Economical ways to test printing in different colors

I just ordered one of the refurbished R1 Plus printers today. This will be my first 3D printer and I'd like to experiment with different colored filaments without investing a lot of cash in large quantities.

I found a variety pack of 1.75mm PLA on Amazon, but it appears to be designed for one of those handheld 3D doodling pens. Still, the diameter and material seem to be suitable. Would something like this be compatible with the Robo?


(forum won't let me post a link to amazon, but if you search '1.75mm PLA variety' it's the first product listed by Excelvan)

 

It should be fine. Being a sample you don't got enough to do a large print, but enough to try it out. One thing to note is that loose samples are easy to get tangled compared to being in a roll. I would use the spool of blue that comes with the Robo first and then use that empty spool to wrap your samples on. Or use the Robo blue sample to print a mini spool found on Thingiverse for your samples.

Being that this is a generic sample I am assuming, you might get different experience when trying to order a full spool of what you like from the samples. If there are full spools of that brand even available. Also a color you like in one brand might come out different when you try to get that color in another brand. The dies very. Just some thing to think about.

You got a great deal on buying a refurbished r1+. Have a great time printing. If your using pla, print an oiler to keep a slight sheen of oil on the filament to prevent clogs. Also season the hotend. Instructions for both are all over, but let me know if you have questions and I can post a link or two. Cheers!

 

Thank you for the reply. I'm sure I don't have much use for a lot of these colors, so the small quantity isn't that big of a deal. Just thought it would be nice to be able to have some variety without spending big bucks on a few kilograms of filament right off the bat. At $20 for 20 colors, this variety pack would be a pretty low risk experiment but it's nice to know that it *should* work just fine.

I've been browsing Thingiverse already looking for fun things to print once my Robo arrives, and have already come across a couple of those filament oilers that you mentioned. I'm not exactly sure where they get installed, but I'm sure that there are already threads on here all about that. Do you have a preferred oil? I've seen that the official Robo3D 'Getting Started' video mentions just using cooking oil, but I would think mineral oil or something would be better in the long run.

I know that there are a handful of printers that lock you in to buying their own branded filament with chipped spools and things like that. I take it that I should be able to use any highly rated PLA filament from Amazon/Wherever just fine on the Robo?

 

I'm using cooking oil (Canola) because of the high flash point temp it has. Not sure about mineral oil or how it deals with heat. For the printer think frying pan seasoning.

I like the idea you have about trying different colors on the cheap by buying the small samples for doodle pens. Good idea. I went with two colors at first and quickly started buying others. I've been printing for about 8 months now and am up to 11 spools of different colors waiting to be printed. The wife has gotten the printing bug and is all about the colors.

I'm currently printing glow in the dark. I've yet to be disappointed in color I've tried.

 

http://community.robo3d.com/index.p...hotend-jam-clogs-seasoning-and-an-oiler.3564/

 

On that note, also keep in mind: A little oil goes a very long way. Like, a couple drops on the sponge/rag you put in the oiler you decide to print = good for a very large print.

This only really works for PLA though. Other filaments don't really benefit from oiling.

 

I dip tip of a finger in the cooking oil then smear it on the two pieces of foam in my oiler and call it good for the whole spool.

As to not being a benefit to other filaments, each time I open the oiler I find lint, and pet hair and dust particles it caught before it could get to the hotend. I'd call that some sort of filtering benefit at least but again, I'm easily pleased.