bent to connect the lid to the latch, similar to how real ammo cans latch. I use 16 gauge galvanized wire (from the hardware store) because the slightly smaller diameter seems to fit the can size better (and is easier to bend). Better yet, try 16ga Green Stem Wire from the floral department of hobby/craft stores like Michael's - already painted green like on army-green ammo cans! Even jumbo paper clips could be used for wire. However, the holes are dimensioned for coat hanger wire (the smaller the better, like 2mm diameter), if you want something handy. Note that if you use coat hanger wire, you may need to clean out the holes a little with a drill bit, depending on how well your printer prints these holes.
Steps for bending the wire:
Installing the Handle
The handle is designed to just "snap" into the two slots in the top of the lid - no glue necessary. Insert one leg of the handle into one top slot, then carefully bend the other leg into the other slot. If you really want a permanent handle mounting, you can use a couple drops of glue (like CA, or "Super Glue") in the slots.
Modifying the Ammo Can
Source files are included, in case you want to adjust dimensions of the ammo can for your own purposes. I designed this in FreeCAD, so the .FCStd files are the source FreeCAD files for each part. Even if you do not use FreeCAD, you can download it (yes, for free!) and make many changes without knowing much about FreeCAD itself.
To change basic dimensions, most changes can be made only by modifying dimensions that are in a built-in spreadsheet, in the file "TicTacAmmoCan_MainCan.FCStd" - since several of the parts rely on dimensions on other parts, this spreadsheet is linked to the other files. Just note that if you want to modify a linked part (like the lid), you must also have the file "TicTacAmmoCan_MainCan.FCStd" also loaded in FreeCAD when you make changes. Normally, just loading the linked part file will also load the main file.
Use the "Model" tab of FreeCAD (left side of window) , and double-click on the "Spreadsheet" item below the Body tree. This will display a spreadsheet with all the cross-linked dimensions. Just change one of the values (in mm) in the yellow-background cells. You may need to then right-click on the "Body" tree item of the part, and select "Recompute object" to update the model's dimension as edited in the spreadsheet.
Experiment, have fun, and let us all know what you've created!
TicTacAmmoCan-HandleFold-OPTIONAL.FCStd | 24.1KB | |
TicTacAmmoCan-HandleFold-OPTIONAL.stl | 875.3KB | |
TicTacAmmoCan_Handle.FCStd | 157.6KB | |
TicTacAmmoCan_Handle.stl | 1.3MB | |
TicTacAmmoCan_Latch.FCStd | 100.0KB | |
TicTacAmmoCan_Latch.stl | 93.2KB | |
TicTacAmmoCan_Lid.FCStd | 455.8KB | |
TicTacAmmoCan_Lid.stl | 538.0KB | |
TicTacAmmoCan_LidSeal-OPTIONAL.FCStd | 391.4KB | |
TicTacAmmoCan_LidSeal-OPTIONAL.stl | 595.2KB | |
TicTacAmmoCan_MainCan.FCStd | 87.3KB | |
TicTacAmmoCan_MainCan.stl | 86.8KB |