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Playing in the Sandbox Group Build Sept 1, 2024 - Jn 1, 2025

3D printed stuff


Jeff

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OK................. silly question, I know most of you guys use acrylic paints,and it is recommended that acrylic paints be used on 3D printed parts, BUT can a guy use enamels on 3D printed parts, as you know I'm an enamel guy and am timid ( hows that for a word) about stepping out of my comfort zone.................... so what's the gen guys?

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Ok, automotive paint is quite bit 'stronger' than model paint, and I have had mixed results at times, but this is one that I would love to use automotive type paint as then i would get the exact color I need...  I will try a small part so as not to rally screw it up........... that 3D stuff is frightfully expensive...

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  • 2 months later...
Guest DannyVM

It's always a good idea to prime the part's first Jeff. Once they primed you can go all the way with different brands of paint.

Regards mate.

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On 3/25/2020 at 7:42 PM, Jeff said:

Ok, automotive paint is quite bit 'stronger' than model paint, and I have had mixed results at times, but this is one that I would love to use automotive type paint as then i would get the exact color I need...  I will try a small part so as not to rally screw it up........... that 3D stuff is frightfully expensive...

So how did this go? I use both lacquer and enamels almost exclusively, and I use them on my 3D printed parts all the time, with zero issues. I always prime first, mostly to smooth out the pattern left by the layers, though it is very subtle with resin printers.

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1 hour ago, biggtim said:

So how did this go? I use both lacquer and enamels almost exclusively, and I use them on my 3D printed parts all the time, with zero issues. I always prime first, mostly to smooth out the pattern left by the layers, though it is very subtle with resin printers.

I am ashamed to say, I haven't got there yet....................  model building at Glacial Pace? ..LOL, good to know the types of paint you use, I can't even remember where or who told me about the enamel paints not actually drying on 3D stuff....... and that it could 'eat' it....... I hope they are wrong, because 3D stuff is so detailed and cool.....

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  • 4 months later...
On 3/24/2020 at 8:13 PM, Jeff said:

OK................. silly question, I know most of you guys use acrylic paints,and it is recommended that acrylic paints be used on 3D printed parts, BUT can a guy use enamels on 3D printed parts, as you know I'm an enamel guy and am timid ( hows that for a word) about stepping out of my comfort zone.................... so what's the gen guys?

Hi Jeff,

Interesting question. I think the best bet is to try it on a test-part with a high surface to volume ratio - ie pancake shaped, as if there is a problem with warping or swelling, or it becoming fragile, it will occur most readily on such a part. I used enamel paints extensively on my turrets, which were printed in SLA Nylon, and, 2-3 years on, there's no observable problems. Again, as recommended upthread, I used a primer and sanded back with a very fine grade of wet and dry, and the lightest of touches, so as not to cause the nylon to "go hairy", as it will if one is ham-fisted with it. Many of the parts I painted were made to 0.1mm (about 4 thou) tolerances, and they did not swell, nor do they appear to have weakened since. (This in the SLA Nylon.) That said, you are right to be cautious, as SLA Nylon is porous, and therefore painting with the wrong paint might conceivably cause issues. Best bet, talk to technical dept of the 3d printing material supplier, and then go back to the paint manufacturer with that. Best bet, test it well ahead of time, and be prepared for a long delayed-action effect. If you call a commercial 3d printing companny, they may be able to give you some misprints in various materials to test.

That said, I do have a problem with the circular clear ventilators, which were printed in an unknown form of clear plastic. In order to make them more transparent, I was advised to paint them with a clear varnish. I used AlClads clear varnish, and 18 months on they've gone quite yellow. As this suggests age and in-service wear-and-tear, I don't mind, but it does underscore, I think, the importance of researching all the properties of the plastic material used in 3d printing. ABS, another common 3d printing material, gets very brittle when cold, and cannot have a thread tapped into it, whereas SLA Nylon does neither. What are you making?

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Hey Fidd old chum.......... I am converting the Meng Cat D9R military to a D 9 R  civilian , and have the conversion kit that was 3D printed, and it was recommended by Dunstan Fandel , who designed and printed it to use acrylic paints, as this was printed a while ago, my guess is that it is nylon as you suggest, I was just wishfully thinking and hoping I could actually use enamel paints, as I have had VERY limited success with acrylic paints...  all of you comments above, make perfect sense, and I understand exactly what you have put forth..... so I think with all that you have graciously posted I should take some care and caution as to my next moves.... I am in no panic, to finish this conversion as at the moment I have some personal stuff to sort out, but I will certainly do more research and with in the next few months, hope to get on this in a big way..... many thanks for your insight.....  And I do believe it is the nylon material he used.....

D9R.jpg

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That's quite a beast! One thing I forgot to mention, is a peculiarity of how SLA works. If you've a "blocky" part, more than about 6mm (1/4") in 2 or more dimensions, then when it's printed, the inside of the part is left unfused - a powder. When I printed such parts I left - or made - a drain-hole in the part so that the powder could largely be tapped out. This has implications if you want to bolt through the part, when drawn, you need to put the cylinder of fused material around the bolt-hole, so that the bolt has something to pull against. The reason for this is that the fused exterior remains porous, and if a solvent got to the powdered interior, then odd things might happen. So not all printed parts are the same in terms of their internal structure. SLA Nylon has the surface appearance of an 'extra strong-mint' when unpolished, and similar but smoother if polished in an abrasive powder,

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Yeah in real life she is a bit of a monster, the conversion bit is mostly the cab, ROPS, and fuel tank, and a very delicate radiator shutter, everything else is the regular kit....  thanks for the very interesting tech Fidd.... I am actually learning here...

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I'm glad to have been of help, Good luck with the bulldozer, I look forward to seeing it. How big is it? If the model is huge, you could look into pneumatic (air powered) rams for the bulldozer and digger-bucket on the back. Movement on a model is really striking if it's doable, and it's a lot of fun to do. Put on a diorama base, the pneumatic lines could be concealed in the base and just brought out to connect the syringes to start making things move,,,,

Provided the model is big enough, the main rams for the dozer blade look emminently achievable. On my turrets I 3d printed a thin cover for the metal ram so that it appeared, as a far as possible, the same as the hydraulic one on the original turret. 

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That sounds like a very cool idea, but I'm afraid my skill levels are way below that, but it is a cool kit over all, it is the 1/35 scale Meng Military Cat Bulldozer kit, and basically just removing all the armor and cab stuff , trying to convert it to something I would see around here on our logging operations...

meng d9.jpg

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Honestly, pneumatics are a complete doddle. You've single-acting - one way - and double acting - two way. The first may likely of no use to you. Go to ocaire.com, find a suitable miniature (probably double-acting) ram, and buy some large syringes, and some pneumatic line (black 2mm PVC tube iirc), and start "playing". Connecting them up is simplicity itself, pvc put metal collet on tube, press tube into joint fitting, press collet back up tube and onto joint-fitting. Connect other end of tube to large syringe with non-sharp needle - (usually a pink plastic fitting with needle) and your done. It takes longer to type. Ring Ocaire, they're very helpful in explaining what you'll need, it's not expensive and really is straightforwards,

The "hard" bit is going to be getting the geometry right, and adapting or 3d printing the articulated parts so that the whole mechanism "works".

My turrets were the very first time I'd done any pneumatics, so don't sell yourself short, if I can figure it out..... 

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No problem. Even if you don't use it on this model, a knowledge of how the components look like, and how the different types of rams operate. It might spark an idea for a project? I found the link to the film I made as I was assembling the turret rams, which shews the different parts.

 

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