Umbrella Fix

Overview:

Our good, compact umbrella broke somewhere inside the shaft, so it will no longer stay fully open by itself. Rather than throw out an otherwise functional umbrella, I set out to design a solution.

I manually opened it all the way and used a punch to make a dimple in the center of the shaft, just under the canopy’s collar, to mark a hole and prevent a drill bit from wandering. I then drilled a 5/32” hole through the entire shaft hoping not to hit any internal cables or wires. 

I designed this clip to go through the hole and keep the umbrella open.  It snaps onto the bottom of the umbrella’s shaft for storage when not in use.  I printed a batch of them and placed them in the car and our mud room, so we have extras in case one breaks or gets lost.  This hasn’t happened yet, and the clip has been working great.

I’ve included my fully parametric Fusion 360 file and step files, so you can modify the parameters to suit your needs.  The thickness of the clip is automatically calculated using the drilled hole diameter and a factor to account for the clip’s geometry.

The clip has three sections:

1. Tines: you can insert either one into the hole and through the shaft to keep the umbrella open.
2. Smaller Hole: this is where the clip snaps onto the shaft for storage.
3. Large Outer Hole: this is for you finger to make it easy to pull the clip.

Printing:

I recommend printing the clip in PETG to provide some flex and durability.  No supports required if printed in the orientation shown.