SoliForum - 3D Printing Community — Smoothing/Sanding Prints

Re: Smoothing/Sanding Prints

2014-05-07T01:09:22Z

Ok, this came out a lil better this time.

Re: Smoothing/Sanding Prints

2014-05-06T22:28:35Z

Spray filler primer is your friend if you want to mould prints.
I'd also look into Bondo or 'builders bog' if your prints have errors or spots that need fixing.

Re: Smoothing/Sanding Prints

2014-05-06T21:33:09Z

I had a small project back around valentines day that I did some finishing on. I used 800 grit since I used small layers and they line up really well.

As an alternative to acetone bath I used a clear gloss from home depot. This added a solid layer of clear coat to the part and made it shiny and strong. I will be doing this a bit more with thin parts that don't have a lot of material to lose.

Re: Smoothing/Sanding Prints

2014-05-06T16:49:57Z

Yea, I have some better stuff now. I just need to give it a whirl along with the hand sanding.

Re: Smoothing/Sanding Prints

2014-05-06T16:48:52Z

Nail polish remover is more than just acetone. You should be able to find cans of pure acetone in the paint section of a hardware store with the rest of the solvents like turpentine, mineral spirits, etc.

Re: Smoothing/Sanding Prints

2014-05-06T16:46:38Z

I have been turning up up half way. Leaving it in any less then 5 minutes seems to do nothing. That may be in part due to lack of hand sanding and I think the acetone I was using is real weak. I have some stronger acetone now (made for automobiles parts and not removing nail polish)

I also kept getting the part stuck to the bottom on the pan.

Re: Smoothing/Sanding Prints

2014-05-06T16:43:25Z

How long are you leaving it in the Presto? Pull the basket out after 30-45 seconds, any more is too long. Also turn the heat up just enough to make the light come on, and don't use much more acetone than it takes to cover the bottom of the pot.

Re: Smoothing/Sanding Prints

2014-05-06T16:33:57Z

You definitely need to hand sand first. This will coarse finish the part and provide some smoothing to the surface. As I said, the plastic particles from the sanding will provide filler for the valleys of the part when melting so leave some on. It certainly helps a little.

Good Luck!

Re: Smoothing/Sanding Prints

2014-05-06T16:26:41Z

I do use 4 permiters already.

I was trying to use a dremmel tool to sand. Maybe I need to hand sand the items and then try a quick acetone vapor bath or dip it. Maybe that were I was going wrong that it needed hand sanding first.

thanks

Re: Smoothing/Sanding Prints

2014-05-06T16:22:38Z

Try printing with a few more perimeters. I use at least 4 for most of my projects. That gives me a bit more play for sanding.

If you have extreme banding, look into removing the z backlash, but I seem to have no issues with a little backlash. The banding does come off with a bit of work, but you don't have to remove all of it. And don't blow off all of the plastic particles that you sand off. It will melt with a little acetone to fill the gaps. You may have to re-sand and apply the acetone again to get optimal results.

I don't use vapor often for my projects as I just sand, apply acetone slurry with a wooden single side q-tip and smooth it on, then let it dry.

Smoothing/Sanding Prints

2014-05-06T13:32:01Z

Ok, I know about using the acetone/abs trick but seems it leaves my prints so gooey, collapsed where there was support and lack of detail. I've had zero luck with the ABS/ Acetone trick both with direct dipping and the vapors (I have that presto cooker). Seems to goes from not affected at all to a gooey mess really quick.

I want to use my printer to make items into silicone molds, and smoothness is important. Whenever I try and sand away the plastic to make it smoother it seems the layers come apart.

Any other suggestions?