3D print finishing coating from Smooth On

[jsc]

I just came across a reference to a new product from Smooth On intended to be applied as a finishing coat for 3D printed objects. http://hackaday.com/2014/12/08/making-t ... stal-clear

Sounds interesting, and may be a safer alternative to acetone vapor smoothing, and will work for all filaments. Apparently it also has the same index of refraction as T-Glaze, so can be used to make translucent prints. I'm intrigued, and if I give it a try I'll report back.

[jimc]

jin, the coating is just an epoxy. nothing really special other than they just tuned the viscosity of it so you can brush it on. its basically like epoxy table or casting resin that you can get from ac moore or Michaels. nothing against the stuff at all. smooth-on makes nice stuff for sure but dont get hooked on the marketing of it and think its some type of wonder coating that instantly transforms your prints into smooth as glass objects with little or no effort. in any case i believe you have a 5-10 pot life on it and from what guys i have talked to that have used it say that the build of it with one coat is not quite enough to fill average layer marks. it will need to be done twice. so my take on it is this......if you are looking for a clear coating then absolutely go for it. it will work fine and give you an ok gloss on your prints. i certainly would recommend using it over acetone smoothing. i cringe every time i hear someone doing it. its a bomb waiting to happen. if you are looking to paint your part or need a color then dont use it. use a primer/surfacer. thats what they make it for. primer dries fast, sands easy and its made to fill up imperfections. epoxies like the xtc stuff or whatever do not sand easily so to apply it, sand it smooth just so you can paint a part is alot of wasted time and work. another note on it is if your part is going outside and see direct long term sun then dont use it either. something on your deck for instance. even epoxies with uv additivies in them are terrible. they turn banana yellow and get chalky quick. just my 2 cents.

[jsc]

I love epoxy. The magic of chemistry. Your reservations are noted, however, and I will adjust my expectations.

Their video with the epoxy and bronze powder is pretty neat, though.

[jimc]

yeah not trying to discourage you at all. since i work with coatings every day i was just passing along some info. i saw the one video when it was released but i havent seen the one with the bronze filler.

[sprior]

I got excited by the bronze powder too and ordered some. I printed a small statue of my son, but haven't had time to use the Smooth-On/powder on it yet, maybe this Sunday but not sure.

Also saw this about using Smooth-On with tglase: http://taulman3d.com/t-glase-optics.html