A good start

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Toby
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Re: A good start

Post by Toby » Sat Apr 26, 2014 5:00 am

Those are some great looking prints. Are you doing anything to finish them?
Last edited by Toby on Wed May 07, 2014 3:40 pm, edited 1 time in total.

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willnewton
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Re: A good start

Post by willnewton » Sat Apr 26, 2014 2:22 pm

jsc wrote:Great prints. What are you using for the white and shiny prints (bust, vase, whale, octopus).
I am using the Makergear white, transluscent blue, and black filament. I am trying the natural color today and have blue and red on order. All prints are done at a medium (.20mmm layer height) using an M2 with Simplify3d. There is no finish applied, except for some knife trimming and maybe hitting it with a little fine sandpaper.

Black prints very well at the stock settings 215c (with a little layer height adjustment on layer 1), so far. Glossy and good detail.

The white filament leave a very nice surface at 230c. It has a flat finish, which resembles plaster of paris.

The trans. blue, looks a lot like blue fishing line, and seems to do OK at 225c (maybe a little hotter next time). Prints with a pale blue tint. I was hoping for a deeper blue tint, but it looks fine for the "aquatic" prints.

I am currently trying the natural filament @220c, which has a warmer tone than the translucent blue. I kinda like it. It makes me want to do something with LED's in it, just to see it glow.

The translucent filaments have this wonderful speckled interior where the the sparse fill touches the perimeter. The surface is smooth, but you can just see through the perimeter at the little specks. It's a bit like glitter, but not too blinged out.

I have also done a little coloring with permanent markers. It works great, but the smell of the marker doesn't want to leave the print.
I'm finally back to where I started two days ago!

A thread with some stuff in it I update every once in a while. viewtopic.php?f=8&t=9
See some of my stuff http://www.thingiverse.com/willnewton/favorites

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willnewton
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Re: A good start

Post by willnewton » Mon May 05, 2014 4:46 am

Interesting note to my previous post about temps.

I have been having some unusual printing issues and have felt like I would need to make adjustments to the software every print to get good prints. The prints are looking a bit "starved" of plastic, so I would keep upping the temps to get good flow or tweaking first layer heights to get good adhesion, thinking the z-stop wasn't set right. Last night, I started a print and suddenly the perimeters were not adhering well, so I was adjusting that percentage in the Simplify3d too, but couldn't get it to print right.

Then, I read a few posts about nozzle clogging. Maybe I had cloggage? Have I been solving my problems with the wrong answers?

So, I learned to disassemble the v3b extruder. After a bit of searching ('cause I knew it wasn't in the manual ;) ) I pieced together the info I needed. So here it is in one place.

Still got those spare parts? Good! You need two M6 nuts to make a jam nut and a tiny Allen wrench, such as the one that comes with the M2. You need a couple of wrenches and a set of pliers with jaws wrapped in tape. You also need a tiny drill bit or wire smaller than orifice and a pin vise or something to hold it. Lastly, an Xacto, a 1/8"-ish drill bit, a lighter, and a wee bit of Teflon tape.

1. Unplug and remove cooled extruder.
2. Use a wrench to hold the nozzle while you unscrew the plastic tube unit from the brass tube (using padded pliers).
3. Use the Xatco to clean the old Teflon tape out of the threads and then unscrew the heat block.
4. Thread the two M6 nuts onto the brass tube a little ways and tighten them into each other so they lock onto the tube.
5. Using two wrenches, loosen the nozzle from the tube. It will take a little extra oomph to break loose, but is no big deal.
6. Gently heat the nozzle end of the brass tube with a lighter and push the old filament out with the small Allen wrench.
7. Next, heat the nozzle with the lighter and use the drill/pin to push the filament out of the rear of the nozzle. You may have to insert a 1/8"-ish drill bit into the rear of the heated nozzle by hand and give it a twist to get the plug out.
8. Make sure everything is clean and reassemble using new Teflon tape for the plastic parts (which you can hand tighten).

http://www.makergear.com/pages/stepper- ... nd-batch-2 for more info and pics.

Holy Cow, I had some bad cloggulation! I had to immediately dial back the software to compensate for the increased flow and the M2 is back to printing like a champ.

The search engine is your friend!
I'm finally back to where I started two days ago!

A thread with some stuff in it I update every once in a while. viewtopic.php?f=8&t=9
See some of my stuff http://www.thingiverse.com/willnewton/favorites

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willnewton
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Re: A good start

Post by willnewton » Thu May 15, 2014 4:31 am

willnewton wrote:7. Next, heat the nozzle with the lighter and use the drill/pin to push the filament out of the rear of the nozzle.
Wow, for future reference:

Don't use a drill bit, but if you are a stupid noob- go ahead.

If you are even dumber, spin the drill bit.

Furthermore, do not trust what is written on the drill bit box you fool!

Lastly, be even more sure that you do not set your calipers incorrectly when checking said drill bit to make sure it is smaller than the hole you hope to clear.
I had to immediately dial back the software to compensate for the increased flow and the M2 is back to printing like a champ.
This feeling of success was short-lived because everything started going wrongerer. My prints did not look so hot, they looked bad, really bad. I compared them to my first prints and it took just a few seconds to realize......I had messed up.

Luckily, a quick dash over to the Makergear site and I had a set of nozzles on the way. I forgot to order the barrels and sent off a quick email to ask about adding them on and got quick response of "No Problem!" Within just a few days the nozzles arrived. I got a new one installed and started printing.

I designed a ring holder for our jewelry store and the print looks FANTASTIC. Just as good as the first prints I started with. 8-)

So there, don't do what I did. But if you do and it all goes to crap, it can be fixed!
I'm finally back to where I started two days ago!

A thread with some stuff in it I update every once in a while. viewtopic.php?f=8&t=9
See some of my stuff http://www.thingiverse.com/willnewton/favorites

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willnewton
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Re: A good start

Post by willnewton » Thu May 15, 2014 4:33 am

Oops, double post.
Last edited by willnewton on Sun Jan 24, 2016 4:47 pm, edited 1 time in total.
I'm finally back to where I started two days ago!

A thread with some stuff in it I update every once in a while. viewtopic.php?f=8&t=9
See some of my stuff http://www.thingiverse.com/willnewton/favorites

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Tim
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Re: A good start

Post by Tim » Fri May 16, 2014 2:37 am

Except this time you're back to where you started two weeks ago. . .

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willnewton
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Re: A good start

Post by willnewton » Sat May 17, 2014 12:20 am

Tim wrote:Except this time you're back to where you started two weeks ago. . .
But now I have experience!

and this! :lol:
v3b.jpg
Ruh-roh!
v3b.jpg (49.38 KiB) Viewed 33506 times
I'm finally back to where I started two days ago!

A thread with some stuff in it I update every once in a while. viewtopic.php?f=8&t=9
See some of my stuff http://www.thingiverse.com/willnewton/favorites

jsc
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Re: A good start

Post by jsc » Sat May 17, 2014 12:22 am

Is it supposed to look like that? Mine doesn't look like that.

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willnewton
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Re: A good start

Post by willnewton » Sat May 17, 2014 12:23 am

It's the v4 nozzle. All the cool kids are gettin' them. 8-)


Update from the future- This was a joke. It is not the v4, which everyone was waiting impatiently for. :)
Last edited by willnewton on Sun Jan 24, 2016 4:49 pm, edited 1 time in total.
I'm finally back to where I started two days ago!

A thread with some stuff in it I update every once in a while. viewtopic.php?f=8&t=9
See some of my stuff http://www.thingiverse.com/willnewton/favorites

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willnewton
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Re: A good start

Post by willnewton » Sat May 17, 2014 12:44 am

The new v4 extruder breaks down into smaller parts!
v3b2.jpg
Did I do that?
v3b2.jpg (43.67 KiB) Viewed 32634 times
I'm finally back to where I started two days ago!

A thread with some stuff in it I update every once in a while. viewtopic.php?f=8&t=9
See some of my stuff http://www.thingiverse.com/willnewton/favorites

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