Dala Horse

Hi All,

Recently, I visited Malmo, Sweden, and while buying souvenirs, I noticed an authentic hand-carved Dala horse, which was quite expensive for me to buy, so decided to make it by myself using 3d printing.

Information about Dala horse: A Dalecarlian horse or Dala horse is a traditional carved, painted wooden statue of a horse originating in the Swedish province of Dalarna. In the old days, the Dalecarlian horse was mostly used as a toy for children; in modern times it has become a symbol of Dalarna, as well as of Sweden in general. Wikipedia

Every Dala horse is hand-painted, and no two Dala horses are the same.

In this article, I will share how to make your own Dala horse

• 3d Printer (I have an Ender 3)
• Acrylic paints
• Paintbrush set
• Sandpaper: 80, 150 and 220

• There are many 3d models available on the internet
• I used this from Thingiverse https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:4381317
• I reduced the size to 30%
• It took about 4 hr to print,
• Slicer: Cura 4.x
• Layer height: 0.20mm
• Support: Tree
• Infill: 20%
• Infill Pattern: grid

• Remove any excess filament or fragments using a sharp knife
• Sand the horse with 80 grit sandpaper and then with 150 grit
• Finally with 220 grit sandpaper
• If you have primer, apply a coat and let it dry
• Lightly sand with 220 grit paper and apply one more layer of primer
• Apply red acrylic paint on the horse's body as shown
• Let the paint dry for 3 hours and apply one more coat

• Some people may want to color the horse and not go with detailing
• This is purely up to you, no two Dala horses are the same
• Using acrylic paints, do the detailed paintwork
• Dala horse
• has a saddle of flower
• Hair like unicorn/ multicolored
• Once done, let it dry
• Apply varnish on the horse
• Place the Dala horse on your shelve and
• Admire your work and wonder how arts connect us across borders