Let's Talk All Things 3d for prop creation, Scan, Design, Sculpt (real and digital), Print and Finish

[laellee]

There are wire cleaners (essentially just a length of wire lol) that can be used like pipe cleaners to clear the passages, as a matter of fact on my last order of nozzles there was a baggie of those included too. I have used one of those maybe 3 times, just to clean the hot end body (when it's at temp). I don't even remember how effective they were, but I have only replaced my entire hotend as a last repair resort maybe 3 times on the Ender over maybe 8k hours or printing. Everbody else's mileage is of course going to vary, but those hotends are maybe $25 with thermistor and wiring so it's a non-issue to me.

Mottrex did you cold-pull that out? I've unbolted my hot end while still connected to it's power, run it to full heat, and then routed through it with piano wire before after the same experience, but it was a CRUDE operation; made me think of those Egypt documentaries where they would use their hook to clear somebody's brain out through their nostril lol. A new hotend fixed it. I would keep your old one though and see if you can tear it down even more, maybe find a blockage. I guess your hotend could be heating inconsistently, but it is literally their JOB to hold the heat and soften that filament

 

[N2darkness]

This is all brilliant info. I haven't even stumbled into these areas yet and am so stoked to see answers already here. My superglue fail recently was my first big eye opener.

I've been using this stuff and it works great. Can be a bit stringy, but makes for a strong chemical bond and much cheaper than 3D gloop.

Amazon.com

 

[sparkmatter]

No sure why I thought you were from Netherlands lol..

A filament flusher!
Maybe Acetone but would it ruin the hotend?

I think there's coatings on the inside of nozzles, don't recommend this at all... Hotends are disposable, if clogs are happening that often the filament may be bad quality (inconsistent diameter, full of manufacturing shmutz, etc) or have absorbed too much moisture from the air

 

[Mottrex]

I think there's coatings on the inside of nozzles, don't recommend this at all... Hotends are disposable, if clogs are happening that often the filament may be bad quality (inconsistent diameter, full of manufacturing shmutz, etc) or have absorbed too much moisture from the air

Ah good point thanks for the info.. the three spools I used had been sitting on my AMS for a month or two but had left over filament and living in quite a warm area prolly picked up all sorts of things maybe even the odd dog hair..
They will all go in a tub with silica sachets from now on and to be fair unless I need multiple colours I dont really need to use the AMS.


By the way


It's Alive!

 

[greenmachines]

There are wire cleaners (essentially just a length of wire lol) that can be used like pipe cleaners to clear the passages, as a matter of fact on my last order of nozzles there was a baggie of those included too. I have used one of those maybe 3 times, just to clean the hot end body (when it's at temp). I don't even remember how effective they were, but I have only replaced my entire hotend as a last repair resort maybe 3 times on the Ender over maybe 8k hours or printing. Everbody else's mileage is of course going to vary, but those hotends are maybe $25 with thermistor and wiring so it's a non-issue to me.

Mottrex did you cold-pull that out? I've unbolted my hot end while still connected to it's power, run it to full heat, and then routed through it with piano wire before after the same experience, but it was a CRUDE operation; made me think of those Egypt documentaries where they would use their hook to clear somebody's brain out through their nostril lol. A new hotend fixed it. I would keep your old one though and see if you can tear it down even more, maybe find a blockage. I guess your hotend could be heating inconsistently, but it is literally their JOB to hold the heat and soften that filament

I will never ever ever clean a nozzle again and not imagine pulling the brains out of a mummy. Not exactly hypnotism but that suggestion was master craft permanent.

 

[greenmachines]

So here is a cosplay con question for our 3d printing rpf'ers: Will I be allowed to bring in 3d printed bladed weapons that are hard? I never really thought that through and have avoided it altogether by removing my blade and walking in with only the handle. My Will Turner sword is real so that was a no brainer on not even attempting it but now that I have a printer, is it worth making replacement blades? I know half of personal protection weapons nowadays are all synthetic so likely has already led to a ban?

 

[Mottrex]

So here is a cosplay con question for our 3d printing rpf'ers: Will I be allowed to bring in 3d printed bladed weapons that are hard? I never really thought that through and have avoided it altogether by removing my blade and walking in with only the handle. My Will Turner sword is real so that was a no brainer on not even attempting it but now that I have a printer, is it worth making replacement blades? I know half of personal protection weapons nowadays are all synthetic so likely has already led to a ban?

It can be Con dependant but in the case of replica wepons it can be down to Over zealous security on the day.. Usually a replica fire arm requires an Orange plug end thus easily identified from a distance (easily removable for photo ops) in the case of swords Ive had the cons place a security tag on the handle. Some Cons have a length limit but thats more for others safety.. Ive seen four foot Manga type Assault rifle swords in the past. Blunt end swords can still be problematic but Ive seen plenty of Jack Sparrows with one in a side holster.

Its got to be hard for security though an obviously scifi/Anime type character prop is an easy spot but there are a ton of SWAT Team/Resident Evil/Tactical Suits that look the real deal..

Long and short
Ive had replicas ok'd on entry only to be stopped searched questioned on re entry.
My Metal Fett always got me stopped as Id reinforced his EE3 with scrap metal..

Hey in reference to your Will Turner Sword
We need to see this!

 

[Mottrex]

Mottrex did you cold-pull that out? I've unbolted my hot end while still connected to it's power, run it to full heat, and then routed through it with piano wire before after the same experience, but it was a CRUDE operation; made me think of those Egypt documentaries where they would use their hook to clear somebody's brain out through their nostril lol. A new hotend fixed it. I would keep your old one though and see if you can tear it down even more, maybe find a blockage. I guess your hotend could be heating inconsistently, but it is literally their JOB to hold the heat and soften that filament

I ran it in maintenance mode heated the nozzle to 95° unclipped the hotend holding the fins and pushed in a pin and let it cool then gently applied pull. I filmed it and thats a funny but correct analogy with the Mummy reference, the satisfaction and pop made me think the same thing.

Not that Ive Ever pulled out anyones brain through their nose



Ive come to the conclusion that my old hotend was the cause of previous stringy prints.
There was residue of older filament in that hotend and my recent prints trees were a nightmare to remove but maybe that was the STL files?

My new print nozzle seems much faster no constant returns to keep cleaning head and the tree supports broke away with zero effort and left the print surface clean.

 

[greenmachines]

I ran it in maintenance mode heated the nozzle to 95° unclipped the hotend holding the fins and pushed in a pin and let it cool then gently applied pull. I filmed it and thats a funny but correct analogy with the Mummy reference, the satisfaction and pop made me think the same thing.

Not that Ive Ever pulled out anyones brain through their nose



Ive come to the conclusion that my old hotend was the cause of previous stringy prints.
There was residue of older filament in that hotend and my recent prints trees were a nightmare to remove but maybe that was the STL files?

My new print nozzle seems much faster no constant returns to keep cleaning head and the tree supports broke away with zero effort and left the print surface clean.

Hurray for the improvement, first off, but that correction, "not that I've Ever......" had me rolling.

 

[TazMan2000]

I've tried replacing nozzles before on my Creality CR10S and it wasn't too bad of a chore as long as the hot end was at temperature, but on my Anycubic, I twisted off two brass nozzles. I just order a new hot end and save myself getting burned.

TazMan2000

 

[joberg]

Hurray for the improvement, first off, but that correction, "not that I've Ever......" had me rolling.

Same here This thread went from very pro-tips on 3-D printing tricks of the trade to "Brain Sucking Tools" you can use on your "head" (printing head, that is)

 

[Mottrex]

Welding PLA

I started construction on my Helmet no pun intended this afternoon.
Cynoacrylate my usually bestest bonding friend seemed to take ages to bond with PLA unlike my hands which I kid you not resembled The creature from the black lagoons webbed digits.
I started using a soldering /Sodder Iron to plas-weld the pieces together, something Ive always done repairing everything from kids toys to lawnmower boxes and all seems pretty sturdy so far. I am also going to hot melt meccano pieces as cross members into the lid for my own sanity and I will cover with a suitable interior at a later date.

Melty..

 

[TazMan2000]

I find that for helmets and thin walled items I print, that a mechanical bond is best in addition to a glue bond. So when I design something I incorporate pin holes to accommodate thin brass pins. In addition to the mechanical joint, it also provides a way to ensure the parts being joined mate exactly the way intended. This will also lessen the amount of post processing and filler needed.

TazMan2000

 

[TazMan2000]

If I download items that do not have the pin holes, I tape the pieces together and scribe marks on the outside. Then use a drill to make holes. Sometimes the holes don’t mate exactly, but you can bend brass or enlarge holes to ensure that it fits. I test fit all pieces until I’m confident that when I’m ready to glue it will fit perfectly on the first try when gluing.

TazMan2000

 

[greenmachines]

If I download items that do not have the pin holes, I tape the pieces together and scribe marks on the outside. Then use a drill to make holes. Sometimes the holes don’t mate exactly, but you can bend brass or enlarge holes to ensure that it fits. I test fit all pieces until I’m confident that when I’m ready to glue it will fit perfectly on the first try.

TazMan2000

I love this. This is how I make wood joints for salvage repairs. Finding a beautiful and old piece of furniture with a large broken and now missing piece, I fab the new part to fit against the old but project out in all directions. When one section has been sanded/planed enough and now matches the face of the other, I challk the line across the gap from old to new. Drill my pin holes, insert dowels and now I can make sure it is aligned while finishing the other faces. This works even for statue like carvings and keeps me from "over planing/sanding".

 

[Mottrex]

If I download items that do not have the pin holes, I tape the pieces together and scribe marks on the outside. Then use a drill to make holes. Sometimes the holes don’t mate exactly, but you can bend brass or enlarge holes to ensure that it fits. I test fit all pieces until I’m confident that when I’m ready to glue it will fit perfectly on the first try when gluing.

TazMan2000

Now thats a great idea I shall be using this method from now on

 

[sparkmatter]

I find that for helmets and thin walled items I print, that a mechanical bond is best in addition to a glue bond. So when I design something I incorporate pin holes to accommodate thin brass pins. In addition to the mechanical joint, it also provides a way to ensure the parts being joined mate exactly the way intended. This will also lessen the amount of post processing and filler needed.

TazMan2000

That's why I tend to cut big parts apart in the slicer, it has a function to add pinholes quite easily

 

[TazMan2000]

That's why I tend to cut big parts apart in the slicer, it has a function to add pinholes quite easily

I never knew they had that. What slicer are you using?

TazMan2000

 

[Mottrex]

That's why I tend to cut big parts apart in the slicer, it has a function to add pinholes quite easily

I can add connector pieces on Bambu Studio but dont think I have pinhole option. I know it resizes but not tried using it yet.

 

[sparkmatter]

I never knew they had that. What slicer are you using?

TazMan2000

Bambu Studio but prusa and orca are functionally the same