3D Print Inlay Lettering

[@sergeb7945]

I had several bad experiences, specially with clear color prints : the nail polish tends to smear through the layers lines and smudge around. Best workaround is to spray clear acrylic varnish first, to seal the layer lines, then pour the nail polish, and finish with another varnish layer

[@fuzzy4logic]

That's a great tip. I think I got lucky because I almost exclusively print in black

[@macrous2120]

You can use a thicker hard gel polish too, I’ve had good results with some UV stuff.

[@roxasparks]

Well well well.. i just love my printers all the more

[@JJ-fv6qv]

@@macrous2120do you thin the UV gel nail polish out with acetone, too? If so, does it affect the paints ability to cure using UV light?

[@aeonjoey3d]

This is genius, I'd add Ironing to the surface to get a smoother look, but man you can get nailpolish in any color and there's a ton of automotive like finishes too! very cool, great idea and thorough execution advice!

[@tinmole9032]

My brother used nail polish on models back in the day never considered on my 3D prints and your exaquation is awesome

[@PandorasFolly]

Looks around conspiratorialy. The depths of the nail painting world have MUCH that can be applied to modeling. Muuuuuuuch.

[@Purkkaviritys]

have used nail polish on prints before but didn't consider thinning it before with acetone and applying with syringe, nice!

[@tomasdahuabe]

This technique is really good for making 3d printed enamel pins

[@headhunter_4209]

I use resin from a resin 3-D printer in whatever colour you want, and I just use a syringe like you are using and then use a UV light to cure

[@fuzzy4logic]

Great idea! 👍

[@terraexcognita6637]

A trick for the wicking: when masking acrylic paint, paint will often wick under your tape. The easiest solution is to use a thin layer of the appropriately finished clear coat, so that transparent material wicks instead. This will seal the pores.

[@adriblanco8041]

I tried this and the results are quite amazing! I needed a couple of tries to not put paint outside the rails, but after that, pretty good. Thank you for sharing it :)

[@thomasrufer6206]

I had very good success with acetone-free nailpolish-remover to remove the paint from unwanted spots. They didnt even mess with the PLA and i was able to omit the clear coat

[@ayylasco]

I use clear UV curable resin for the clear coat. Useful to protect the paint while maintaining the matte finish of matte filament.

[@Rollmops94]

I use it for everything. You can color it in any color you like and it does not harden until you are satisfied with your application.

[@daliasprints9798]

I just brush over the whole text with the brush that comes with the nail polish, let it dry, then clean the surface with an acetone soaked paper towel. Only the polish that went in the lettering remains; anything on the surface gets removed.

[@ArnaudMEURET]

I wish I could see your results because that’s the naive approach I started with and I could never get the top surfaces back once the color had seeped in. Even with extensive sanding. That was with white PLA and red polish. Now I apply a clear coat first and use the pour in technique. It’s far from perfect as can be seen in this video because the polish shrinks down quite a lot on curing.

[@daliasprints9798]

@@ArnaudMEURET White is probably the hardest color to make it work on because *any* tiny amount of residue will show. I've mostly done dice and small surfaces where any residue is uniform and unobtrusive. It's hard to get PLA fully cleaned off, probably because the acetone softens it, but when I've done this on PET (non-G) it seems to come fully clean and comes out beautiful.

[@dudeinskibro1]

@@daliasprints9798 Someone here in the comments mentioned acetone-free nail polish remover. Think that's an option for your method?

[@fuzzy4logic]

Certainly! You can, most likely, thin it down with nail polish as well.

[@jh9911]

Nice and quick straight to the point, no chit chat. Thank you 🙏

[@edhaugh]

This is a great help! I'm recreating a old TV dial and this is exactly what's needed!

[@BiFi5590]

I have been using a small brush and acrylic airbrush paints for this (i use those for painting miniatures). Will give nail polish a try also, i somehow did not think of that.

[@3DEMS.]

i never thought of this, but I used to paint eyes and white marks with the nail brush from the bottle! genius

[@harrygoonix]

Nice job man. There are so many tutorials on youtube that are hard to watch, poorly edited and blurry. This looks like a million bucks.

[@fuzzy4logic]

Thank you so much! That's very kind of you

[@martinbirrell57]

You could do this with a Cerakote Color Fill Pen - was checking out other vids and found it.

[@hillfortherstudios2757]

Cool technique! thanks!

[@GeekZard]

that's a cool idea, I think could get a good result if use iron the surface of your pices that helps to hide the lines of print and improve the surface

[@AveryDelMiller]

This is a great video!! Definitely going to give this a try.

[@fuzzy4logic]

Thanks!

[@WazzzockYT]

How many ml was the nail polish? just so I can adjust the ratio, great vid exactly what I needed

[@farmcat3198]

Thanks. Now I found a new use for my old Testor's enamel paints that I was about to give away.

[@aeonjoey3d]

OOOOOOOHHHH!!!!!! okay me too lol, I've got tons of duck-egg blue for Star Trek models XD

[@kellyjean4981]

I love this! Thanks for the tips

[@nyeinchanzaw6936]

You illuminate me! Thank you sooooooo much..

[@fuzzy4logic]

Haha, Thanks :)

[@janlukes5833]

HaD brought me here. Very good tutorial. Thanks!

[@fuzzy4logic]

Thank you! HaD is the best :)

[@RealSnail3D]

The cat with the turn table. Nice touch

[@fuzzy4logic]

Thanks ;)

[@cateyenebula]

Sweet! I used acrylic paint for a current project, but it never looked good. Never thought of nail polish! You just solved my last puzzle piece 🙌

[@Iroc3132]

So using this same method with acrylic won't work as well?

[@cateyenebula]

@@Iroc3132 for me it didn't, but ymmv

[@dj_flavor_dave]

Same experience here with acrylic. I think the volume of water in acrylic makes it shrink up when it dries. When wet it looks great, once it is dry the volume is all gone and does not look good at all.

[@ivprojects8143]

Great technique! Thanks for sharing.

[@fuzzy4logic]

Thanks ;)

[@Rantandreason]

Came for the content Stayed for the cat ;)

[@torquebiker9959]

looks nice

[@scott98390]

LOL I loved the intro

[@TitoSabbyPH]

Got me subbed. Great work!

[@fuzzy4logic]

Thanks for the sub!

[@TheSakzzz]

This can also be done with UV cured resin with some pigment added to it. Its thicker, so a bit more difficult to apply.

[@johann-space]

great info! been trying for a while but this is for sure a great solution! thanks.

[@andyb7754]

Very interesting and informative video, thank you.

[@ameliabuns4058]

You should try those fancy sparkling etc polishes

[@fuzzy4logic]

Great Idea!

[@magatsu82]

this is a great idea!

[@cvz8849]

Where do you get 1ml syringes? There are a bunch in my local parks lying around but I dont see any in stores

[@dsp4392]

Ask a nurse or vet who trusts you, they throw expired supplies by the shovel. Stuff that's no longer fit for medical use, but is still perfectly good for "industrial" use. It's incredibly wasteful.

[@ColdNightmareHell]

Why i didnt tought about that... Great!

[@damomo13]

Cool idea

[@deathdbking]

Thanks so much for the tip! It simply works.

[@ArnaudMEURET]

This works only because it’s black filament. With white filament, the polish seeps in and smears all around. Apply a clear coat first and don’t thin the polish! Or use thicker UV resin from craft stores, colored with food colorings.

[@wortelus]

High quality guide, thanks man. Just a thought, have you been considering some dedicated cosmetic nail polish thinner instead of acetone? I have heard that the acetone can have negative effects on some nail polishes as it is too aggresive.

[@fuzzy4logic]

Thanks! I haven't tried it yet but I think it could work.

[@ConsultingjoeOnline]

Beautiful and exactly what I was looking for. Thanks!

[@renxula]

Nice result, but that's plenty of manual work to do after printing. You could get a similar result by swapping filament mid-print a couple of times, to create a colored flat layer (or probably 2 or 3 layers) for the letter bottoms and then print 1-2 more black layers with the letters cut out. However, seeing the "Original Prusa" text on your printer's panel, I realised that it would be the perfect use case for the nail polish method, because it's been printed as a cut-out on the underside. The letter bottoms are bridges, and a different-colored filament would still have the "bridge lines" visible.

[@fuzzy4logic]

I've tried the layer swap since and it works like a charm. But you're right, you have to print it face up for the nailpolish to avoid the bridges

[@adisharr]

Great tutorial! Thanks for sharing :)

[@fuzzy4logic]

Thanks :)

[@KarasCyborg]

I've seen guys take a small butane torch and pass quickly over the surface to get rid of those spider webs.

[@debaser3000]

Yeah I use a simple lighter

[@a13111]

great video. Im trying to get the material but can't find bend needle anywhere. Do you have links to your material?

[@fuzzy4logic]

100 Stück 45 Grad Gebogene Nadeln Stumpfe Spitze Dosiernadel, Industrielle Stumpfe Spitze Flache Nadel mit Luer Lock (25G) www.amazon.de/dp/B08YYPH86N/ref=cm_sw_r_apan_i_CSKC7M2NG489ZXYA001Y?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1 It's german but I hope this helps

[@ibewatchinu]

Clever. I like & gonna try. Subbed :)

[@MarclenChin]

damn it.....i need to paint some inlay lettering on an ABS part

[@fuzzy4logic]

Maybe you could add a couple of coats of clear acrylic paint first and then try it

[@Fighter_Builder]

UV resin would also work well for this!

[@baronvonrichthofen2021]

Out of curiosity, why nail polish? Why not acrylic paint, or oil based paint?

[@GeeEmJay]

Hi - great video! What font is that?

[@fuzzy4logic]

Thanks! The font is called "Harlow Solid Italic"

[@rickseiden1]

This looks great. Where did you get the syringes?

[@fuzzy4logic]

Thanks! I bought them on Amazon. Look for non medical syringes, they are cheaper.

[@14768]

I have tried this before but my print kept sucking up the acrylic to the inside of the part and then it would come out random places

[@spicymemeboi2646]

Is there any other way to thin down nail polish besides acetone? Doing this on ABS would be nice.

[@fuzzy4logic]

You can try acetone free nailpolish remover. Maybe there is nailpolish based on a different solvent? Model paint could also work. Basically if you can get through the needle of a syringe it will work. Maybe even water based paint if you seal it with clear lacquer afterwards.

[@tristin5723]

I've been painstakingly brushing on nail polish for years.... WHY DID I NOT THINK OF THIS! Thank you! Have you tried inverted so the top will be smooth from the bed?

[@fuzzy4logic]

I thought about it while painting this one 😂 I will try it on the next one

[@drake919]

Very cool tutorial! Thank you for posting. Would you recommend using something other than acetone for using this method on resin 3D prints?

[@fuzzy4logic]

Thanks! I haven't tried resin printing yet. You could try aceton free nail polish remover, or switch to a different kind of paint all together. Acrylic with water for example. If you coat it in lacquer it should be fine to handle without smearing.

[@aquamansurfer]

Hi! Is there a way to smooth print lines ? I think acetone or painting too?

[@fuzzy4logic]

You could turn on ironing in your slicer. It improves the top surface finish. Otherwise you can print it face down

[@jonny8524123]

What music did you use in the background?

[@fuzzy4logic]

Hi Intro: Chomatic3Fantasia - Classical Rousing - Kevin MacLeod Rest: Jazz Apricot - Joey Pecoraro

[@jonny8524123]

@@fuzzy4logic Thank you very much

[@MilkMyth]

Much easier than resin for these small prints

[@XavierBK]

How... how did you extrude text? I always have to explode it first...

[@injectionAI]

is there an update for a more clean professional look now?

[@fuzzy4logic]

Thats about as clean as I could make it. Multicoloured prints will be cleaner I think.

[@injectionAI]

@@fuzzy4logic no, I mean the overall surface. Your paint job looks great

[@fuzzy4logic]

Thats just the top side of every 3d print. You can print it face down for a smoother finish

[@kaasmeester5903]

@@fuzzy4logicI do multicolor prints for my labels; it looks a lot cleaner because of the way it’s printed; face down on the print plate. Looks great especially with a textured plate. I do it manually, a bit of a pain, but the inlay only has to be 2 layers deep (0.3mm).

[@Braincho]

How about using PETG, will it work too?

[@fuzzy4logic]

I think so, since acetone does not dissolve PETG

[@nelomedia805]

How does it hold up on PETG in various temperatures that PETG can withstand (automotive environments particularly direct sunlight)

[@fuzzy4logic]

I don't know, I don't print in PETG. But I imagine the chemicals in an automotive environment could dissolve the nail polish. UV performance might not be so bad.

[@Wasser-fz9ub]

Could you please describe how to bend the letters in any way

[@fuzzy4logic]

In Fusion360 you can make text follow a path. Just draw a bezier curve in a sketch and stick the text to it.

[@yurycz8933]

👍

[@javicc7388]

Me acaba de explotar un frasco de pintauñas en la mano. Lo he cogido, le he puesto acetona, lo he cerrado y en cuanto he empezado a agitar, ha explotado

[@tigeryorkie07]

You go just WAY to fast with designing it😳

[@userou-ig1ze]

can you use something else than acetone? hard to obtain

[@fuzzy4logic]

I've bought mine from amazon but standard nail polish remover might also work

[@Kaliumcyanidful]

Instead of Acetone you can use ethyl acetate, less cancer-causing…

[@TheCubeFactor]

How about bambulab

[@fuzzy4logic]

That's what I've been thinking the whole time. This video was released in march 2022, Bambulab started showing up in the end of 2022 and it was all over for nailpolish and syringes XD

[@Duder_abides]

I guess Gel nailpolish is too thick? Might be nice to cure with UV.

[@richdobbs6595]

This seems to be crying for a way of automating this, using some sort of tool capable of precisely positioning a tool in 3 dimensions.

[@BradKwfc]

Bambu printers and other printers capable of multiple colors can do it.

[@danielv943]

wow, it's not quite, but almost like the writer was aware of this, (not that I think it's a necessary thing to say, since the trouble of stopping a print and changing colors mid print is a hassle, and not everyone has a bamboo printer therefore this is a nice and viable solution) @@BradKwfc

[@Latrocinium086]

Have you considered model paint? It’s enamel.

[@fuzzy4logic]

Not yet, thanks!

[@miguelorrrr]

mmm ok

[@sierraecho884]

Way too much nail polish. With a model like that you can simply use a 0,1-0,2mm gap, smir the stuff on and then use sand paper so smooth the whole surface.

[@fuzzy4logic]

If you want a font this big, you need a lot of Nail polish ;) Also, because it's thinned down you need more to get the same amount of pigments. I've tried the sandpaper approach and didn't get a good surface finish.