“Falling in love is not at all the most stupid thing that people do—but gravitation cannot be held responsible for it.” – Albert Einstein
In simpler terms, Einstein meant that you can’t blame gravity for falling in love. I’ve always had a rather quirky relationship with Valentine’s Day (the best Valentine I ever gave my husband was a cake with the words “I tolerate you” on top in icing), so this is definitely my kind of quote. Speaking of fun and quirky, since we’re a week out from the big day, I thought I would put together a list of free Valentine’s Day 3D prints! If you’re looking for love, these will definitely set you apart from the rest of the pack.
Chain Mail Heart
We’ll start with this awesome-looking chain mail heart from Thingiverse user dwoodruf. This screams “fidget” to me, I would just hold it in my hand and play with it all day. So maybe don’t bring it with you on a movie date; you want your Valentine to hold your hand, not your 3D printed chain mail heart.
“My print in place chain mail design, but heart shaped. This is symbolic or something…”
This was designed to be printed without supports. It’s also important to note that the “pictures of sample printed scaled to 70%.”
Valentine Laptop Stand
From chain mail to being chained to your desk…unfortunately, some people have to work on Valentine’s Day. But that doesn’t mean you can’t still celebrate with this romantic laptop stand by Cults user TridiPlanet! Optimized for FDM 3D printers, this stylish and functional stand prints in separate parts and is supposed to be easy to assemble, without any “complicated hardware.” You can customize it with different filament colors, and it’s available in two sizes to fit different desk setups and laptop widths.
“Perfect as a gift for Valentine’s Day, anniversaries, or simply to add a touch of personality to your workspace, the stand improves airflow under your laptop while keeping it at a comfortable viewing angle.”
Heart Hands Wall Art
This minimalist wall art by Pinshape user gamezastar would freshen up any office, or any other room in your house for that matter. It’s also nice to see two hands forming a heart depicted in such a lovely way, and not just in selfies and reels on social media. While it’s great for 3D printing, you can also make this piece with wood carving, laser engraving, vinyl cutting, and several other methods as well. The design is available in ten file formats, including STL.
“It’s an ideal gift for weddings, anniversaries, Valentine’s Day, or simply to express affection.”
Valentine’s heart tealight – build in stand
If you want to set the proper mood this Valentine’s Day, I suggest this heart tea light, with a handy built-in stand, by Thingiverse user Omgitzjamiebro. Because the tea light holder is centrally located in the print, it needs support, so you should print this laying flat to enable supports; this will also help reduce print time. Additionally, “if any supports go inside of the letters please draw supports to prevent them entering the letters.”
“I would enable tree support for this print using tree hybrid, 0.3 distance and a 3 layer top
“.3 top z interface for easy tree removal.”
Forever Sealed Love, Heart Lock Box
If your love is eternal, gift your Valentine this heart-shaped box by Thingiverse user GrimGreeble. Inside are two separate compartments, which you can use to hold tokens like love notes, tiny trinkets, or minuscule photos. Then, you seal the two halves by inserting the lock bar. But be warned: once it’s locked, the box can’t be opened without breaking it. Oh, unless you print out the fully reversible lock bar, which can be inserted and removed numerous times.
“Just like the famous love locks on bridges around the world, this little box symbolically seals your love for eternity.
(Just don’t think about bolt cutters. ;-))
“Have fun printing!”
(Just don’t think about bolt cutters. ;-))Origami Heart Box
Afraid of commitment? Not ready for something as intense as a sealable love box? Or maybe you just want your Valentine to work a little harder to win your affection? I give you the heart-shaped origami box from Cults user seanliang00. It’s not terribly difficult to work – the lid opens through a folding motion, sort of like how real origami unfolds. But putting it together seems like it would require focus and concentration. It could be a good test for a potential love match, or at least an interesting one!
“To assemble the hinge, insert a short piece of standard 1.75 mm filament through the hinge channel. You can add a small drop of super glue to the end if you want to make it permanent, but this is usually not necessary. As long as the filament is trimmed flush and does not stick out, it stays in place well during normal use.
“It is best to insert the filament while the parts are still on the build plate, right after printing, as this makes alignment much easier. Make sure the left and right lid parts are not mixed up. If they are swapped, the folding mechanism will not work.”
Valentine’s Day – Two Hippopotamus
As an animal-lover, I had to include this adorable pair of Valentine’s hippos from Pinshape user Alpár Dombi. This was initially a laser cut model, converted into a 3D model. Dombi used Prusa Slicer to write a name on each hippo, which would make this a creative and absolutely hippo-tastic Valentine for your Valentine. There are several other versions as well, including seals and bunnies and bears, oh my!
“Printed on: Creality Ender S1 Pro in Normal mode, 0.20mm, (Ironing on top surface).”
“Grumpy Cat” – Sassy Anti-Valentine Decor
I am nothing if not inclusive, so this one’s for all you Valentine’s Day haters out there. I get it, this holiday is not for everyone, and that’s okay. This adorable grumpy cat, by Cults user UnidentifiedPrintedObject, doesn’t like it either. You can print the model with either PLA or PETG, using a 15-20% grid or gyroid infill, and no supports. Standard layer height is 0.20 mm, but if you want smoother curves, go with 0.16 mm layers. If your print bed has good adhesion, you shouldn’t need a brim for this one.
“Celebrate Independence (or just the vibe) with this Anti-Valentine’s Day collection!”
Happy Valentine’s Day (or not), and as always, happy 3D printing!