I've been seeing a lot about glues and finishes that harden when exposed to UV. I wonder if there is any product there that might work for you? Enjoying the ride and looking forward to some metal casting!
Ball Hopper Monitor - Casting Project
- Thread starter GreenTwin
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It is possible that something like that could work.
I guess the plus side to using something like sheetrock joint compound is that it is inexpensive, and readily available anywhere.
Water-based cleanup too.
I am ready to moving on to some casting work too.
Pattern filling is probably my least favorite thing to do.
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I am not sure whose picture this is, but this is how I plan on making my Prusa printer enclosure.
The inline fan should arrive today.
Crude, yes I know; there will be some here most unhappy with the crudeness.
No time to build an award-winning enclousure; I have printing that needs to get done now.
I have some 1/2" steel square tubing that will work well in lieu of tree branches, you will be glad to know.
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The inline fan should arrive today.
Crude, yes I know; there will be some here most unhappy with the crudeness.
No time to build an award-winning enclousure; I have printing that needs to get done now.
I have some 1/2" steel square tubing that will work well in lieu of tree branches, you will be glad to know.
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Dumb question but have you tried & dismissed a decent quality high build primer in a spray bomb? No gun, no mixing, no compressor, no cleanup. Just rattle & shoot. There are all kinds but if you go to an auto paint store you will have the best luck finding one that fills & flashes quickly for recoats. Even different colors/tones so you can use that to your advantage. I'm positive it is going to fill & sand better than any spackling compound, that's what its engineered to do. Think about the environment a typical car part or plastic based fender is going through its life. Especially compared to a water based spackle that is bound to have a hard time bonding on plastic. If you consider the tools used to spread patching compound, they are arguably a similar plastic as 3DP filament from this standpoint & are intended to be cleaned & re-used. Often you just have to bend it slightly & the dried spackle just lifts off.
The problem with activated CA glue or UV epoxy or anything like that is you are putting a rather uniform layer over the hills & valleys. So yes some is getting into the valleys which is 'fill' but its your job to sand & conform all the mountain tops. Because these glues cure hard (much harder than 3DP), that is making a lot of extra work to then sand & you are likely deviating from the base shape. CA can be purchased in a range of viscosities from water thin to honey thick but you have to essentially paint it on which is not so easy. Epoxy resins are typically thicker viscosity. Now you may want a hard shell for those reasons but sounds like you just want a good surface with minimum fuss & maximum turnaround time. IMO that is the domain of primers (or spot/glazing fillers if the grooves are deep enough to warrant).
The penmaking folks use CA glue to finish wood or other materials. Here is one I did. I was actually kind of amazed because I've always thought of it as just an adhesive. But it requires many layers & intermediary sanding. And the application is not exactly easy to get it on in a controlled manner.
The problem with activated CA glue or UV epoxy or anything like that is you are putting a rather uniform layer over the hills & valleys. So yes some is getting into the valleys which is 'fill' but its your job to sand & conform all the mountain tops. Because these glues cure hard (much harder than 3DP), that is making a lot of extra work to then sand & you are likely deviating from the base shape. CA can be purchased in a range of viscosities from water thin to honey thick but you have to essentially paint it on which is not so easy. Epoxy resins are typically thicker viscosity. Now you may want a hard shell for those reasons but sounds like you just want a good surface with minimum fuss & maximum turnaround time. IMO that is the domain of primers (or spot/glazing fillers if the grooves are deep enough to warrant).
The penmaking folks use CA glue to finish wood or other materials. Here is one I did. I was actually kind of amazed because I've always thought of it as just an adhesive. But it requires many layers & intermediary sanding. And the application is not exactly easy to get it on in a controlled manner.
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That is a shockingly good finish on the pen.
Learn something new every day.
I have had some suggest using the high-fill auto spraypaint, but I am going to stick with a water-based product, since I want to use it in my office, and I want the ease of water cleanup.
And one benefit of water-based filler is you can put a hair dryer on it and dry it quickly; within minutes.
I am trying to do all the 3D printing, filling, and sanding in my office, since it is cold outside in the shop/shed, and I don't want to turn on the electric heat out there, since that makes the meter spin like a top.
Since I will use the 3D printed pattern only once (hopefully), I only need it to make one mold, which will be used to make an permanent aluminum pattern half.
So the hope is that the filler will stay on long enough to make one mold.
I am going to spray on an overcoat of shellac over the filler, and that sort of holds it the filler together for a while, and prevents most chip off temporarily.
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I have contemplated several casting options.
One idea was to use a small kiln that my next door neighbor owns, and melt aluminum in that, inside my office (I don't recommend anyone do this).
One problem with a slow melt is hydrogen absorption, and while many/most would not notice the pinhole porisity, I do notice it, and don't care for it.
It is winter here, and so in the 30's today.
I really want to set up my iron furnace, and use it for both iron and aluminum melts.
20 lb aluminum melts are 12 minutes from a cold start with my iron furnace, and that generally prevents hydrogen absorption.
A bigger problem is making molds in cold weather.
The temperature affects the set time, etc., and the sand may not set correctly.
In order to make molds, I am going to have to turn on the heater in the shed.
The sand needs to be some reasonable temperature too.
Once the mold is made, a carboard box has to be placed over it, with a hair dryer heating the air inside the box.
If the mold is cold, it will cause a partial fill.
If I don't do a winter pour, the danger of waiting for warm weather is I will get too detached from this build and lose momentum, and chances are I will get too busy with work projects too.
Now is a good time to do some aluminum pours, so I need to do a winter setup.
I could probably put some sand in an old cooler, and put a light bulb in there.
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One idea was to use a small kiln that my next door neighbor owns, and melt aluminum in that, inside my office (I don't recommend anyone do this).
One problem with a slow melt is hydrogen absorption, and while many/most would not notice the pinhole porisity, I do notice it, and don't care for it.
It is winter here, and so in the 30's today.
I really want to set up my iron furnace, and use it for both iron and aluminum melts.
20 lb aluminum melts are 12 minutes from a cold start with my iron furnace, and that generally prevents hydrogen absorption.
A bigger problem is making molds in cold weather.
The temperature affects the set time, etc., and the sand may not set correctly.
In order to make molds, I am going to have to turn on the heater in the shed.
The sand needs to be some reasonable temperature too.
Once the mold is made, a carboard box has to be placed over it, with a hair dryer heating the air inside the box.
If the mold is cold, it will cause a partial fill.
If I don't do a winter pour, the danger of waiting for warm weather is I will get too detached from this build and lose momentum, and chances are I will get too busy with work projects too.
Now is a good time to do some aluminum pours, so I need to do a winter setup.
I could probably put some sand in an old cooler, and put a light bulb in there.
.
I made it to the hardware store, and purchased some drywall joint compound.
It comes in 5, 20, 45 and 90 minute set times.
I got the 45 minute stuff; that should be plenty of time to spray it on.
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It comes in 5, 20, 45 and 90 minute set times.
I got the 45 minute stuff; that should be plenty of time to spray it on.
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