How To: Clean and End Your PLA Prints – Half 2

In the event you’ve been following alongside on this sequence of articles (Tips on how to Carry Video Recreation Characters to Life and How To Clean & End Your PLA Prints – Half 1), you will have seen some methods to clean out and take away the striations you get from a 3D printing. However what in case your unique mannequin is considerably extra polygonal and faceted than the supposed form? When you’ve got a print that appears like this Soldier 76 masks, there are two alternative ways to resolve this downside: utilizing Bondo physique filler after printing, or earlier than printing by modifying the mannequin with a modeling software program of your selection. On this article, we will probably be exploring the previous.

Supplies

• Bondo Physique filler with included hardener

• Private Protecting Gear: gloves, respirator, mud masks

• Mixing Palette: leftover silicone from molding, items of cardboard, 

• Spreaders: either precise bondo spreaders, strips of plastic scrap, or skinny scrap prints

• Sandpaper: 120, 220, 400, 800, wax polish, and wax sponge

• Primer and Paint

• Optionally available: Dremel and bits, xacto knife

Step 1: Security First

First issues first, put in your rubber gloves and your respirator. To some, the odor might not be too dangerous, however after a sequence of intense complications after mixing some small quantities of Bondo, I extremely suggest reconsidering and placing in your PPE.

Step 2: Divide and Conquer

Begin by selecting one part of your 3D print and specializing in that part with every spherical of Bondo. On this case, I’ve targeted on rounding out the top of the hoses on the masks. By specializing in one part at a time, it’s a lot simpler to see the varied edges of the print that would simply get misplaced by including an excessive amount of Bondo at a time. With extra talent, you may apply Bondo to 1 floor and if time permits apply to a different floor additional away on the print, this may assist pace up the method however you run the chance of the Bondo drying as you unfold it, leaving you with a clumpy mess.

Step 3: Combine it Up

Collect your palette and your spreaders of assorted sizes, to combine up small batches of Bondo at a time. You’ll wish to begin with small batches as a result of the Bondo begins drying, or curing, as quickly as you pour out the hardener. It’s best to use one golf ball sized lump of Bondo with one inch of hardener. Bizarre combine ratio, I do know, however it’s what’s really useful and what works the perfect. The quantity of hardener it is best to use partially is dependent upon how sizzling or chilly it’s the place you might be working; if it’s a sizzling day, use barely much less hardener, if it’s chilly, use barely extra. Combine the 2 totally till one constant shade; it ought to be form of a peachy-tan. If it’s terracotta pink, you used an excessive amount of hardener and it’ll treatment inside 5 minutes, if it’s nonetheless grayish it would by no means treatment.

Step 4: Apply On to the Print

Right here’s the half that can take probably the most talent and finesse. It’s essential discover the fitting steadiness of strain to use to your 3D print. An excessive amount of strain and also you’ll simply be squeegeeing Bondo throughout your print and never truly constructing something up, and too little and also you’ll finish with an enormous swirly goopy mess. You wish to very fastidiously management the place you unfold it out. Whilst you can all the time sand away the place you added an excessive amount of, you don’t wish to make an already prolonged course of even more durable on you. Right here I feather the Bondo throughout the floor of the (part) to construct up between every of the peaks.

Step 5: Sanding: “It is coarse and tough and worsening and it will get in every single place.”

Whereas the final step took talent and finesse, this step will take time and persistence. Begin with a really low grit sandpaper, 120 is the place I like to start out, and go to city in your print. Bondo is principally a resin and talcum powder, so sanding it away is straightforward, however it can make the largest mess that isn’t actually avoidable. Use small strips of sandpaper and throw them out once they get too gunked up; you’ll truly begin sharpening the Bondo if it’s utterly clogged. In the event you’re making an attempt to make a big curve just like the mouth, be mild and cautious to not sand all through to the 3D print beneath. It sands in another way from Bondo and received’t put on away as rapidly as the encircling Bondo, leaving you with small peaks.

Step 6: Advert Nauseum

When you’ve gone by way of one move of making use of Bondo and sanding, you’ll discover some spots that have to be constructed up quite a bit or slightly, so get again to it. Repeat steps 2-5 till you’ve smoothed a piece to your liking. Within the case of the ears, they began as a polyhedron, however are actually principally hemispheres, that is what you’ll have to do constantly till it’s completed.

Step 7: Optionally available: Detailing

Bondo is often utilized in a physique store for automobiles, proper? Effectively, identical guidelines apply right here, once you want element formed into the physique filler, it’s greatest to interrupt out one thing with extra management than easy sandpaper. Utilizing a pointy razor or Exacto knife, you may carve exact traces into your object, on this case I need some small dimples within the cheeks.

For the dimples, I sketched in pencil first, then went again over the road with my razor. Then I may gently whittle away the realm throughout the line to create a dimple. And as soon as I had the fundamental form of the dimple, I may return over it with sandpaper to clean out the straight edges left behind from the knife and to mix the brand new form in.

Step 8: Paint and Polish

Congratulations! The arduous half is over. Now all that’s left to sanding finer and finer till there’s a pleasant polish. I began by spraying a primer coat to carry this helmet into one constant shade, despite the fact that it wouldn’t final lengthy. As soon as I had let the paint sit for a pair hours earlier than I received again to it, I began by sanding with a 200 grit sandpaper very briefly, shifting as much as 400, and eventually as much as 800. As soon as it was squeaky clean, it was time to destroy it as soon as once more: spray in your selection of gloss to actually make it shine. On this case Rustoleum Gloss Seaside is similar to MatterHackers Blue. Begin sanding once more, however this time use water and 800 grit to actually clean the gloss coat. It will carry down the “orange peel” that may occur with gloss spray paints. As soon as glad with that, utilizing automotive wax, polish your print, and do that a number of occasions till you it’s so clean it’s slippery, and also you drop the print and break it (significantly don’t drop it, that’s not a enjoyable time).

Step 9: The Hardest Step

The ultimate step is to take a step again, have a look at your handiwork, and name it. It took a whole lot of work, a whole lot of sweat, and a whole lot of mud, however ultimately you go from one thing like this:

And coming subsequent month: how I outfit your entire workplace with masks. In any case, we’re all troopers now.