How I vapor polish 3D prints without distortion or loss of dimensional stability.

Vapor polishing is a great way to finish ABS, ASA, and certain other 3D printable plastics, but it's not very precise, and can damage parts before the surface finish is complete.
The castable filament I mentioned is PolyCast. If you buy through the following links, we can earn commission at no extra cost to you. Support your local art store first, if possible, though.
amzn.to/3uXHz4m - PolyCast
amzn.to/3aNmkLH - Dauber bottles
amzn.to/3o9VW1R - Pen-style bottles (good for detail)
amzn.to/3zh5oGI - PolyMaker ASA filament - my preferred printing filament.

[@moonchild6952]

Beautiful flute playing at the end.. 😊

[@MiniSociety-ve2sm]

i came here to reply the same

[@OregonOutdoorsChris]

The youtube algorithm brought me here, maybe it was past searches I did on solvent welding polystyrene... but regardless, I'm glad it did as I learned some new ideas and enjoyed it very much. Thank you!

[@CamStLouis]

Cheers, glad you enjoyed! More to come - making a renaissance flute next!

[@Avon-Fox]

I went from, uuugh, this is going to be complex and require a heap of gear to trying it out an hour after watching and it works a treat! GREAT WORK!

[@sierraecho884]

This "big ass marker" idea is really great, thank you.

[@YodaWhat]

I noticed that the warm water was not penetrating evenly under the glass jar, which is likely to cause differences in the initial evaporation rate of the acetone, leading to unpredictable results. Additionally, much acetone was condensing on the cool surfaces of the jar, and that reduces the concentration of acetone vapor we are aiming for. To prevent these problems, I recommend preheating the jar by putting it in covered container like a cooking pot for several minutes, raising the vapor jar off the bottom of the outer container with some spacers, and using more of the warm water around it to keep the temperature more constant. @gaelforceduo

[@rochamocha5705]

Excellent video. Way better than a lot of larger 3D printing channels despite your channel not being 3D printing focused

[@wubbo73]

I put my parts in a plastic box on a stick, i fill the bottom with aceton, i put the box on the buildplate of the printer at 70deg C, i wait for 40 minutes (not longer). At this point you still see the layers a bit. Then i take it out of the box and let it dry for a day, during this drying the lines disapear completely. I return the aceton in the bottle. Works perfect every time. Only tilt the box a little so drops wil not fall on the parts.

[@torpongth809]

Best acetone vapor smoothing vdo. Great one.

[@rickr1062]

Nice results, thanks for the tutorial

[@gaelforceduo]

Thanks! More cool tips, tricks, and models coming soon!

[@lawrence8895]

I'm a bit confused. So the difference between the whistles at the end, the red whistle had acetone applied via brush and the black whistle had acetone applied using the bingo marker and then both received an acetone vapor bath. Is that right? Sorry for confusion it's just that in the video we see you using the bingo marker on the red whistle.

[@TTS-TP]

Absolutely wonderful! You can really hear the difference😂 I will definitely be giving this a try

[@TheGathumpus]

0:01 / 3:37 Take a look at this post. Not trying to put you of just give you inf, I use a funnel printed in PLA but I dont use it often, or put it in my mouth. "Can FDM 3D Prints be Food Safe" poster "3D Print stuff"

[@brianmcvicker829]

You are a badass musician!

[@stefanguiton]

Excellent!

[@jareddavies3147]

The great youtube algorithm brought this gem back from the graveyard.

[@archerhmc151]

It sounds like the difference is obvious, but the marker doesn't deal with the inside of the model, right? Can I understand that the difference is just the function of the silicone protection block?

[@gaelforceduo]

My initial solution was just to wet a bit of paper towel with acetone and swab the inside, but the vapor chamber polish does a good enough job for my purposes I just don't bother. The silicone block is to keep two critical surfaces from deforming - the windway exit face, and the airblade. They probably wouldn't deform much thanks to this pretreatment method, but really it's just an insurance policy so I don't have to re-do a bunch of voicing work.

[@Deathbysnusnu125]

I have been working on 3d printing 2 piece molds. I don't want the pints where the pieces lock together to be melted. I put some masking tape on them. Seemed to work decently. Still working on my technique though.

[@alexv1269]

Cool video, thank you!

[@MRMIKE276]

Holy undersized Hawaiian shirt batman. Great video though, one concern of mine is losing the dimensional tolerancing so this definitely helped.

[@pshea098]

Would you say to sand first, then this method, then polish, and paint last? Or do this method first, sand after then polish, and paint last?

[@JINGXO]

Not sure why, my parts had some white spot left on the surface.

[@fishPointer]

Very good video, thank you

[@mrk8212]

good info, thanks

[@sirfrancisarthur]

Nice I might try that some time. Where can one learn to play a bit like that. Is it just playing in certain chords and you can do a lot of random stuff or is it really knowing which hole to cover each time? Are the holes in metal or also printed?

[@bluestripes1]

did you use the silicone plug with the bad one?

[@leszekzajac7772]

i tried vapour polishing some arduino cases, worked great, until they shrunk 15% and started to crack...

[@merrickmasterofnone8648]

Subscribed!

[@radishdalek]

I wonder if this could be done with IPA for Polysmooth (PVB)

[@CamStLouis]

I'm almost certain it could - the PolyCast filament I got the idea from is designed to work with the same vapor polishing unit they sell for PolySmooth. It's just a little friendlier to use than acetone, but the benefit of acetone is that it works fast and evaporates from the part more quickly. Polymaker actually recommends lightly heating parts treated with IPA to make sure all of it is driven from the surface, so trade-offs in all things, but I can verify it works great on PolyCast!

[@AM-pq1rq]

is it safe to use in the mouth though?

[@tylersnard]

Thank you! How would I do this with DMSO and TPU?

[@joshua43214]

DMSO as in dimethyl sulfoxide? in a fume hood lol

[@BrentLeVasseur]

What about fumes while you do this? Acetone is toxic and flammable. Does that injection mold PLA give off any fumes as well? If I were you I’d invest in a full face breather mask and a box of nitrite gloves. Absorbing acetone on your skin is toxic too.

[@joshua43214]

Acetone is a mild irritant to skin, an gets you high when inhaled. Do you put on a hazmat suit when you get gas? Acetone is safer than gasoline, which is why it is used as a solvent for about everything including finger nail polish and super glue.

[@BrentLeVasseur]

@@joshua43214 Do you pump gas into your vehicle inside your office or house? No. It’s done outside with ventilation at a gas station, and the pump has protection built in that prevents most accidents. Acetone is not safe whatsoever. You shouldn’t inhale it and you shouldn’t allow it on your skin. The fact that it is used to remove nail polish doesn’t mean it isn’t toxic, it just means that women are willing to risk poisoning themselves for beauty. 😂

[@kitkimbrough1145]

Whiner!!.lol...Nothing like the smell of Ass itone

[@albertmagician8613]

Don't get your trousers in a twist about acetone. It occurs naturally in your blood stream at times.

[@albertmagician8613]

Actually sanding abs is something you must worry about. Microscopic carcinogenic particles that get in your lungs.

[@matthewmathis62]

Is that a Pennywhistle?

[@SCHNIERElektrostatik]

Have you ever tried to flock your parts after printing? You will get a smooth velvet like surface.

[@MrGTAmodsgerman]

You mean when the part is soft by the vapour?

[@SCHNIERElektrostatik]

No I meant electrostatic flocking.@@MrGTAmodsgerman

[@alexthehopeless3778]

I thought only PETG would be food-safe, you know, you're making whistles

[@BRUXXUS]

ABS and ASA are higher temperature materials than PETG, so I think you could actually boil these parts to clean. The smoothing process is not just good for looks, but also helps eliminate layer lines where bacteria could hide. Honestly, as long as you’re not drinking through these instruments, should be fine with any material.

[@n5sdm]

Hate to say it. The first one sounds more real, earthy, home made, and traditional. The second one sounds spot on , machine made, bright, crisp.

[@yalmanmfp]

hate to say it but your ear not for music buddy. first one detone every high pitch and noisy for low pitchs.

[@Rent-A-Print]

You dont have to give good 3d printing advice just to show off your sick nasty flute skills my man

[@BuildItTuneItEV]

The dabber thing is absolute shit. What a waste of money.

[@pascalecottengim5101]

𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘮𝘰𝘴𝘮 🙋

[@JohnBlaze505]

Tell me youre a virgin without telling me 8:00

[@kosmati4569]

Not a huge church guy myself, but this dude puts himself out here for us, sharing his passion and basically teaching for free while busting a sweet solo.. why be mean?

[@sugepoola]

jessie pinkman will buy a plastic bottle for sure