A worn-out pot in need of new handles became the perfect opportunity to practice my skills as an industrial designer; problem solving, design, modeling, and production.
The pot’s handle attachment points were carefully noted and used to determine the most functional and ergonomic solution. With the help of 3D-printing via 3D Hubs, I was able to produce the handles quickly and cost-effectively. It was important that the handles matched the existing knob located on the lid. To accomplish this the printed handles were sanded smooth and put through a simple process called vapor smoothing. For this process acetone vapor condenses on and reacts with the surface of the ABS parts. The result is a smooth and glossy surface very similar to what you’d expect from an injection-molded part.
Sounds like a bit too much work for just a handle for a pot. Before going through all the trouble of making a mold and all of that I would just buy a new pot. The next step I would take, if the heat ends up being too much would be to reprint them in Nylon and see if the results are better.
