12 Months Resin 3D Printing: What I've discovered after a year of printing miniatures

In todays video I'll be discussing the ups and downs of resin 3D printing wargaming miniatures. After a year of owning a resin 3D printer, is it still worthwhile?
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[@blank557]

In regards to cleaning: I learned an important tip to blow dry my prints off after the IPA wash before curing them. I use a airbrush, but a blow dryer will do fine too. It removes any IPA and resin so it will not drip on the cure station while curing.

[@GrayScalpMiniatures]

That's a good point! I normally just leave mine on the slap mat for a while and come back later for the curing.

[@SPQRKlio]

Your channel helped give me the confidence to go ahead and get a 3D printer when there were big sales last month (I might have commented that before--but it still stands!). I'm really excited about getting started with it in 2023. I have my safety gear, wash/cure station, and everything, plus as a bonus a little bit of FOMO about not shelling out for the biggest bestest Elegoo printer. NOW I need to get over my Fear Of Actually Using It. At least my pile of shame is now mostly virtual 😄

[@GrayScalpMiniatures]

That's awesome! I'm really glad I could help 😍 Hope you enjoy it when you get started in the new year.

[@harirajsinghpurni99purni2]

टिक❤❤😊😊😊 पी

[@katana2665]

Really like your personality. I just bought a Phrozen Mighty 8k and the wash and cure station. I'm really only interested in printing out my own work (RC motorcycles), but this video was very helpful in my current research. Thanks for sharing.

[@aussiecoastie72]

Resin printing is a lot of fun 🤩 I absolutely hate the smell of IPA - a good respiratory mask is mandatory when dealing with it . I have now switched to a product called “ resinaway “ by monocure … non flammable and no where near as smelly . In my experience , water washable resins I have tried are not as strong and tend to be very brittle in comparison.

[@GrayScalpMiniatures]

That sounds really interesting! Definitely going to have to look into it some more. Yeah the safety stuff always feels so overkill until I do something stupid or get lazy and then bam, and I realise without the gloves and mask etc, things could have been a lot worse.

[@andymeenanvideos]

Great info and clear detailed explanations...well done., I'm thinking of the Mars 3 PRO for my first printer which is £215 at the moment, would you advise any other maybe dearer model as I don't want to have to upgrade in the next 6 months or so. Looking mainly at miniatures...thanks in advance.

[@GrayScalpMiniatures]

Phrozen Sonic Mini 8k S is a good shout, and Elegoo just announced some new Mars 4 machines that could be worth looking at. The Mars 3 Pro is still an incredible machine and the resolution race that everyone is in won't make a huge difference.

[@EQ2Cordanim]

I couldn't handle the IPA smell either - I've started using Mean Green (not sure if you can get it where you are - I'm in Canada)...I've filled my Elegoo wash station with that and it works very well! And it has a citrusy smell :)

[@GrayScalpMiniatures]

I’ve seen this come up so many times before but we don’t seem to have it available here 😅

[@SPQRKlio]

I'd like to try that. I have a small supply of IPA for other artsy-tartsy reasons, but Mean Green sounds like a much better option. Would you mind saying which specific type you usually buy and how much you use up? I think there are a couple of different types or strengths--super, industrial, maybe something else...

[@EQ2Cordanim]

@@SPQRKlio Here in Ontario, I get the Super Strength in 946ml spray bottles for about $7-8 at Canadian Tire - I buy 12 at a time - my Wash Station Plus takes 4-5 to fill 😁 So I just take the spray lid off, dump in until full and for, say, a full build plate off my Saturn of minis, I do a 7-8 minute wash...lift out the basket, brush with my old toothbrush and dunk back in for another 2-3 minute session - then take out, let dry as usual, and move them to the curing station...hope this helps!

[@SPQRKlio]

@@EQ2Cordanim It helps enormously! Thank you so much, and Happy New Year 😃

[@ChrisEpler]

There is ZERO smell if you're wearing a proper respirator which filters for VOCs. 3M respirator with 6001 or 6006 cartridges boom, no smell, nada, zip, gone.

[@davidc3150]

Great video. Can you share who are the Creators of the models you show on the video? Or even make a post sharing the creators you like most please? O saw some awesome looking zombies at minute 8:50 that I would love to get

[@netnoob77]

don't really agree with your first point. I find that a lot of pre-supported models are rubbish, especially when I am printing highly detailed miniatures and I want all the details to print perfectly. In the end, to get perfect prints, you have to do the supports manually yourself and that takes a lot of time as well as know how. If you are not fuss about the prints being perfect, then yeah some pre-supported models are acceptable.

[@GrayScalpMiniatures]

That's a fair point on the really detailed stuff. I've mostly had really good pre-supports on the wargaming side of things, but the super detailed sculpts can sometimes be fiddly.

[@WolfanTerror]

I've never had any issues with the pre supported models I've bought, doing the supports myself sounds like a nightmare...

[@francisreynante5948]

May I ask what model is that octopus guy @ 4:17 is from? Thank you!

[@dangercat8919]

Your channel is amazingly good. I learn a lot, and you're pleasant to listen to. Wise, yet humble, with just the right amount of humor. Thank you! I'm just getting into the hobby, what software do you suggest for a Mars 4 DLP? I Googled it and found 1,000 opinions. Information overload!

[@spacebb]

May i ask what are the knight figurines around 4 minutes in video i would like to print them

[@adammcardle]

Aha, the files of shame. I've stopped buying STLs unless I have a specific, current need for them. I'd rather pay full price for one set then I need them, than £10-15 each month on patreons because they look cool at the time

[@GrayScalpMiniatures]

I’ve definitely become more like that. I keep an eye on things I like the look of and will subscribe for a month and then cancel the next, even if I’m tempted by their next months release.

[@Addictedtoludus]

Hi! A question. The minis at 3:56 what are they? Could you tell me the name? Thank you!

[@GrayScalpMiniatures]

They're by a company called Dragons Forge Miniatures.

[@Addictedtoludus]

@@GrayScalpMiniatures thanks mate!

[@Addictedtoludus]

@@GrayScalpMiniatures Hello! First of all happy new year! listen I found the manufacturer on My mini Facory but I can't find these models. What is the name of the series with these knights?

[@Lakius]

My 3d printing pile of shame used to be an entire 3x4 table of unglued things, until I had a friend over to help and chat with about hobbies. (he'll be joining in with a Mars 3 in a few months for sure) I don't even paint anymore, so technically the other pile is significantly larger! Let's not talk about the unprinted digital pile of shame. So many welcome boxes, and army releases, and monthly epics that I'd need a few hundred dollars of resin and a month or two doing nothing else to clear! One epic war demon would take 870 mL! That creator has ~6 at that size! I recently picked up a wash and cure, but I have yet to buy enough IPA to fill it... I have an ultrasonic cleaner for water washable, and the level of hassle with manual IPA washing definitely would have driven me out of this hobby. I can get a mini without a lot of resin trap detail clean with ultrasonic in 30 seconds. I'm using the Cure part of the Wash and Cure, and that is also leagues ahead of a UV handheld torch.

[@GrayScalpMiniatures]

Ah the unprinted pile of shame 😂 There are so many incredible files I’ve ended up getting hold of with the real intention of printing, and then something else happens and I get more files. I’ve seen a lot of good things about ultrasonic cleaners. I’ve used one from time to time for my minis where I put them in a container filled with ipa and then put the container in the cleaner that’s filled with water, and that does a good job in a final clean up run.

[@danm620]

How you paint them like that? They are insane

[@GrayScalpMiniatures]

Thanks! It's taken a little while to pick up a few hacks, but speedpaints/contrast paints, and then figuring out some basic highlights has really helped me.

[@danm620]

@@GrayScalpMiniatures you should do painting tutorials

[@novice7T7]

the worse part is when the print is 2 hours in and the plate inst leveled

[@Bodezefah]

Am interested in being able to 3D miniatures. Wondering, when you get a file can you change the size of 3D print

[@GrayScalpMiniatures]

Yep you sure can. I've got a few videos where I took normal 32mm sized minis and turned them into 15mm ones. It's a simple process and you can make them smaller or larger.