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Painting 3D parts


von Race

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I've just ordered my first 3D printed "kit" from Shapeways and was looking for tips and suggestions on prepping and painting 3D parts.

If this topic is covered somewhere else, please redirect me. I did a search, but didn't come up with what I was after.

The parts will be printed in their "smooth fine detail plastic".  So I was wondering if I can just primer over that or do I have to seal it first in a clear floor polish? 

What grit sand papers do I use so I don't destroy the detail? Will the darker printed plastic "bleed through" if top coated with white? Etc., etc....

Anyone that been through this, would be glad to hear your thoughts/suggestions.

Thanks

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Hi VR, I've started using 3D parts from Shapeways and on the whole I've had no problems. A few things I've learnt though:-

 

Always use acrylic primer as your first coat, I use Tamiya or Mig as a base primer. Once dry your free to use what ever you want.

 

The surface finish from Shapeways is the key, smooth does mean a good surface for modellers, however you do get very small lines in the parts, these can be taken out with sanding sticks or pads though. I wear a mask for this as I do for resin.

 

If you have a slightly course finish then repeat layers of primer then sand back with the above.

 

Ive really started to look at the media as a way of modelling exactly what I want, good luck with your project.

 

Regards Tha Woo

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It all depends on which resin the model is cast in. Some have a coarser finish than others and may need more filling and sanding, one part I had cast in one of the cheaper resins benefitted from using several coats of car primer/filler with sanding between each coat. Some materials may use a waxy material as a support during the 3D print process which will need cleaning off - usually a diluted solution of detergent similar to prep of normal resin cast items. As Wafu pointed out sanding and priming will be required, even for the 'Smoothest Detail' resin which I find is the best for model parts. The Shapeways Materials section will be a help re the different resins and their staff are on the ball with any questions you have and they have a forum help section too.

 

 

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Shapeways have turorials on each material.

 

The problem I found 2-3 years ago was that Shapeways did not cure the resin used for the Frosted Detail(no longer offered) and Frosted Ultra Detail(now called Smooth Fine Detail Plastic) for long enough, so it bled through the paint(I use enamel not acrylic). I recently got some of my designs 1/16th scale parts for a Firefly conversion in smooth fine detail plastic and these were much better cured and cleaned up the wax with a 2-3 hour soak in soapy water. Link to my build -

 

https://www.britmodeller.com/forums/index.php?/topic/235039820-116th-sherman-vc-firefly/

 

 

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Thank you gentleman for your insights and information. You have all made thoughtful points for me to take into consideration.

I had thought about using the less expensive plastic for the print, but had heard it was very porous and required tons of work to get a smooth, printable surface. (so it's true then, eh Mark) Really didn't want to go down that road of, prime, sand, prime, sand, prime, sand......until I was sick of looking at the thing. As you probably know the "fine detail plastic" is a lot more expensive, but hopefully worth it in the long run. (Have undoubtedly used up my model allowance for the rest of the year! ........well..... maybe not ALL of it😁)  I had planed on using an automotive rattle-can primer, as this is the best option for me right now. And do you dry or wet sand?

I have looked at some of the videos, and thumbed through some of the other tutorials but to me this forum is more topic specific. And, I enjoy reading all the thoughts and sage advice.  

Maybe I'm wrong, maybe painting a 3D printed thing-a-ma-bob is the same as painting my 3D printed model, but I'd rather hear it from you guys. Plus, I get to ask questions!

The print is still 2 to 3 weeks out, and perhaps another 2 weeks before I can actually start working on it. So maybe, a good subject for "work in progress" when I start?

Were you able to able to fix the bleed through problem Niall?

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I find filing or sanding the cheapest material can "fur-up" the plastic so add filler and sand very gently.

 

This is my 1/700th scale Highlander LAC(from David Weber's Honerverse books) in the cheapest material, it has just been brushed to remove unfused dust and painted -

35828952331_d300689c2b_z.jpg

 

This is my 1/72nd scale Crusader AA mk2, the body of the turret is in the cheapest material, the turret front, mudguards and gun barrels are in the no longer offered Frosted Detail resin. The model is just painted with no filling -

35806717901_63b1b72630_z.jpg

 

On the bleed through problem, the resin is cured with UV light, so placing the prints in direct sunlight or under a UV lamp for several hours solves the problem. However the last print I got do not feel greasy after being washed in soapy water so seem to have been better cured or a different resin, so I don't think it is going to be a problem.

 

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