The All Important First Layer

I thought I would post this pic and to give people some encouragement about their first layer...This is definitely one of those experiential things. You learn over time or you read something about it.

(Someone very wise mentioned "The All Important First Layer!")

You're printing a thin first layer in ABS. Check.
You've got your first layer printing slow. Check.
Depending on your settings, you might be seeing some ooze. Do you cancel the job? Change the Extrusion Multiplier?

(The Extrusion Multiplier is the real time printer setting that drives how much filament is being sent through your head)

The answer is "It depends!"

If there are too many nubs, you might want to cancel. Those nubs get heated up, stick to the head or just accumulate on one side of your print. Change the extrusion multiplier? Maybe not.

Take a look at the photo. This print had pretty consistent adhesion to the bed but there were nubs. I was hoping that the second layer would even them out. For the most part, it did. Eventually, I did have to reduce the extrusion multiplier but I found that the tiny nubs were smoothed out on the next layer.

Do you bump the extrusion multiplier back up when your print head speed increases? Absolutely - or you'll starve your print of filament (you'll get strings or a weak object).

Keep an eye on your print and try increasing it gradually.

The second image shows the third layer. The little nubs were gone because I reduced the extrusion multiplier to about 93% during the first layer and with a little nub removal using my tweezers during the print. Ultimately, I was about to get consistent layers from the 3rd to the 30th.