have you ever wanted the flash on your Instax Mini 40 to be a different shape and/or color?

want no more, weary traveler, you've found your gold: my hacky ellipsoidal flash snoot (NOW v2!)

minimum:

• 1x Carson 10x LumiLoupe: [https://carson.com/product/ll-10-stand-magnifier/](https://carson.com/product/ll-10-stand-magnifier/)
• 3d printed gobos
• 1x Instax Mini 40
• 1x flash cone
• 1x barrel

optional:

• transparency sheets (whichever kind you can print on works, i use inkjet)
• retainer ring
• M37 adapter
• V2:
  • 4 M2 nuts
  • 4 M2 x 10mm screws

if you want monochrome, steel-style gobos (like these: [https://us.rosco.com/en/product/custom-steel-gobos](https://us.rosco.com/en/product/custom-steel-gobos)):

• print at .12 or lower
• start white, change filament to black after 1 layer
• the blank is there for you to cut as you wish; if you want a white diffusion backing, cut .4mm deep. if you want to go straight through, remember to follow stencil rules.
• for maximum stagehand immersion, you can hand cut your own out of thin steel or aluminum sheets (same stencil rules, 29mm diameter)

if you want colorful, glass-style gobos (like these: [https://us.rosco.com/en/product/custom-glass-gobos](https://us.rosco.com/en/product/custom-glass-gobos)):

• make a 27mm circle with a 2mm black border (or whatever gets you a total of 29mm) in your favorite image editor
• fill it in with whatever you want. as long your image fits in the circle, you can just physically cut the excess off instead of wasting time in software
• print on transparency, cut, etc.

assembly:

twist the eyepiece off the Carson 10x LumiLoupe, transfer the lenses and spacer to the barrel, then put the eyepiece (or the M37 adapter) on the barrel, with a final twist to lock in the lenses. put a gobo in the flash cone, put the flash cone on the flash, then put the barrel on the cone.

for v2, i added nuts and screws. i put the screw through the hole, start the nut, then pull the nuts into their holes; if your part printed sorta sloppy, use a soldering iron to heat the nut. don't hold it with your fingers. 

once the nut is flush, put the barrel on the flash cap and tighten the screws. do the same for the flash cap. 

i only use the retaining ring for transparency-based gobos.

there is some slop in the barrel fit of v1 so it can be aimed easily. this does run the risk of slinging the lens off, so be sure to keep a hand on it.

[v1.2 has some detent spheres. let's see if they work lol] - they did not lol

print notes:

i included some sample “glass-style” gobos made from free textures, with a line of empty rings for you to fill in! hopefully uploading here doesn't break it, but if it does, let me know in the comments and i'll post it somewhere else.

in the example shots, the top two were taken with transparency gobos, and the bottom two were taken with printed gobos.

printed in PETG with a .6mm nozzle and build-plate-only supports. tested some more, no need for brims. 

if you're 3D printing a gobo, try to make sure the layer lines for the white diffusion layer are perpendicular to the flash; it tends to make the coverage a little more even.

do whatever you want though. if i can make this in a few days, you can probably make it better in a second.  

i'm constantly making changes, so please, give me your notes