Ikea Bittergurka Watering Can Shower Head

The Ikea Bittergurka watering can is decently cheap and very pretty, but the functionality is terrible. Trying to grow some sprouts, we needed a gentler watering solution than “spill the entire can all at once.

This design is two parts: a shower head that fits over the can’s normal spout, and a lid printed from TPU that makes a watertight seal. Because the spout comes up so high, it’s almost impossible to get more than a trickle out of the shower head without spilling. The TPU lid allows you to fill the can all the way up, and pour at whatever angle you like with full shower pressure and no spillage.

Overview in CAD of watering can lid
This lid is printed in TPU. It’s designed 1mm thick and probably could be thicker for ridgidity, but works well as-is and is easy to get on and off.
CAD profile view of watering can lid showing ridge
Here you can see the detent profile that holds it on to the watering can’s 3mm round lip.

A first version of the design had a 100mm shower head and 2mm holes, which proved much too large on both counts: water poured out just as fast as without the attachment, and coalesced into one strong stream anwyay.

CAD view of shower head attachment

The final version has a 50mm shower head diameter and 1mm holes. These had to be opened up with a 1mm drill bit as the printed plastic mostly closed up.

Photo of drill set up to drill out holes
I put my light-duty drill down on my desk, held the trigger with my left hand, and held the part in my right hand to drill each hole, moving the part instead of the drill. The closed-up printed holes made decent center punches for the bit to stay centered, mostly.

A quick tip if you’re using a drill bit too small for your chuck to hold: wrap the base of the bit in an even layer of tape until it’s large enough. I used kapton which seems pretty much ideal, but I imagine scotch tape or packing tape would make a close second. Such a small bit probably won’t require enough torque in the drilled material for the tape to be an issue. Certainly not in 3D-printed plastic.

1mm drill bit with base wrapped in kapton tape
I had to wrap a bunch of kapton tape around this bit for it to fit in any chuck I own. Originally I thought about printing a smaller jaw/pin vise to fit in my drill, but this was way easier and faster. Especially since the 1mm bit is the only one I own too small to be held by my drills.

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