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Solved Acetone & PLA

Discussion in 'General Questions' started by CDitty, Jan 4, 2017.

  1. CDitty

    CDitty Member

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    Isn't acetone supposed to melt PLA? I saw a video where the guy took his excess PLA from prints and made a sludge from it for better bed adhesion. Basically, he put the pieces in a bowl and added acetone to it. The acetone melted the PLA.

    I decided to get this a try last night. I took a few scraps and even a piece that I made and mixed in some acetone. Couldn't hurt since it was basically throw-away. When I got up this am, nothing had changed. All the pieces were still whole and it didn't look like anything had happened.

    I'm confused on this. Shouldn't the PLA have melted?

    Thoughts?
     
    #1 CDitty, Jan 4, 2017
  2. mark tomlinson

    mark tomlinson ༼ つ ◕_ ◕ ༽つ
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    #2 mark tomlinson, Jan 4, 2017
  3. CDitty

    CDitty Member

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    Well that changes things a bit then. Thanks for clearing that up. I could have sworn that everywhere I saw/watched, they said PLA. Teach me to listen to my memory. :)

    Thanks
     
    #3 CDitty, Jan 4, 2017
  4. mark tomlinson

    mark tomlinson ༼ つ ◕_ ◕ ༽つ
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    I have used MEK (and I repeat -- it is nasty stuff) I do not suggest going down that road. The XTC3D is easy, safe and looks great if you need that smooth finish. Airbruching helps a lot when you primer first.
     
    #4 mark tomlinson, Jan 4, 2017
  5. CDitty

    CDitty Member

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    Yeah. I don't plan on it. I had added everything that you mentioned above to my amazon cart for my next purchase.
     
    #5 CDitty, Jan 4, 2017
  6. Rigmarol

    Rigmarol Well-Known Member

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    I've tried XTC3D once so far.
    Being the holiday season I have not had enough time to really work with it but I see some great potential.
    My first use was a bit over ambitious and I put it on way too thick.

    @mark tomlinson , you say it can be used in an airbrush? If so, maybe we can talk in another thread about it's use?
     
    #6 Rigmarol, Jan 4, 2017
  7. mark tomlinson

    mark tomlinson ༼ つ ◕_ ◕ ༽つ
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    Sorry, perhaps I was not clear :)

    I have not tried to airbrush the XTC3D (although if you mix it thin enough I can't see why it would not work)

    I meant that if you coat the print with a good primer and then airbrush the paint on top of that it will end up with a nice finish. Not as smooth as with XTC-3D, but decent.
     
    #7 mark tomlinson, Jan 4, 2017
  8. Rigmarol

    Rigmarol Well-Known Member

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    Ah, got it, thanks.
     
    #8 Rigmarol, Jan 4, 2017
  9. CDitty

    CDitty Member

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    That's my problem Rigmarol. Xmas and not enough time/money. :D .

    I am going to try the primer/paint technique first and then the XTC route.
     
    #9 CDitty, Jan 4, 2017
  10. Rigmarol

    Rigmarol Well-Known Member

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    From experience; if using spray can primer it goes on thick and uneven on detailed parts if you are not going slow.
    I totally filled in my details on the piece I was priming. So badly, I'm just going to chuck it and print a new part.

    My daughter too her time priming and painting another part and just sprayed primer in a small container (made with aluminum foil) and dipped her brush into it. took a long time due to detail. That's why I perked up on the airbrush mention above. Much finer mist.
     
    #10 Rigmarol, Jan 4, 2017
  11. WheresWaldo

    WheresWaldo Volunteer ( ͠° ͟ʖ ͡°)
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    Airbrush is the way to go if you can thin the paint or primer. Allows very fine control of the amount of material you are applying.
     
    #11 WheresWaldo, Jan 4, 2017
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  12. CDitty

    CDitty Member

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    Learning to airbrush is on my list of things to learn. Maybe this year. :D
     
    #12 CDitty, Jan 4, 2017
  13. Rigmarol

    Rigmarol Well-Known Member

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    I bought mine from Harbor Freight. Have yet to unbox it LOL. So much to learn so little time left to learn it!
     
    #13 Rigmarol, Jan 4, 2017
  14. mark tomlinson

    mark tomlinson ༼ つ ◕_ ◕ ༽つ
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    You can use an airbrush primer or a thicker one -- whatever fits your needs
     
    #14 mark tomlinson, Jan 4, 2017
  15. mark tomlinson

    mark tomlinson ༼ つ ◕_ ◕ ༽つ
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    We actually have a couple of really good airbrush sets and ... one from Harbor Freight :)
    The HF one is not terrible. They have a really nice (AND cheap) small compressor that works well too
     
    #15 mark tomlinson, Jan 4, 2017
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