Vintage Braun HL-1, restored with 3D modeling and 3D printing
This shroud/blade guard is meant to replace the clear plastic shroud of the iconic 1961 Braun Multiwind HL1 designed by Reinhold Weiss.
A beautiful, complete example in perfect condition is on display at the MoMA.
This is an homage piece, components initially created with the intent of restoring appearance and function to the original product; quite common with these, the plastic parts become cloudy and/or discolored due to decades of oxidation and UV exposure.
I have thus far been unable to restore clarity and color to the original plastic parts, and replacements in perfect condition are… nearly impossible to find.
The shroud is integral to the assembly of the item, so I created the part accurately enough to reproduce the actual part in a high-resolution transparent 3D printed resin, but the functional prototypes printed in bright colors result in a more visually-interesting piece. In a bright, opaque color, this becomes a more apparent sort of resto-mod.
In any event, I got carried away with the process and 3D-modeled the entire desktop fan, which opened opportunities to improve the geometry of the fan blade assembly as well… so that is also 3D printed.
This reference model is available for free download at grabcad.com