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Topic: Acetone Bath in Ricecooker

Just scored a rice cooker on eBay used with water stains in the pot for $4.00 w/ free shipping. Talked the guy down from $15.00 because it had water stains and was banged up, but it's fine for heating up acetone. smile

Anyway so it's working great to smooth out parts. But I'm having a problem and hoping someone has a solution!

On flatter, bigger parts, they stick too well to the rice cooker pan. If I let it to sit in there to dry, it ruins the bottom surface because it has stuck too long to the metal pan. I tried adding kapton tape to the metal pan but while the acetone is cooking, the hot vapor just makes the kapton tape come unstuck and get bubbles/ridges in it which actually makes the bottom of the print worse.

On smaller prints with less surface area, like a model of a cow that I made it was fine because I put the cow in the cooker standing up, and only the bottom of its hooves were touching so it came off really easily.

If I can pull the part out within a few minutes of vaping, while it's still very soft, it doesn't stick. The problem is when I pull it out the part is so soft that it leaves marks on the print where I touched it. So I have to let it sit.

Any solutions?

My process:

1) Fill cooker up until bottom of pot is covered with acetone.
2) Put part on the top pan
3) Turn cooker on
4) Cook for 3-5 minutes, usually this is enough to completely evaporate all acetone in the pot and make the part nice and shiny
5) turn off pot
6) let part dry, usually for about an hour

My SD3:  Clear plexiglass case, case heater, X axis stabilizer, Z axis stabilizer, thumb screws, filament guide, heatsinks on all motors, extruder fan, controller fan, heatsinks on motherboard, Y rod pillow block, USB and Power on/off switch, fully calibrated including trimpot tuning. Am I missing anything?

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Re: Acetone Bath in Ricecooker

Try making a sort of bed of nails so there many small points of contact.   Round off the points so they don't don't the soft plastic.

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Re: Acetone Bath in Ricecooker

I had similar problems when I started smoothing.
My smoothing station is very minimalist: Paint can in a bathroom sink.
After making aluminum risers to keep the part above the acetone, I then cut a 1/8" thick sheet of aluminum for larger parts. Smaller parts do indeed snap/slide off easier than larger ones. But I think the problem you are having is impatience. I made several of said platforms so I could smooth as many parts as possible, then let them sit anywhere from 1 hour to overnight (if it is a large print).
The smaller parts are able to be gently handled about an hour afterward, but the larger ones of course take longer to smooth and dry due to the larger surface area.

This is just what I have noticed smile

Printit Mason and Printit Horizon printers
Multiple SD2s- Bulldog XL, E3D v5/v6/Lite6, Volcano, Hobb Goblin, Titan, .9 motor, Lawsy carriages, direct Y drive, fishing line...the list goes on
Filawinder and Filastruder #1870.....worth every penny!

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Re: Acetone Bath in Ricecooker

Tried leaving it in longer to dry. This happened...

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My SD3:  Clear plexiglass case, case heater, X axis stabilizer, Z axis stabilizer, thumb screws, filament guide, heatsinks on all motors, extruder fan, controller fan, heatsinks on motherboard, Y rod pillow block, USB and Power on/off switch, fully calibrated including trimpot tuning. Am I missing anything?

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Re: Acetone Bath in Ricecooker

It seems if I don't take it out immediately, it develops a clear plastic film on it that peels. Too long, and it bubbles

My SD3:  Clear plexiglass case, case heater, X axis stabilizer, Z axis stabilizer, thumb screws, filament guide, heatsinks on all motors, extruder fan, controller fan, heatsinks on motherboard, Y rod pillow block, USB and Power on/off switch, fully calibrated including trimpot tuning. Am I missing anything?

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Re: Acetone Bath in Ricecooker

hi,

There are bubbles because aceton get into the abs and the temperature make it boil at the surface of your parts, just try to lower the inner temp of your rice cooker, under 49°C would be good

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Re: Acetone Bath in Ricecooker

Why not set it on a piece of glass or ceremic in the tray?

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Re: Acetone Bath in Ricecooker

Skyminer wrote:

Why not set it on a piece of glass or ceremic in the tray?

That may work if I can find a piece of glass small enough.

Maybe picture frame glass? Most seems to be made out of fake glass these days though

My SD3:  Clear plexiglass case, case heater, X axis stabilizer, Z axis stabilizer, thumb screws, filament guide, heatsinks on all motors, extruder fan, controller fan, heatsinks on motherboard, Y rod pillow block, USB and Power on/off switch, fully calibrated including trimpot tuning. Am I missing anything?

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Re: Acetone Bath in Ricecooker

I have the same problem with trying acetone smoothing. I have of those presto cookers but however, when I get it to "melt" it sticks very much to the bottom of the pan. Also makes the part almost fall apart sometimes. I generally like the texture of 3D printing but for a few projects I perfer it to be smooth.

Tammy
Solidoodle 2
E3Dv6 Hotend, MK5 v6 version, Glass Bed, Anti Z backlash slop nut, SureStepr SD8825 1/32 Extruder Driver, makeshift breakaway plexiglass case; . L-Cheapo 3.8 Watt Laser Attachment w/Custom built enclosure
From Buffalo, NY, USA