Let's Talk All Things 3d for prop creation, Scan, Design, Sculpt (real and digital), Print and Finish

[greenmachines]

Molding prints- I have found many articles about hot knife sculpting (soldering iron) but little on low heat remolding and forming. If you have anything on this topic, please share.

I had printed some flintlocks for pistols but they heat warped (lifted) during the printing.

I used a curling iron and shielded it with some tissue paper. I would like to try a silicone or teflon sheet in the future, like the ones used in heatpress operations for shirts getting imaged.

I heated just the one horizontal bar across the back of the piece and gently applied pressure until it began to move. I removed the heat and held the new curve until it cooled again.

The area that was heated was visually warped in the shape of the iron and could not be recommended for future use. The front of my print looks great and is now the correct shape for mounting.

I would guess that a heat gun at very low temperature would be much safer and less damaging.

Any input on this would be appreciated.

 

[Mottrex]

Molding prints- I have found many articles about hot knife sculpting (soldering iron) but little on low heat remolding and forming. If you have anything on this topic, please share.

I had printed some flintlocks for pistols but they heat warped (lifted) during the printing.

I used a curling iron and shielded it with some tissue paper. I would like to try a silicone or teflon sheet in the future, like the ones used in heatpress operations for shirts getting imaged.

I heated just the one horizontal bar across the back of the piece and gently applied pressure until it began to move. I removed the heat and held the new curve until it cooled again.

The area that was heated was visually warped in the shape of the iron and could not be recommended for future use. The front of my print looks great and is now the correct shape for mounting.

I would guess that a heat gun at very low temperature would be much safer and less damaging.

Any input on this would be appreciated.

Might not be what your asking for but I've had great success with XWing data pads which are printed flat but need to be curved to fit your wrist by dunking them in boiling water and shaping, it becomes nice and flexible whilst avoiding high heat or damaging the printed surface.

 

[greenmachines]

Might not be what your asking for but I've had great success with XWing data pads which are printed flat but need to be curved to fit your wrist by dunking them in boiling water and shaping, it becomes nice and flexible whilst avoiding high heat or damaging the printed surface.

Actually that is exactly what I was asking about. I remember some talk about dealing with surface warping but not the intentional remolding and it got me thinking about what methods are available. I will definitely try just dipping the part or section that needs adjusted.

If I have any luck with the heatgun idea, I will post the outcome but for now this dipping method sounds like what should have been done instead of my curling iron. Each would have its place I guess if you only wanted to mold one very pinpointed area.

I am very tempted to make a hotknife tip that is coated in teflon and set the knife to low heat to try to use it to sculpt without scarring the surface of the print.

 

[TazMan2000]

I've used a hair dryer to heat up PLA prints to bend them straight. It works best with panels. Heat up both sides until the plastic is soft, but not too soft. Bend it past being straight because when it cools the panel will want to return back to its original shape. A cloth soaked with cold water helps. I've done the same trick with resin castings.

TazMan2000

 

[Mottrex]

I've used a hair dryer to heat up PLA prints to bend them straight. It works best with panels. Heat up both sides until the plastic is soft, but not too soft. Bend it past being straight because when it cools the panel will want to return back to its original shape. A cloth soaked with cold water helps. I've done the same trick with resin castings.

TazMan2000

I sculpted Abe from Abes Odyssey in Dental grade Resin a lifetime ago..

Believe it or not they are the same figure boiled in a kettle then manipulated.

 

[smithjohnj]

It will not work with thick objects, but I have had success with using the setting on my printer to just heat the bed. Then lying the object on the bed to warm up the section I want to manipulate. Covering the object on the bed with a container helps hold in the heat to address larger areas. I find the bed provide the most precise heating control I normally have available.

 

[TazMan2000]

I sculpted Abe from Abes Odyssey in Dental grade Resin a lifetime ago..

View attachment 1949305

Believe it or not they are the same figure boiled in a kettle then manipulated.

Yes, hot water works too. But you have to be careful with how hot you have the water since when you dunk your piece in, the heat transfer is to the whole object. If you have the correct heat it's fine, but if you make it too hot, you may have ruined your piece. With a hair dryer, it takes longer, but you have more control since you really have to overheat things to melt PLA.

TazMan2000

 

[greenmachines]

I am as jazzed as can be to try this stuff. So, I am ramped up, looking for stuff to bend, in my normal wide eye excitement with new tricks. I just realized that my pistol barrel could use a straightening. This brings us round to a non flat, has internal structure, AND IS PAINTED, attempt. And yes I can repaint and reprint so no loss.

But as an example of something not easily laid out, I think it could be dipped, blow dryer, bed heated (with container cover, maybe even an insulating towel over it) and throwing in another idea: wrapping just the bending section in a strip of cloth and then pouring my heated water on the cloth.

Here is my test piece:

 

[Mottrex]

Yes, hot water works too. But you have to be careful with how hot you have the water since when you dunk your piece in, the heat transfer is to the whole object. If you have the correct heat it's fine, but if you make it too hot, you may have ruined your piece. With a hair dryer, it takes longer, but you have more control since you really have to overheat things to melt PLA.

TazMan2000

Yeah its ok for Resin with care taken but id not be so bold with a 3D print.
I tested it on a large tree support last week and it sort of imploded.
I like your hairdryer approach it makes a lot of sense and less brutal than say a hot air gun.


In other news I saw a youtube ch trying to extrude filament with a gluegun!
It was an interesting watch.

 

[greenmachines]

Yeah its ok for Resin with care taken but id not be so bold with a 3D print.
I tested it on a large tree support last week and it sort of imploded.
I like your hairdryer approach it makes a lot of sense and less brutal than say a hot air gun.


In other news I saw a youtube ch trying to extrude filament with a gluegun!
It was an interesting watch.

My friend was talking about using the 3d pens to do stitch work. Drilling a hole where a screw would join the pieces but instead filling the hole with the pen to create the binding stitch.

Similar with fixing scars when after print touchup is being done.

I will hopefully get to test today on bending a thicker part but also flattening a welt that I had not noticed was in my original file.

 

[greenmachines]

Testing is complete for dipping in warm but not boiling water.

I first tried applying hot tap water and after 5 minutes was seeing no malleability.

I then moved to heating water to medium heat (totally random halfway setting on my stovetop). I immersed the first pistol up to the point it needed to bend, before heating the water, in order to test at different temperatures AND to evenly distribute the heat over time (this is 1.5 inches thick).

I was using a glass container and could easily lift the container by hand without sensing any heat danger to my fingers. This was NOT very hot at first and was allowing bending. It was too hot later so I would suggest low heat, instead. Similar to steaming I believe, so now I want to test steaming the parts. (pistols with upcurving bend prior to heating, image below)



I was able to shape the ENTIRE section which means you could easily destroy the entire piece if you were expecting a single hinge bending. However, I was slowly getting to this stage, so, was not surprised.

I would pull the pistol out of the water and gently bend where I wished. Running cool water over the part while holding it in the correct shape finalized the remolding. After the barrels were straightened, I set my testing toward the bulges in the 3d print, also in the barrel sections.



For this I dipped only this section. It was easy to push into the welts and have them flatten but had to be very careful not to reshape the barrel tip opening and the ram rod (beneath). These were far more resistant because they were larger changes over a smaller area. I quickly found they would rebulge if left to cool. I could only complete these by holding the shape I wanted and run cold water over it for several seconds before removing my pressure on those areas, continuing to water-cool it after, as well.

Final product, with no cutting, sanding, nor welding and no damage to the paint:

And finally...... drumrollllllllllll.......

DO NOT HEAT WATER IN A FLOWER VASE

 

[Mottrex]

Testing is complete for dipping in warm but not boiling water.

I first tried applying hot tap water and after 5 minutes was seeing no malleability.

I then moved to heating water to medium heat (totally random halfway setting on my stovetop). I immersed the first pistol up to the point it needed to bend, before heating the water, in order to test at different temperatures AND to evenly distribute the heat over time (this is 1.5 inches thick).

I was using a glass container and could easily lift the container by hand without sensing any heat danger to my fingers. This was NOT very hot at first and was allowing bending. It was too hot later so I would suggest low heat, instead. Similar to steaming I believe, so now I want to test steaming the parts. (pistols with upcurving bend prior to heating, image below)

View attachment 1949592

I was able to shape the ENTIRE section which means you could easily destroy the entire piece if you were expecting a single hinge bending. However, I was slowly getting to this stage, so, was not surprised.

I would pulled the pistol out of the water and gently bend where I wished. Running cool water over the part while holding it in the correct shape finalized the remolding. After the barrels were straightened, I set my testing toward the bulges in the 3d print, also in the barrel sections.

View attachment 1949599View attachment 1949600View attachment 1949601View attachment 1949602View attachment 1949603

For this I dipped only this section. It was easy to push into the welts and have them flatten but had to be very careful not to reshape the barrel tip opening and the ram rod (beneath). These were far more resistant because they were larger changes over a smaller area. I quickly found they would rebulge if left to cool. I could only complete these by holding the shape I wanted and run could water over it for several seconds before removing my pressure on those areas, continuing to water cool it after, as well.

Final product, with no cutting, sanding, nor welding and no damage to the paint:

View attachment 1949593View attachment 1949594

And finally...... drumrollllllllllll.......

DO NOT HEAT WATER IN A FLOWER VASE

View attachment 1949607

Well done!
Glad it worked out on those pistols

 

[joberg]

Good work and thank you for being our lab rat greenmachines

 

[Mottrex]

Sometimes.. Just sometimes I get a hankering for things I lost as a child.

Throw an image in MakerLab and Bosh!
Out comes Mutley!

I need to reprint him as i was slightly off on the scale..