MakerGear Forum

So I noticed some of my larger prints were lifting at the edges away from the borosilicate surface so I began printing with elmers glue stick which seemed to work great...until I cracked the glass trying to pry a 40mm calibration cube off with a putty knife.

Printing with makergear black pla. Bed: 60c, Extruder: 215c

So my question is:

Was I just too rough and not patient enough?

Or should I have done something else instead of the elmers glue? I would really like to avoid using tape if possible. Should I be adjusting the bed temp after a certain amount of layers or ?

I'm guessing makergear direct is the best place to order new ones?

Newbie mistake I know.

Did you wait for it to cool down before prying?

I did. It was completely room temp. After trying to pry at it for a bit I ran the whole thing under water hoping the glue would wash away...which it did. But it still took considerable amount of force to pry it loose and that's when it cracked. A chip of glass actually remained stuck to the bottom of the print.

i wish you would share some of that stickiness with me. i just gave glue stick 2 more tries tonight and the filament just pushes around the bed like i waxed it. i dont get it.

Jim, are you applying it cold? I noticed recently that it wouldn't hold at all if it went on with the bed hot. Don't know why that would be.

I have done it both ways but i can confirm what you are saying. It does seem to stick slightly better when it goes on cold. If i apply it hot there is no chance whatsoever that it will stick. Also it seems like a single layer of glue works better than multiple coats.

That's crazy Jim. It sticks like no other for me. I use that elmers that goes on purple.

I have a pair of flush cutters that I "nip" at the corners of sharp parts with. It gets under them and they pop right off.

You might have to soak the parts overnight in water.

I recently noticed that the corners of my plate looked a bit chipped, in the way that brittle glass for lenses can chip away at the edges. Haven't had any issues as major as that though :/

As far as stickiness goes, I put the first layer down at 65C and then let it cool to 60 for the rest of the print using bare glass. any questionable prints get a 2mm brim and they hold tight. no issues with adhesion so far.

Before every print I "shave" the bed with this http://www.thingiverse.com/thing:301592 and then wipe it with a microfiber cloth.

I use a cricut spatula (small arts and crafts thing) to get corners and edges started. I've been using hairspray on glass lately and it seems to works fine with a nice shiny bottom (PLA). For kids' demos I'll continue with the blue tape wiped down with rubbing ETOH (2X). I prefer the simplicity (no heated bed needed, no spraying). The nice smell is also a hit with kids.

Also, I had my first clog (got my M2 in april 2013) and going through this board gave me all the info I needed to clear it. Thx.


Joe