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

For those who’ve been following alongside on this sequence of articles ( Convey Video Sport Characters to Life and How To Easy & End Your PLA Prints – Half 1), you’ve got seen some strategies to easy out and take away the striations you get from a 3D printing. However what in case your authentic mannequin is considerably extra polygonal and faceted than the meant form? When you have a print that appears like this Soldier 76 masks, there are two other ways to unravel this drawback: utilizing Bondo physique filler after printing, or earlier than printing by modifying the mannequin with a modeling software program of your alternative. On this article, we will likely be exploring the previous.

Supplies

• Bondo Physique filler with included hardener

• Private Protecting Tools: 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 is probably not 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 centered 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 assorted edges of the print that might simply get misplaced by including an excessive amount of Bondo at a time. With extra ability, you’ll be able to 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 need 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, but it surely’s what’s advisable and what works the very best. The quantity of hardener it is best to use partially depends upon how sizzling or chilly it’s the place you’re working; if it’s a sizzling day, use barely much less hardener, if it’s chilly, use barely extra. Combine the 2 completely till one constant coloration; it must 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 may take essentially the most ability and finesse. You must discover the proper stability of stress to use to your 3D print. An excessive amount of stress 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 need to very rigorously management the place you unfold it out. When you can at all times sand away the place you added an excessive amount of, you don’t need 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 aggravating and it will get all over the place.”

Whereas the final step took ability and finesse, this step will take time and endurance. 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 simple, however it would make the most important 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 sprucing the Bondo if it’s fully clogged. For those who’re making an attempt to make a big curve just like the mouth, be light and cautious to not sand throughout to the 3D print beneath. It sands in a different way from Bondo and gained’t put on away as rapidly as the encircling Bondo, leaving you with small peaks.

Step 6: Advert Nauseum

When you’ve gone by one go of making use of Bondo and sanding, you’ll discover some spots that have to be constructed up rather a lot or a bit, 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 repeatedly till it’s completed.

Step 7: Optionally available: Detailing

Bondo is generally utilized in a physique store for automobiles, proper? Effectively, similar guidelines apply right here, whenever you want element formed into the physique filler, it’s finest to interrupt out one thing with extra management than easy sandpaper. Utilizing a pointy razor or Exacto knife, you’ll be able to carve exact strains 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 might gently whittle away the world throughout the line to create a dimple. And as soon as I had the essential form of the dimple, I might return over it with sandpaper to easy 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 deliver this helmet into one constant coloration, though it wouldn’t final lengthy. As soon as I had let the paint sit for a pair hours earlier than I acquired again to it, I began by sanding with a 200 grit sandpaper very briefly, shifting as much as 400, and at last as much as 800. As soon as it was squeaky easy, it was time to smash it as soon as once more: spray in your alternative 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 easy the gloss coat. This may deliver down the “orange peel” that may occur with gloss spray paints. As soon as happy with that, utilizing automotive wax, polish your print, and do that a number of instances till you it’s so easy it’s slippery, and also you drop the print and break it (severely don’t drop it, that isn’t a enjoyable time).

Step 9: The Hardest Step

The ultimate step is to take a step again, take a look at your handiwork, and name it. It took loads of work, loads of sweat, and loads of mud, however in the long run you go from one thing like this:

And coming subsequent month: how I outfit your complete workplace with masks. In spite of everything, we’re all troopers now.