Using liquitex to finish 3D prints | Can modeling paste smooth 3D prints? Liquitex review & tutorial

Thanks for stopping by and checking out yet another method of smoothing & prepping 3D prints.
I'm not gonna lie I was a bit apprehensive to try liquitex, but after getting use to its a pretty solid product!
Definitely one for people who are concerned with toxic fumes/chemicals. This one is low voc & much safer accross the board, still giving some awesome results!
Below is a quick video index & purchase links for those interested
Here is the US & UK link, around $20 for 8oz or $30 for 16oz
amzn.to/3V4F3Fs
amzn.to/40CT9Pk
UK link
amzn.eu/d/aUPZspu
Video index-
Intro & breakdown for video- 00:30
Ways liquitex can be applied with pros/cons- 01:00
Diluting liquitex with ipa- 01:55
Dry time & sanding the 3 applications after applied- 02:30
Post sand inspection & thoughts- 03:30
Applying liquitex with IPA & tips- 04:37
Inspecting after primer applied, taking a closer look- 07:00
Inspecting the fully sanded piece after primer & tips- 08:52
My preferred method, dilution & addtl tips to get smooth finish with liquitex- 09:20
Final thoughts on liquitex & why its a great alternative- 11:00
Thanks for watching, subscribe & check out divide the fall!!!- 12:30
Big thanks to the guys at divide the fall, make sure to check out there tour dates, music & more!
Insta-@dividethefall
‪@DIVIDETHEFALL‬
Tour dates & more on www.coldarmy.com
Don’t forget to give me a thumbs up & subscribe if you liked the video & drop me a comment & let me know what you think!
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Until next time.....DW out!

[@cameronl1859]

I can't believe there are KZbin videos testing out a whole bunch of different 3D modeling finishing solutions. I thought I was going to have to test all these things myself. This is going to save me hundreds of dollars and hours, thank you!

[@Darkwingdad]

More to come too lol

[@gordontarpley]

Really great alternative. I can do this in the house without the wife hating me lol! Thanks for sharing!

[@Darkwingdad]

Lol I can relate!

[@Comvousdites]

I wanted to try it for a few weeks now, I'm so happy it seems a good solution.

[@anibalancio]

This is exactly what I need, in Portugal doesnt exist Bondo but Liquitex, and my apartment it's too small and Bondo smells really bad and too toxic, thank you Dark!

[@Darkwingdad]

Anytime!

[@MowlousSmileyRambo]

Clear cut, clean video , comforting environment, detail description, straight to the point comparison ......... why is youtube not promoting channel like this more? Subscribed.

[@Darkwingdad]

I appreciate the feedback. All I can do is keep going & hope the channel grows more.

[@arowe231]

Awesome video. Getting a lot of knowledge of different ways to finish a print.

[@sasquatchman0012]

I love these product demos, they remind me of project farms videos a bit. Thanks for the informative content!

[@Darkwingdad]

Thanks for watching!

[@JustGeorgiaxD]

Your videos are so helpful and interesting!! Thankyou for sharing!!

[@rockguy9022]

Happy to see for review. This is my favorite. The ipa mix is definitely gonna be my next try didn't think to try that.

[@Darkwingdad]

Once you get the right dilution it’s honestly pretty awesome. I’m Glad I tried this.

[@cruzekid1031]

Good review, will be trying this

[@radishdalek]

This product seems ideal for me

[@EmptyTelevision]

Great info, sanding is the bane of my existence but i have a cosplay shop so tips like this make life easier!

[@Darkwingdad]

Always trying to give everyone an edge against sanding lol

[@603VIL]

Just saw Divide the Fall last month in Cambridge, MA. They played on a bill with Awake for Days (I liked them too), Sygnal to Noise, and headliner, Cold. Tiny venue. Great show. Aside from that, thanks for this video. Love the smoothing videos. Always in search of the best methods possible. Let's go Bz! 🤘💀

[@Zartimus]

Great info thanks.

[@Zerozsaber]

1 to 1 ratio. You want a milk like consistency. It worked pretty well for me. Will make a follow up when I get home to clarify more

[@jeffstark4488]

Hy ..my guiding Angel is Back to rock 🤩.... happy to see you sir and the hairstyle is just🔥🔥

[@Darkwingdad]

Gotta get it trimmed it’s getting lonnnng lol

[@gabrieltherizzo]

I live on an island in the Mediterranean, a lot if products available in the US won't ship to me. I'll definitely try this out

[@alexmachado3176]

This is awesome, living in Indiana where the weather does not let me work out doors 6 months of the year this is a great alternative. After watching this I got curious and saw that you can add color to the paste as well which would also be helpful.

[@Darkwingdad]

Yep, you can even use airbrush medium to reduce this, which won’t affect color if you add it too.

[@natty15d]

Great video, thank you for putting in the hard work. I see that the paste comes in a flexible version, was it the regular modelling paste you carried out the trial with?

[@damienmoreau3859]

First, thanks for this video, you're awesome Here's my review: The product is a great alternative for sure but in fairness I personally don't recommend it for detailed pieces. On flat surfaces it's very smooth once sanded and can be an okay filler. I don't really like it as it's harder to sand down and takes ages to dry, specially if you're filling big crevices... Thanks again for the video :D

[@krzysztofmathews738]

Nice! I've used this medium straight from the jar before, but I've never considered diluting with isopropyl.

[@Darkwingdad]

Much easier to sand & dries quicker, definitely worth it to try!

[@filbert910]

Super excited to try this out. I don't mind binding but it's strong odor and doesn't always work as well as I'd like

[@Darkwingdad]

Which bondo product are you using?

[@ethansdad3d]

Do you know the IPA ratio of that last attempt that was self leveling?

[@alexmachado3176]

Also would like to try, Liquitex Pouring Medium :)

[@jkbughunt]

thanks , great info pal , just ordered some to try it out

[@Darkwingdad]

Let me know how you make out with it!

[@WARPAINTandUnicorns]

Very heplful for us living in cold climate 6+ months of the year. I'm not afraid of acetone but have something I don't have ventilate as much is nice.

[@Darkwingdad]

Acetone is soooo widely used many people don’t even realize it’s in many hand cleaners along with alcohol. It’s a nice,safe & simple option!

[@malcolmpaterson5881]

Thanks for this, can't believe how fast you had it up. do you think its possible to dilute enough to airbrush it on?

[@Darkwingdad]

Probably a future video, I think it’s possible with ipa, water I think is doable but might get runny

[@kevinm3751]

I wonder if their slow dry gel might be the better option? Because it is slower to dry that will give it time to level out and sink into the cavities. Might be worth checking out and see if it is any better than the paste?

[@Darkwingdad]

I may check that out. I seen that had a couple different pastes

[@Charles-jy6nx]

Have you tried using guitar scraper cards for smoothing? You can find bigger card scrapers for wood working, but the guitar ones are smaller.

[@Darkwingdad]

No, not enough control, too much effort honestly.

[@bjaurelio]

Do you think this would work thinned down enough to spray through an airbrush?

[@Darkwingdad]

With water I think you’d be ok or with the right dilution & ipa. But be careful with spray time, once this starts to dry it’ll definitely clog the airbrush.

[@KurtisJoseph]

Okay bro... FDM printer question. Why does it lay down great for 3 inches, then just stop extruding right. I start it again... same thing. So it is not a damn clog in the tungsten nozzle. Like wtf? I have cosplay to do, and both my Kobra Max's are doing this.

[@Darkwingdad]

Have you checked your esteps & flow?

[@csabalazar8937]

Hi, do you know any EU or UK source for the rust-oleum flat black primer? I did not find any supplier in EU , this is crazy...

[@Darkwingdad]

That’s odd there’s no options. I didn’t put a link for the primer because you can literally use any primer that’s available. I can look stuff up if you can’t find any just let me know.

[@jamiebmorton]

Great video. In the Amazon links you shared the US links are for Modelling Paste, whereas the U.K. link is for Flexible Modelling Paste. Which one should it be? 😊

[@Darkwingdad]

You can use either the flexible has gels in it & has a longer play time & dry a bit slower but due to the additives tend to improve adhesion and durability.

[@jamiebmorton]

Oh that’s interesting to know. I’m going to give this a try. Thanks for the informative content and trying out a product which is more readily available outside the U.S.

[@Loneman_OG]

If you're diluting it, will it not go through an airbrush with a large Ø needle? It would go on smoother & involve less sanding. 🤷

[@Darkwingdad]

Yes I have to test it yet.

[@Loneman_OG]

@@Darkwingdad Cool! I'll look forward to the results. 👍

[@grumpyalison4869]

Stop making me buy random products dang it XD Legit though - these videos are super helpful and feel way more real than half the other ones i see.

[@Darkwingdad]

Lol I’m only here to help I promise!!

[@samualwilliamson1187]

Could you use one of those liquid drying agents to speed the drying?

[@Darkwingdad]

These don’t require a hardener nor would I recommend doing so. Heat & uv will accelerate drying, I would stick with that.

[@benibarra23]

Bondo putty acetone mix vs this, which do you prefer overall?

[@Darkwingdad]

Bondo or dolphin 1k w/ acetone for sure

[@KurtisJoseph]

Have you ever printed hero statues or anything like that in FDM? I would like to see that stuff post processed effectively in FDM.

[@Darkwingdad]

I haven’t but it’s worth a shot!

[@DeKamme]

Do you read my mind? I was researching EU alternatives to bondo this weekend, come to Mystery Makers, and see you post this video. Someone should give you a day job doing this stuff 😁

[@Darkwingdad]

😂 LOL the goal is eventually to be a full time creator. For now it’s tinkering when I can. Glad the video is here for my EU & UK comrades for reference

[@DeKamme]

@@Darkwingdad did you consider starting a patreon for this kind of content? Besides your makes, I think a lot of other makers would be interested in your research. And I guess all this processing material isn't free.

[@Darkwingdad]

@@DeKamme it’s something I’m considering for sure now, several people have asked

[@TheVas76]

Does the "tex" part of the name reference latex? I'm allergic.

[@Darkwingdad]

It doesn’t contain any latex or formaldehyde in any of there mediums.

[@brakisshuron]

Great video but really hard to watch during the results portion because it's so cut up. Thanks for showing it just thought I would throw that out there..

[@Lusanagi]

Think it could be thinned to a point it can be airbrushed? This product is way easier to ger here in Mexico than upol (I can get it from ebay, but with the shipping and most likely import taxes it can get a bit expensive) and since you give it your blessing I might go for it

[@Lusanagi]

Haha didn't see it was already asked

[@Darkwingdad]

@@Lusanagi looks like I need to test it & find out huh? Lol

[@Lusanagi]

Ohhhhh I just realized that I can only get flexible paste (there's a the "normal" one from an Amazon reseller, but it's price is hiked) I guess it could work, but I'm not 100% sure

[@Dirtydeviantjbyrd]

I keep having problems with my printer skipping. Can you give me any advice?

[@Darkwingdad]

Skipping as in skipped layers? Explain more in detail.

[@Dirtydeviantjbyrd]

Yes sir. I've changed the hotend and the stepper motor and even slowed the prints down to 30%and turned the heat up to max slowly obviously but nothing is working. I have a magician max and an aquila c2 they both are having issues. I thought it was the cooler temperatures but even on a warm weather day it doesn't change.

[@AndrewAHayes]

Pebo make one that is half the price of Liquitex, I havent used either so cant say how they compare

[@Darkwingdad]

It’s a smaller tube. $8 for 100ml or $20 for 238ml. Although liquitex cost more per ml is cheaper. A better deal if you plan to use it all.

[@JohnyPatrick]

I've very possibly seen most methods for smoothening. This contains some form of resin so I just wanted to ask, have you tried smoothing prints with just resin. Not the one you get for a 3d print. Just basic DIY acrylic resin. I've seen some renders and it makes PLA food safe it seems like so I'm going to give it a shot. Thought I'd tell you :)

[@DeKamme]

Record it and post a youtube! I'm up for creating a post-processing FB group to share these kinds of ideas... or a discord. Could generate more views as well!

[@JohnyPatrick]

@@DeKamme You mean me?

[@DeKamme]

@Johny Patrick yup, I'd love to see how your idea goes. I also ordered some local finishing products, every region carries different brands and types, so that's why I threw that idea for a finishing group

[@TheRedBrethren]

What was the official makeup of alcohol to liquitex at the end?

[@Darkwingdad]

2:1 is ideal liquitex is thick so it needs more to make it more liquidy

[@robertstewart9989]

Can you put it through an airbrush?

[@Darkwingdad]

Something I’ll have to test but I believe you can in the right dilution

[@robertstewart9989]

I'm curious how much the piece can flex before the paste starts cracking and if the flexible paste from Liquitex will work as a substitute on less rigid pieces.

[@Darkwingdad]

@@robertstewart9989 flexing I’m not sure but it’s worth a test

[@shokk1967]

Great video, very informative. Just one thing, the editing on your video, the way it jumps, makes it kinda hard to watch.

[@Darkwingdad]

People have told me before they are too long so I try to cut to the important parts. When I get my Patreon going I’ll have full length videos

[@cowboy124aa3]

My opinion is that you diluted with to much water, you should only add enough water to get a consistancy that you want, a 3 or 4 parts putty to one part water should be a good consistancy. Or only add enough water to a consistancy that you like.

[@Darkwingdad]

I tried a few ratios, still took the longest to dry with mediocre filling results, too little & it’s the same as full concentrate, harder to sand & time wasted.