SPELGJORT | 8-Bit Stag's Head

IKEA has a really cool little 8-bit style deer sculpture called a SAMSPELT. For a while I've been wanting something to go along with it but never found anything. I decided to make one for myself and in keeping with standard IKEA nomenclature I call it a SPELGJORT.

Here is how you can make one for your digital log cabin.

What you will need:

• Stag Head

• 3D Printer or 3D Printing Service

• Stain + Sealant + Brushes

• Wood Plaques + Hangers

• Bolts

There are many ways to do this. Some possibilities are sculpting one using Z-brush, scan one using skanect, or you can acquire a file from Thingiverse or GrabCAD. This is not an exhaustive list.

I found a deer head on Thingiverse made by Takeshi that had a license that allowed me to alter it if attribution was given. For this tutorial I decided to use this file.

Here is the attribution.

Deer Head detailed (Takeshi) / CC BY-SA 3.0

There are many ways to get that 8-bit / minecraft look. I've been told that one way is to use the pixelate feature in meshmixer. Another way is to use the remesh feature in Blender. However you choose to do it, do it and get a model that meets your aesthetic/design requirements.

You can use your home printer to print your file or if you're like me and don't have a printer, you can pay a service to print it for you.

I really like Shapeways and used them to print my SPELGJORT. You can check it out here.

However, you can use many services like 3D Hubs, Pinshape, i.materialise, Sculpteo as well.

I like Shapeways because they have good customer service and make very good prints at very good prices. I think i.materialize offers the most colors and finishes, including a really neat velvet coating.

However you do it, once you get a print, it should look something like the pictures above. I decided to make a few Stags and ordered a white one, a green one, and a yellow one.

(NOTE) The back of my stag head is hollowed out to save material costs and also features two fastening holes for a bolt + screw.

I went to my local craft store and got some pre-cut pine plaques for 99¢ each! I then went to my local hardware store and picked out a stain that I thought would look nice. I also got a sealant and bolts and nuts to later attach the heads to the plaques.

I drilled some holes in the pine plaques and since they were cut pretty rough they needed to be sanded and prepped before staining. Make sure you take all proper safety precautions and work in a ventilated area.

I followed the directions on the stain and waited over night before sealing them with a polcrylic from the same brand as the stain.

After the sealant dried I nailed in some hangers that I purchased from the craft store and bolted the head to the plaques. To help, I super glued the bolts to the fastener ledges I had CAD designed inside of the head.

After all the bolting was done I took some glamor shots and then hug the Stag on the wall!

Now I just have to come up with a big fish story about my digital hunting expedition!