Cauldron

The "Bubbling Brew" Cauldron Lamp 🔮

Most printable cauldrons are either a solid decoration or a tea-light holder — a candle in a bucket. I wanted the brew itself to glow, and to look like it was actually bubbling.

So this one comes apart. The lid lifts off, a color-changing puck light drops into the pot, and a printed disc covered in domed bubbles rests on top to diffuse it. Every bubble lights up from underneath.

🟩 𝗪𝗛𝗔𝗧 𝗠𝗔𝗞𝗘𝗦 𝗜𝗧 𝗪𝗢𝗥𝗞

▸ 𝗧𝗵𝗿𝗲𝗲 𝗣𝗮𝗿𝘁𝘀, 𝗡𝗼 𝗛𝗮𝗿𝗱𝘄𝗮𝗿𝗲 — Cauldron body, lift-off lid, and the Bubbling Brew insert. Nothing to glue, no screws, no magnets. The insert simply rests in the mouth of the pot.

▸ 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗕𝗿𝗲𝘄 𝗥𝗲𝗮𝗹𝗹𝘆 𝗚𝗹𝗼𝘄𝘀 — The insert is a 134.5 mm disc covered in domed bubbles of varying sizes. Printed in white PLA it diffuses evenly, and each dome picks up the light from below.

▸ 𝗖𝗮𝘀𝘁-𝗜𝗿𝗼𝗻 𝗧𝗲𝘅𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲 — Body and lid print with a stippled surface that reads as rough cast iron straight off the plate in black PLA. No painting, no post-processing.

▸ 𝗟𝗶𝗱 𝗢𝗻 𝗢𝗿 𝗢𝗳𝗳 — Leave the lid on for a closed cauldron on a shelf; lift it off and drop the light in when you want the glow.

🟩 𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗟𝗜𝗚𝗛𝗧 (𝗦𝗢𝗟𝗗 𝗦𝗘𝗣𝗔𝗥𝗔𝗧𝗘𝗟𝗬)

Built around a standard round RGB LED puck light — 59.5 mm across and 8.3 mm tall, the kind sold in 3-packs with a 24-key remote for about $20. Aluminum housing, USB powered, with an inline switch on a 1.5 m lead. 16 colors and 4 gradient modes.

The LIGHT changes color, not the print. The insert is a white diffuser, so whatever you set on the remote, the brew follows. One 3-pack lights three cauldrons.

Set the puck in the bottom of the pot, run the lead out under the rim, and rest the insert on top. Any puck up to 59.5 mm across and 8.3 mm tall will drop straight in — there is room to spare, so smaller is fine. Much taller and it will lift the insert.

🟩 𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗡𝗨𝗠𝗕𝗘𝗥𝗦

▸ 𝗕𝗼𝗱𝘆: 𝟭𝟲𝟲 × 𝟭𝟱𝟵 × 𝟭𝟭𝟭 𝗺𝗺 — 12h 45m and 219.08 g

▸ 𝗟𝗶𝗱: 𝟭𝟯𝟰 × 𝟭𝟯𝟰 × 𝟯𝟯 𝗺𝗺 — 6h 27m and 68.37 g

▸ 𝗜𝗻𝘀𝗲𝗿𝘁: 𝟭𝟯𝟰 × 𝟭𝟯𝟰 × 𝟭𝟯 𝗺𝗺 — 2h 19m and 27.59 g

▸ All three parts: 21h 31m and 315 g

🟩 𝗣𝗥𝗜𝗡𝗧 𝗦𝗘𝗧𝗧𝗜𝗡𝗚𝗦

Two different profiles, both already set up in the 3MF files:

▸ 𝗕𝗼𝗱𝘆 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗹𝗶𝗱 — Tree supports required · 5mm brim · 0.12mm layer height · 15% gyroid infill · 3 walls

▸ 𝗜𝗻𝘀𝗲𝗿𝘁 — No supports · 0.08mm layer height · 8% lightning infill · 2 walls · concentric top surface

That fine layer height and concentric top surface on the insert are what keep the bubble domes smooth. Coarser layers terrace them visibly, so it is worth the extra time. Print the insert in white or a light translucent PLA so it diffuses properly.

PLA · 220°C nozzle · 60°C bed · sliced on a Creality Hi with a 0.4 mm nozzle

Print one for the mantel and one for a kid's room. Happy haunting! 🔮