3D Printing Hack - Smoothing 3D Prints with Resin!

[@UncleJessy]

Make sure to checkout Galactic Armory and his wildly awesome videos and first showing off this crazy technique kzbin.info/www/bejne/nXvamJ14qb2Jha8

[@BlatantlySwedishPGN]

His videos are awesome! 10/10 would recommend.

[@GalacticArmory]

Thanks man! Hope this technique saves people a lot of time

[@luismlem]

@@GalacticArmory Game changing man!

[@BlatantlySwedishPGN]

@@vihaanlangston1739 r/thathappened?

[@BlatantlySwedishPGN]

@@karsonwillie2960 oh nvm you're bots.

[@nathandrel]

You can find woodfiller that is waterbased, mix it with water until you have a consistency of pancakce cake mix, apply with a brush, sand, repeat if necessary, viola! Waaaaaay cheaper than filling in with resin and waaaaay less fumes :). For those on tight budget we salute you ;-).

[@minipancho94]

trying this first. ty for the tip.

[@nicholashodges201]

Seagram's water putty is pretty versatile and not too expensive. BUT a lot of the wood filler pastes can grow mold. They will also flake right off if it shrinks too much or dries too fast. It also doesn't add to the strength of the project at all. Sort of like adobe walls

[@772CODEMASTER]

@@nicholashodges201 If the goal is to paint it, then you'll be sealing the wood filler and likely avoid that issue.

[@FilamentFriday]

Great idea. Explained extremely well!

[@UncleJessy]

Thanks man for checking it out!

[@sjschauer4235]

It's be cool to see a side by side of the before and after, as well as a non-smoothed, but primered, model.

[@MondoMurderface]

I've been using this trick for a week now and I'm so extremely thankful for people figuring this out and sharing it! Forgetting the amazing cure time and less chance of messing up the mixture that you can do with the smooth-on resin. It sands beautifully! Its so easy to fill in those print lines and sand off the rest. Sped up my work time 1000%.

[@skaven032]

It works very well. Did a full size Mando helmet and it came out very smooth, then I used an air brush to spray a small helmet and it worked like a charm as well. Very little post processing. Will be using this method from now on.

[@ebpman]

Jessy, very cool! I have several Mando prints and other props that I haven't had time to clean up. This will save sooo much time.

[@UncleJessy]

Yeah a huge time saver when it comes to smoothing those prints out. And if it’s larger /flat/curved parts it should work really dang well

[@judasblewit]

@@CrackedTubeGamer why what happens when waving it around?

[@coffinsnail6930]

Nice to see a big youtuber showing off a process i started doing over a year ago. Its amazing how easy resin is to sand when ya cure it quickly but not completley.

[@fishlollypop]

I've done this for a few things in the past and it worked well in my case. The concept really isn't new, I just don't think people have talked about it much, so people don't know about it. I really like this video as a quick reinforcement that just trying something may produce better results.

[@markusallport1276]

I'm surprised not many have figured this out yet. I've been doing this for the past 5 years and always have great results.

[@Airtight215]

An incredibly genius idea that I can't believe I never thought to try. My kid is going to love this, thanks.

[@DALILOMODIY]

great idea, might try that too!

[@UncleJessy]

Yeah man would work well for some of your projects as well I’m guessing

[@CosplayKitchen]

Definitely some awesome possibilities. Especially when you have a print that needs to be far sturdier than it is.

[@TKs3DPrints]

lol done this for years. i hated xtc as it was always to thick and hardened to fast and was also using fdm still back then. i tend to use a brush rather then a sponge as it tends to leave micro bubbles. with a brush i find you can get a good clear coat and can build the layers up and when ready cure. then forgot to do a video about it as i just went fully into resin printing and just never used fdm since. but always suggested it on the fdm groups and in live streams. glad someone has done a video and also shown other ways to smooth prints with the plus and minus to using them. i tended to just use what was left in the bottles when they are nearly empty. thanks for sharing jessy. also on a side note you should always wet sand any resin. and wear a mask jessy. :)

[@plasmastorm656]

I highly reccomend wearing a good filter mask or wet sanding when sanding resin, it is TOXIC

[@taktic3d]

Cool results you got, I'll test this on my next Amazon order. Thanks for the tip Jessy!

[@mathiaszwirschitz2463]

Great Video but guys please use gloves and respirators when sanding resin. When I see this as a chemist and developer of photopolymers I imidiatley see people get a anaphylactic shock , so please be a bit more careful.

[@UncleJessy]

👆👆👆👆👆👆👆 110% this! Especially when sanding resin. You don’t want to be breathing in those particles.

[@cenciende9401]

Even better, always use wet sanding on resin! I do.

[@alexdavey1401]

@@cenciende9401 smart thinking

[@linksmessenger25]

@@UncleJessy Dude he’s talking to you bro haha you’re clearly not wearing PPE in the video. That sends the message to viewers that they don’t need it

[@eat_the_octopus]

Pro Pro tip hold your breath the whole time you sand

[@OdinMakes]

Love it! Thanks Uncle Jessy!

[@herozone1225]

Prop maker reunion

[@DesktopMakes]

Great Video. Yeah, definitely a "How come I never thought of this" moment!

[@bipolarchemist]

I guess it may because I started with a Resin printer, but this was the first thing I thought of for smoothing out my FDM prints once I finally picked up an FDM printer. I just figured I never saw videos on it because it was an 'obvious' solution for anyone who had resin already on hand. Works great for quickly getting those FDM prints up to snuff for silicone masters and much easier/better to work with than those combo primers in my not so humble opinion. And as you mentioned, very little waste as the excess resin can be reused.

[@UncleJessy]

Exactly. It’s perfect for the small amount of resin that’s used or your left over resin! Thanks for checking it out

[@aliabolhassani5820]

**MINDPLOSION!!** This is brilliant! Thank you for sharing!

[@MichaelAdams3D]

We were using the x3d like 3 years ago in a shop I worked at. Full Spectrum Laser did mention in the user manual that if your prints have irregularities that you can take a brush or tooth pick and add uv resin to the model and cure it with a laser pointer. I've been doing that to fill in the holes left behind by supports too and just putting the model under a black light for a minute before sanding.

[@lincoln3x7]

Wow! This is a game changer... thank you for sharing this idea. I have some mando parts I have been waiting to finish and this looks amazing. Top 10 3d print tip!

[@popotan000]

been doing this for months now it works pretty great

[@chucklamb3496]

I’ve been using this method on my resin prints for over a year. I’ve never thought of using on PLA prints!

[@spider_tech]

I just bought that same water washable resin to use for actual printing so I'm happy to see how well it performs with smoothing the FDM prints. Now I have something else I can use it for too.

[@Jibs-HappyDesigns-990]

wow! You just totally blew my mind. thank you so much Jessie. you're such a big help.

[@animexartist1]

why on earth have I never tried this!? thank you so much sharing this!! :D

[@alastorclark3492]

I can't believe this isn't a common tip! I'm going to have to suggest this from now on!

[@DaveMakes]

Thanks for the comprehensive look at all the different options for this. Great video.

[@schmerzdj5719]

Great way to smooth a print. I never thought of this

[@UncleJessy]

Apply/cure/sand in a really short period of time. For sure will be doing this more

[@MiriamTV2]

Don't forget to use a respirator mask when curing resin as well as when you sand it. Wetsanding would probably give an even smoother surface as well. ^^

[@Bwercs]

This guy never uses enough protection. He legit might affect his health considering how much he prints without protection. If theres any resin in my 3d printing room out of a container I always have my respirator on.

[@majicMix911]

Masks are for liberals

[@PimptatoPCs]

I love the smell of Bondo haha. Grew up with a "paint and body" dad.

[@UncleJessy]

Haha I wish my wife did. Never hear the end of it when I use the stuff in my garage. Stinks for days

[@matthewbloodgood927]

I’ve done this a few times now. Works pretty well. But... Be watchful for runs and drips. It can also fill details so work in thin layers and sneak up to the level you need slowly to avoid filling details. Still make sure to cure it and wear PPE.

[@smurfpool9794]

Just add water to the wood filler and mix it up. Then you can brush it on with a paint brush. Much easier! I’ll have to try the resin method though.

[@ZerocoolsPropsandCollectibles]

This looks great getting my first printer tuesday!

[@UncleJessy]

Congrats on the first printer! Happy making

[@ZerocoolsPropsandCollectibles]

@@UncleJessy Thanks man I went with an Ender 5 plus

[@FEARSWTOR]

The thumbnail got me. Saw it and was like "Wait how would that even work if you have any kind of ridges?" Well played, Jessy. I've been had.

[@marsgizmo]

excellent idea! I wonder what if you spray the resin with an air spray paint gun (of course quite dangerous due to the resin vapors)

[@DarioDarrow]

Just as long as you don’t shine any UV on the spraygun 😅 or inside your lungs after breathing it in 💀

[@kingarthurthe5th]

@@DarioDarrow the problem isn’t it hardening in your lungs. The danger is it slowly making you horribly allergic to the resin fumes.

[@UncleJessy]

Now that would be pretty crazy. Wonder how much you’d have to dilute it

[@marsgizmo]

@@UncleJessy hehe, I now I have concerns for the idea 😅

[@red1inerr113]

you would just end up would resin everywhere if you spray it.

[@mongojerry72]

I'm kicking myself for not thinking of that! What a great idea!

[@pigstix]

I have also tried painting on 3M Acryl-Green spot putty which has been dissolved in acetone to make a thin liquid. The acetone evaporates and leaves the putty in the gaps ready to sand.

[@UncleJessy]

Hot damn! I gotta try that out as well! Going to order up some of that today

[@pigstix]

@@UncleJessy best done outdoors with a mask as it really smells.

[@drkline69]

What ratios are you using to make the liquid?

[@DuckShovel]

I do a similar thing with clear resins i want super clear. Instead of trying to buff and shine i dip the object back into some clear resin and it becomes alot more transparent. It softens edges, but it goes from cloudy to completely clear

[@UncleJessy]

Oh wow that’s wild. Making a note to try that for my upcoming clear resin tips and tricks video

[@cenciende9401]

Yep, that's because the frosty effect on the surface is caused by the tiny layer lines of the print, to be clear the surface has to be smooth, the same way ice becomes clear as it melts.

[@jamesmcintoshjr]

you can also thin the resin down a bit with isopropyl alcohol or in this case a bit of water if it's water washable if you find it too viscous.

[@IRSculpts]

That’s just awesome! I have to try this out - cuz I always have a little bit of resin left in the bottle that could work perfectly for this! Thanks for sharing

[@MegaGamer84]

I've been thinking about doing this. I'm glad that others tried it 1st so I didn't waste my resin if it failed

[@UncleJessy]

I was kinda hoping it would be more difficult to show failures. But it worked great right off the bat and super easy to do

[@cenciende9401]

Dude it would only use a tiny amount of resin.

[@doghateburger]

This is really cool! Been looking for a way to smooth my FDM prints, this seems to be the most promising method without the need of special filament or using ABS.. Thank you for sharing!

[@GregAtlas]

You can get the resin to feel thinner by heating it first. For some resins, I boil a pot of water and then stick the resin bottle in the pot with the heat off. Does a pretty good job when preparing some of the thicker resins I work with for printing.

[@UncleJessy]

That is a great tip thanks!

[@razerow3391]

You mean you do it as a bain-marie.

[@stinkyham9050]

Mind Blown. Last summer I made a predator mask with some tricky spots to smooth out. It took hours of sanding and filling over and over. I'm defentaly trying this on my Bob's Fett project I have coming up.

[@theprincipaledman]

You’re a fn genius I thought of this hidea on accident but never came back to it. Hell even using it as glue to connect parts together and not lose color as well!!!

[@UncleJessy]

It works so well. Glad galactic armory shared that. Out

[@FusionSource]

Amazing video, such a brilliant idea. Thank you so much for sharing, well done.

[@AlphaEngineer2022]

Been using this technique for over a year on every print, the resin is hard work to sand but gives good results😊

[@smpr6351]

Hi, this works on PLA ? Thanks !

[@AlphaEngineer2022]

@@smpr6351 you can use it on PLA no problem, that’s what I used.

[@UlshaRS]

Same technique used by resin mold crafters with a low quality demolding and appreciate you hitting the broadcloth of techniques hobbyists use in your breakdown.

[@Thejigholeman]

one thing i like about this idea is that you can brush it on, then cure it in a few seconds. if it has to sit for 20+ hours you may wind up with any cup like areas being filled with resin; i think you called it pooling. but this way i can brush it on, make sure everything is nice and smooth, then just blast it with the spicy light.

[@themonsterzone]

This is fantastic! This is what i used todo for foam armor back in the day using two part resin. Super cool

[@ImpactProps]

OOOO! I gotta try this!

[@UncleJessy]

100% man! It’s a must try for a future project

[@Boyscout533]

Heyooo!! Chief going to have some drip!@@

[@KaiRedfern]

This is such a great idea, perfect way toi smooth out FDM prints when you have resin around!

[@CrosswaIk]

I saw an Iron Man helmet video about 9 years ago where the guy used a mixture of Bondo and resin to smooth the inside of his Pepakura-made helmets

[@rickdelmastro9221]

Awesome dude. Thanks for the great information!

[@UncleJessy]

Thanks for checking it out

[@locostbamboo]

Super cool! Want the Neptune 2! Wish Amazon had some!

[@dnstech8627]

Great idea, definitely gonna give this a shot thank you! Hope you and your family are recovering well.

[@pridedyanky]

I heard someone mention about doing this and came to see it.. definitely going to do it

[@trekker683]

Thanks this should cut my work time down a lot

[@WhamBamSystems]

thanks for this indepth dive! I have also been toying with gluing and coating with resins, but never coated a full large scale model! cant wait to try!

[@Bane9900]

you should try this with a flexible resin like siraya tenacious. I bet having a more flexible outer layer could add some strength to 3d-prints without just cracking off. I bet it would make for an interesting rubberized feel too.

[@UncleJessy]

Funny you mentioned that. I ordered up another bottle for a similar test ;)

[@primularchangel]

I use the Resin as well. Also i use Vinyl Spackle to smooth prints and as a gap filler. It dries pretty fast and super easy to sand.. A small half pint container last for a long time..

[@hamedddddd]

Bro I’ve been waiting for elegoo saturn to restock forever!!!

[@jedisct1]

Do you mean the Neptune?

[@hamedddddd]

@@jedisct1 no the saturn resin printer

[@carbide1968]

Your print settings are top notch. Makes less work sanding i bet.

[@Belric35]

So after sanding you don’t clean off the sanded dust with anything? You just spray in the primer

[@mikehoup4298]

This is super helpful, especially for us newbs. How long does the resin need to "cure"?

[@MattWinchell]

I am also working on my own Mando armor so I definitely will give this a shot. I think I need to do a bit more research on any other recommended resin bottles I should buy to do this method.

[@medyk3D]

This is a great trick. Have to try it someday. Awesome thumbnail :)

[@buildersmark]

I use the heck out of Bondo fiber fill. Cool idea on the resin coating.

[@brandontatroe241]

A resin 3d printer does that hack as a primary feature. Crazy stuff

[@thehappyextruder7178]

Thanks for showcasing this method !!!

[@LunarlightCinema]

Really cool method! Might have to give this a try.

[@UncleJessy]

This is the way

[@josemg14]

could you make another experiment without the primer? I would love to know how it looks with just the resin and then paint.

[@donkeysrthefuture]

This is kind of the definition of the k.i.s.s method. So good and simple and practical.

[@xtonybaloneyx]

Another helpful vid!, I was using something which took longer and more toxic (glazing putty), can believe i didnt try using resin to fill sooner!

[@kevinreed109]

After you hit it with 220 u should try going over it with a piece of cardboard. It'll melt/smoothout any hairs left behind from sanding.

[@J.D.Vision]

I saw that on Galactic Armoury and it blew my mind as well.

[@raugust6786]

This could be a way to use leftover resin in the VAT after a resin print so you don't have to either throw it away or put it back into the bottom of "fresh" resin. I'll keep this in mind!

[@theherrdark4834]

I just ordered the resin and UV light; I have a print project coming up, I want to try this out.

[@UncleJessy]

Niiice hope it helps!

[@TreyEversman]

Anyone have an issue with the resin drying? I got the same water washable resin in black and the same light and it's still tacky a FULL DAY later! Any help would be greatly appreciated!

[@UncleJessy]

I wonder if its the water washable resin formula. You should be able to still sand over or spray paint over it

[@TreyEversman]

@@UncleJessy Hey man! Thanks for getting back to me! Saying that I may have gotten a bad batch or? I tried it on another test piece with an even lighter coat and 24 hours later it's still tacky. 🤷‍♂️

[@keving.mercadoreyes8476]

Same happening to me, the resin remains tacky even after 30 minutes under the uv light

[@Zeldur]

This is an amazing idea. I've been waiting for the Elegoo Saturn to make a project I've been working on. However, I'm going to try this and see if it works. Plus, using the 3D scales and this smoothing method could create fantastic, fast, smooth scales

[@labiq1896]

Actually did this with my warhammer and gundam stuff. Sometimes there's a small chipping hole when cutting, so I fill in some resin and cure it. Quite effective but more hassle compare to tamiya epoxy putty

[@3DHP]

Excellent Video Uncle Jessy.. You Rock..

[@HMSGamer]

Dammit... this is one of the "why didn't I think of this" moment for a lot of people. Thank you

[@TechGuyNelly]

I've been doing this since August 2019 and let me tell you it's true it much fast to finish a project with this method such Smith prints too.

[@Tcustoms]

Nice! I think I'm going to use this method on my din djarin armor.

[@UncleJessy]

This is the way!

[@Tcustoms]

This is the way!

[@poodlescone9700]

You can use cheap a/b resin as infill for fdm prints for statue parts that need more support.

[@cjscosplays2899]

Thank you for this! Gonna have to try it on my Winter Soldier arm!

[@beil3537]

I do this with my resin printer prints... either by not washing them after removing supports or painting over sparingly and sticking them in the blazing aussie sun. Transparent resins produce the best finish and returns the clear glass like finish which washing removes.

[@kevinlumoindong3498]

in your opinion, which one works better, XTC3D or this method ?

[@fernandoaguirre1924]

Hi Uncle Jessy, I made exactly what you did in the video, using the same ABS like resin from Elegoo, but how much time do I need to cure the resin? Because I expossed to UV Light(same as yours) for like 15 minutes and the resin is very sticky on the layer. Or do I need to wahs with IPA also? Thank you for the help.

[@FEBRIZIOtv]

I literally asked this EXACT question. Mine is so sticky. Exposed both sides of my sword to it for an hour...

[@FEBRIZIOtv]

Sand. It worked for me. Then I primed it. Used filler primer myself but any will do. It works.

[@fernandoaguirre1924]

@@FEBRIZIOtv I tried applying primer first, dry it for about 20 minutes and then sand it, and magically the resin is cured. Thannk you for the help.

[@markmorgan8378]

Awesome video and the resin is on order. Question how did you do the print of the mask with so little supports?

[@UncleJessy]

It’s all about the angle and printing slow. I set the print speed to 50mm/s and it will usually print great especially with some overhangs

[@HarrowedDreams]

This. Is. Awesome.

[@biozombieactive8792]

Oooo time to buy another bottle of resin to use solely on this.

[@Ravencos]

1:25 Yup. All-purpose filler for me. But hell yes mind blown indeed! I love the idea of combing FDM and Resin printing. Some people argue one is better than the other, but I feel they can compliment eachother well, especially with larger and smaller prints.

[@ChaozXIII]

I heard this trick on fb from pandacosplay I think and I mix baby powder with the said resin to make putty for filling. The advantages of using resin are you can reuse glove as long as you wash it. You dont have to mix and it cures fast and whenever you want. And make putty easily

[@paulmurphy5376]

Rather than painting two different sides of the mask with two different textures, it would have been better to paint 1/2 of each side with each resin, that way you can directly compare each resin on a smooth surface vs each resin on a textured surface. Also we never get to see the raw results of the resin smoothing process on it's own..... only the results after you've sanded and painted it.... which sort of defeats the purpose of the whole video really.

[@judasblewit]

Yeah I wanted him to spray it right after it cured to see what it looked like.

[@a.bax.5992]

That's because it's not better than filler+primer spray.

[@MrMoonfishy]

Oh wow! This is awesome! I'll be having a go this weekend!