I wanted to hang a picture, in a way that it doesn’t touch the wall directly, using a protruding hanger. If the hanger is difficult to observe, it makes a nice floating effect.

I couldn’t find a “ยต” shaped piece of metal, and I don’t have right drills for metal either, so I decided to 3D-print the appropriate hanger. This would have been my first time doing this.

First, I needed a 3D modelling software, that is free and Linux compatible. From the Arch Linux offering, I quickly selected OpenSCAD.

OpenSCAD is a wonderful software - instead of moving the model elements with a mouse, it lets you describe the model using code, something I’m familiar with. It is lightweight, with a clear, responsive UI. By skimming the wiki and looking at examples, I was able to create a simple model in less than 50 minutes. A testament of a great piece of software indeed.

Screenshot of OpenSCAD, showing the editor, the rendered model, and the render status

The code producing this model is short and simple. The parametric nature allows quick changes, e.g: of thickness or depth. After exporting the model to .stl, I asked a friend to print it (thanks!). The Prusa machine did a beautiful job:

The 3D-printed icon hanger, with a lego figure to scale

Finally, after a bit of measuring and drilling, the final composition: modern and antique co-existing in perfect harmony.

A monitor and the Trinity icon by Andrei Rublev side by side