Slab Height Guide Kit
Return to the same sheet thickness when you make another batch.
Digital download. A 3D printer or printing service is needed. Nothing physical ships.
For your clay sheets
Use the same guide pair for the sheets you want to match. For a layered design, prepare each colour sheet at its own thickness before cutting.
Roll one sheet for both earrings, or use the same guide pair for several sheets in a matching collection.
Prepare the thin colour layers separately from the base. The 56 mm Pixel Eye example uses a 2 mm yellow base and a 0.5 mm white detail sheet.
Save the guide heights with your design notes. When you make another colourway or restock, select those pairs again. Record the clay brand, colours and cutters too.
Prepare a sheet on the surface where you plan to cut it. For a thicker slab, stack sheets slightly above your target, then roll them down between matching guides.
Start here
Start with the thickness your project needs. Each STL prints both guides, so print the file once for a matching pair. Choose standard or compact; you do not need every height to get started.
More room to roll along the length of the sheet. Keep the roller on the flat tracks, clear of the raised handles on thin guides.
For smaller sheets or less worktable space. The sheet you plan to cut must fit within the rolling area.
For the long Go Go bar and Fortune Cookie strip described in those kits.
Print the pairs you use most, then add others when a design calls for them. The download has 42 STL files: 39 guide-pair files, two storage stands and one calibration staircase. Each guide STL prints two matching rails.
These are straight rolling-section lengths, not sheet widths. Roller length determines how far apart the guides can sit. Keep the roller clear of the raised handles on thin guides. Those handles make the overall print 230 mm long for standard or 200 mm for compact.
| Guide | Rolling section | Use it for |
|---|---|---|
| Standard | 180 x 20 mm | All 19 heights |
| Compact | 150 x 12 mm | All 19 heights |
| Long | 240 x 20 mm | 3.5 mm wall strips |
The two guides support the round part of the roller and limit how far it can press the clay down. Keep both guides flat on the same tile or glass surface.
Step 01
Choose the thickness named for your layer. Put a guide on each side of the clay. On thicker guides, the higher, smooth strip faces the clay and the lower strip with the number faces away from the clay.
Help with this step
Step 02
Start with conditioned clay slightly thicker than the guides. Roll gently back and forth until the slab is the same height as the flat tracks and the roller rests on both guides. If the sheet is already too thin, add clay or stack sheets before rolling.
Step 03
On thin guides, the labelled ends are taller handles for picking up and hanging the strips. Roll on the long, flat sections beside the clay and keep the roller clear of the raised handles.
The acrylic roller spans both guides. Roll back and forth along the flat tracks.
Step 04
Lift the roller away. If you measure the sheet with calipers, touch the clay lightly without squeezing it. Cut on the same work surface. You can move the guides aside if the cutter needs more room.
Help with this step
Watch the guides in use
Roll a yellow base sheet with the 2 mm pair, then a separate white detail sheet with the 0.5 mm pair. The cutters and full assembly instructions are in the separate 56 mm Pixel Eye Build Kit.
Place a 2 mm guide on each side of the clay. Roll until the round part of the roller rests on both guides, lift it away, then cut the base with cutter A.
Replace both guides with the 0.5 mm pair. Roll the separate sheet back and forth on the flat tracks, keeping the roller clear of the raised handles, then cut the detail with cutter C.
Storage
Find the thickness you used last time without sorting loose rails. Each stand has 19 numbered slots, one matching pair per thickness. Choose standard or compact at each height; keep extra pairs separately.
Lay the guides in their numbered slots. Lift the matching pair out together and support the length of thin guides as you move them.
Keep pairs standing on your worktable. Match the numbers on the guides to the slot, then lift both guides straight up when you need them.
Choose your design and size in the kit guide, then follow its sheet thicknesses. The lists below include the thicknesses used across each kit, so you may only need some of them.
What you will need
You will need clay, a rigid acrylic roller and a clean, flat tile or glass surface. Cutters are separate; use those supplied with your chosen build kit.
Links marked "Affiliate link" may earn us a commission at no extra cost to you. Check sizes and materials before checkout.
Condition each colour, then prepare the separate sheets named in your build-kit instructions.
Rolls the clay into an even slab.
Print the guides at full size, then measure them before rolling clay.
Use your own printer or ask a private printing service to print the STLs at 100% scale. Check that the whole guide, including its handle, fits the printer bed.
The numbered P1S projects use Bambu PLA Basic. Select and calibrate the filament you actually use before slicing.
Measure from the bottom of a printed guide to its smooth rolling surface. Avoid the lower label shelf and taller handle. Use only a light touch if checking soft clay.
Reference
The modelled measurements and starting settings. Printed parts vary a little with your printer, filament and slicer.
Start with the sheet thickness named for your chosen design and size. The 56 mm Pixel Eye example uses 2 mm guides for its base and 0.5 mm guides for the white detail. Follow the Pixel Eye kit guide for the other layers and assembly.
No. Choose standard or compact for each thickness you use. Each STL prints two matching guides. The long pair is supplied at 3.5 mm only. Either storage stand holds one chosen pair at each of the 19 thicknesses.
They are handles with a thickness label and hanging hole. The long, flat tracks beside the clay set the rolling height. Keep the roller on those tracks, clear of the taller ends.
The file has a nominal height. Your 3D print has a measured height, and your rolled clay has a sheet thickness. Check all three when setting up a new pair: measure both guides at several points, then roll and lightly measure a scrap sheet. Very close file choices, such as 0.45 and 0.50 mm, may not produce a useful difference on your 3D printer.
They work alongside it. A pasta-machine dial number is not a universal thickness in millimetres. Condition and sheet your clay with the machine, then use guides when you want to roll to a named height on your tile. For thicker slabs, stack sheets slightly above the target before rolling down between the guides.
Use the matching impression rails supplied with the texture roller. Its collars and patterned surface need different clearance from a plain acrylic roller.
Its 17 labelled steps let you compare several 3D-printed heights with your caliper measurements. It helps you spot a similar added error at every height or an error that grows on taller steps. It does not adjust the 3D printer. The 0.45 and 0.55 mm pairs use a different first-layer schedule, so 3D print and measure them separately.
Print guides and stands for your own worktable. Sell finished clay pieces made with them; do not sell printed guides or stands, or share or resell the files.
If a file is missing, won't open or doesn't match the listing, message us through Etsy messages with the kit name and filename, and we'll put it right.
Message us on Etsy