Windsock mount for model airfield

A windsock is an essential piece of equipment at every airport. That is also very true for model airplane fields. This mount is made to fit the spare-part windsock which is being distributed by German model airplane organization DMFV. But it should work with every windsock with roughly 60cm circumference.

The complete assembly consists of a printed ring to hold the windsock open, 10 printed clamps to fix the windsock on the ring, two ball bearings, a 5mm stainless steel rod, and a few M3 screws.

Print instructions

Print the big ring on a printer with an at least 200mm wide print bed. I printed mine on a Prusa i3 Mk3S. I propose to print all parts from PETG. The ring is a rather big and coarse object, so printing it at 0.15mm layer height is not needed, I printed mine at 0.2mm with a 0.4mm nozzle. No supports are needed and a 15% infill appears to be sufficient for me.

Press in a 5x5x11mm ball bearing (of which you get a pack of 10 for less than 10€/$ everywhere on the internet) at the top and the bottom side of the ring. If they should completely refuse to go into the ring, use a file to make sure the holes in the ring are really circular, they may suffer a bit from the holes being printed on their sides.

Print 10 pieces of the clamp, I also recommend PETG here. Also here, no supports are needed. I do recommend a 100% infill for these small parts.

Use a M3 thread cutter and cut threads in all 10 holes on the ring. (Or simply force M3 screws in if you dare). Then use M3x10 screws and one clamp per hole, to fix the windsock to the ring as shown in the pictures.

Print the limiters, and cut a M3 thread into each of them as well. Then put a M3x6 screw into each.

Put the ring and the limiters on a 5mm diameter stainless steel rod and tighten the screws in the limiters to clamp the securely on the top and the bottom of the ring. Make sure the smaller side of the limiters point towards the bearings.