1 Topic by Randavian

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Topic: What is everyone using to fill in gaps?

I have been printing an Iron Man helmet http://www.thingiverse.com/thing:33295 which states that it was not print ready.  However, I really did not inspect the file because others have printed it.  Anyway, after printing it, and then inspecting the file, I see why it is not print ready.  I plan on working with the file at some time and fixing the issues, but for now I have all of the pieces printed and I just want to put it together.  To do so required a good bit of dremeling on a couple parts...which in turn caused gaps from to much dremeling.  Anyway, the gaps are not that bad, but I want to fill them in. 

I did a search and found this one method, but I was wondering what, if any, other methods people are using.


Ecarots wrote:

Plastruct makes a liquid solvent for ABS, Styrene . butate and acrylic. It softens he plastic on either side of the joint which when the parts drie forms a plastic weld. I have used this for years in different modeling applications and it works quite well. The one catch is like using a thin CA (superglue) you cannot have any gaps in order to get the strongest joint. If looking to fill a gapmix some of the solvent with shavings of the ABS until you get a putty thin spread it into the gap. Not as strong as a surface to surface mate but it will work.

2 Reply by adrian (edited by adrian 2013-06-25 13:57:15)

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Re: What is everyone using to fill in gaps?

Home-Made ABS Slurry.

For a heavier paste consistency, make it with a higher ABS content.

To thin it, just add a dash more acetone to taste. Its better to start with a thick slurry and thin as required.

I use a pasta sauce jar which I fill with roughly equal sized pieces of ABS, then I half-cover the plastic with acetone. It takes about 4-5 days to melt into a thick goop that you can then thin to taste. You just shake the jar once or twice a day....

If you keep your ABS waste separated based on color, its easy to make a thick slurry for each color you use... use popsicle sticks to apply it though, as it will stick pretty permanently to whatever you get it on.. its after all liquid plastic.

This is more or less what 'liquid ABS' you can get in tubes etc for Plastic Welding motorcycle fairings (road bikes are mostly ABS plastic.. only 'race glass' these days is still fibreglass - to enable 'easier' repair... when it hasn't just exploded on impact with the tarmac anyway wink )

As the acetone evaporates out, it leaves behind hardened ABS...

3 Reply by Randavian

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Re: What is everyone using to fill in gaps?

Awesome!  Too bad I haven't been saving my waste.  That would be a good use of support material.  I still have my initial test prints from when I first got the printer.  I will use those.

Thanks.

4 Reply by cckens

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Re: What is everyone using to fill in gaps?

I save skirts, brim pieces  and failed first layers.  They are thin enough to melt fast in the abs.  I had a good slurry for bed painting in less than 2 hours.

5 Reply by Randavian

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Re: What is everyone using to fill in gaps?

I'll have to start saving all that, too.

6 Reply by Mic (edited by Mic 2013-06-27 18:32:18)

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Re: What is everyone using to fill in gaps?

If its an area with accessibility I lower the bed all the way down set how much filament I think I need tell repetier to extrude it and just hold the piece up under the hot end with as close to the right gap and move the part back and forth to fill the are then I sand it smooth and use some acetone on a qtip to smooth it.

Any way you do this you are going to have to use acetone to smooth your parts because the  patch won't match.

Some great vids on it on youtube for the vapor method but a qtip works passible for small areas (done whole iphone case before) and is the ticket for the finish smoothing of the patch area before doing the entire piece.

I use the qtip and acetone to fix cracks in thin pieces like my phone cases. dab a little acetone on each side with the qtip and hold it together until it dries.

7 Reply by Randavian

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Re: What is everyone using to fill in gaps?

Mic wrote:

If its an area with accessibility I lower the bed all the way down set how much filament I think I need tell repetier to extrude it and just hold the piece up under the hot end with as close to the right gap and move the part back and forth to fill the are then I sand it smooth and use some acetone on a qtip to smooth it.


Thats and interesting approach.  I'll have to remember that.  Thanks for the tip.

8 Reply by ztoone

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Re: What is everyone using to fill in gaps?

I like your idea Mic. I think it can much more space as compare to other answers.