Star Wars Maz Kanata Inspired Glasses

In the latest Star Wars film, The Force Awakens, there is an alien character wearing a strange pair of glasses where the lenses are held in place by a structure coming in from each side and there is no bridge over the nose...see photo of my laptop screen.

The supports come from a form of headband that vaguely looks like a pair of headphones.

Nobody seems to have made these and no toy versions exist.

Therefore since I seem to make various eye related devices, I thought it would be fun to make something similar using a 3D printer and a pair of wireless headphones I have. Clearly a human face is not wide and flat so the dimensions are slightly different to those in the film!

Parts list:

a) You do need access to a 3D printer or get a company to print the files for you. Files attached to Step 3.

b) Two bulging out plastic "lenses". These are made from clear plastic Christmas baubles that you can buy which come apart into two halves.

c) A pair of headphones ideally with reasonably flat sides.

Tools:

Hot melt glue gun

Files

Small saw or even better a Dremel with a cutting disc tool.

Here is a photo of my laptop screen. You can see the general idea behind the glasses this character wears.

The 3D printed parts glue onto each side of the headphones.

The bulging lenses are plastic and glued into the 3D printed frames.

The front part on each side hinges outwards so you can open them out or fold them onto your eyes.

Image of the parts you need to print.

Designed in Sketchup8 (files attached) and converted to .stl files for printing (files also attached).

Here is one part being printed.

Use a raft when you print.

The triangular structure lower right is there to support the arm emerging from the round part as it is printed.

This part will need trimming off the print. Best thing for doing this is a Dremel with a cutting disc in it.

Very carefully file the holes that the small pins will be glued through. Take your time here.

These pins need a tiny bit of filing with a small flat file so they are smooth and genuinely round.

I like to strengthen my prints and stick all the loose strands down by painting them with acetone. This is sold at pharmacies to remove stick-on nails. Sometimes you have to ask for it. It is 100% acetone. Nail varnish remover is NOT the same as it is a mix of acetone and water.

I have painted the prints in grey car primer.

Add a small blob of hot melt glue so that the small end of the pin is fixed in place. If you are careful the end result will act as a hinge.

Test fit everything first, check the two halves open outwards as they are supposed to, file away plastic until everything moves smoothly, then glue.

Alternatively, if this is too fiddly for you, just do this step last with someone helping you, and glue the hinges solidly in a position that puts the lenses over your eyes.

These plastic baubles can be bought on line and they come in two halves so you can put whatever you want inside them. They come in all sizes but you need 4cm diameter ones. Example website shown. I bought a pack of 4 (i.e. 8 halves).

Here they are as they arrived.

They need to be filed, sawn or Dremelled down in size slightly to neatly fit the printed enclosures.

I used a Dremel with cutting disc to trim down the domed "lenses".

Here is one cut down lens in place and another about to be fitted.

Here they are glued in place with a sparing amount of hot melt glue. Be careful not to get glue all over the place and all over the lenses!

Here they are in the "open" configuration.

I think they would be great tinted a dark shade so you could flip them closed and listen to some music.