PLA Acetone Vapor Smoothing, it works! comparing 6 brands and results.

[@Mintheoho]

Do you think the colour in the PLA has anything to do with the effectiveness of the vapour treatment? I noticed it worked quite well on the lighter colours and not so good on the darker. Or maybe just coincidence? 😊

[@saffronproductions]

Great to see you back making videos! I only use esun PLA+. I found it sands great straight off the bed with some 180 grit. Easiest PLA to sand by far.

[@VideoCesar07]

I bought a roll of eSun PLA+ despite the reviews being pretty divided but, I saw that most of the people who had problems just put very basic reviews with no details such as "This filament sucks" "Terrible filament", etc. No mention of their settings, printer , etc. All the ones who had success usually included those details. Took me a big to get the settings dialed in for retraction to remove all stringing but once everything is set it prints really well.

[@magicgundam]

My experience with esun PLA+ has been that it clogs nozzles frequently, and I've run it everywhere from 185c to 210c. Stopped using it for this reason, but it did produce good quality prints otherwise.

[@shaunbennett2910]

I run Esun PLA+ without issues in my ender v2 and aquila vox machines. it can be tempermental some times but I find that running it a bit hotter works well...220c-235c 2.5mm retract dis and 25mms retract speed. Also Durcmic PLA+ is one that that works really well consistantly. I have had maybe 3 spools of Esun out of 100 that really were just terrible and I contacted them on amazon and told them and they sent replacements without a return or refund processed...they just sent new roll for the one that failed, which was cool of them.

[@crash02]

Hey! What spray putty are you using for this test? Thank you!

[@Cloakfiend]

I've been brushing and dunking my pla prints in acetone for over 5 years and find colorfabb pla/pha to work well. Ive done many video on this as well!!

[@Costronica]

I've heard indeed that colorfabb reacts great to it, thanks for confirming

[@Mech.E]

Someone mentioned PLA that has been aceton smoothed will crack overtime. Did you experience this?

[@Cloakfiend]

@@Mech.E depends for how long. If younoverdo it.yes, but i have prints that are.over 7 yeara ols and still not split or cracked. If you print hollow Do Not allow and acetone inside or else it WILL split.

[@Mech.E]

@@Cloakfiend appreciate the answer. Good info!

[@weld4200]

Polymaker pla plus works way better

[@Dishyg]

Does the pla remain flexible and soft?

[@GraceT]

I love ABS, my only issue with it is that they don't come in a ton of really fun colors like PLA. I don't use a heated bed either, just painters tape on the bed and temps at 220-225. But my PLA prints end up looking rough at the end, while my ABS ones look so cool

[@Costronica]

i used to print with abs but my room here was just getting cramped with the enclosure, we move into a big shop space in may, perhaps im going back to abs then aswell as the method in the video here also works very great on abs

[@aiwassmirko]

I've noticed one thing: the colour defects only happen on the pla+ and all the other darker coloured pla; maybe the difference depends on the pla+ additives, and for the others, on the pigments used

[@KonjikiKonjiki]

Thanks so much for sharing your results here!! My bf has an Anycubic Mega 3D printer that has been a lot of fun so far. :) I originally came to your channel to find your vid on the Meme Couch model you made for Simon Toeskin, but no luck, and Ken did not post a link. If you could point me in the right direction, I'd really appreciate it!

[@Costronica]

haha well that video i posted to his subreddit, its just a quick timelapse though, the same one he showed but they cut it up in editing for their videos sake

[@julianheller9832]

Hi, thanks for the video. What filament did you use for the shotgun?

[@Costronica]

that would be the " devil design" filament

[@trixiestterror]

Have you ever inspected your smoothed surfaces with a microscope?

[@Costronica]

i have not, i can get acces to one though, intresting idea, thanks!

[@farida7777777]

Thanks buddy.

[@intelbreak]

Hey mate, can't get amazon basics spools anymore.. That yellow turned out amazing.. is there a chance you can revisit this with the new E-sun stuff amazon stocks now in place of the basics?

[@Costronica]

maybe one day, we want to get back to making videos but Costronica is keeping us busy

[@grzbiet]

I'm missing the safety gear, and no chance I'll try this inside, so: will heating acetone in microwave work? would it give us more control over amount of acetone and vapours? or would it be just as it sounds: dangerous stupid idea

[@Costronica]

I think the latter... Espcially when not owning the safety gear either way

[@MagoMakes]

Great vid, fella. Could you advise me on some specifics? What Watt is your induction plate? What temperature is "high" on the plate? What temperature is "low"? Do you think it varies with pot size (I'm likely going to buy a smaller plate and pot)?

[@Costronica]

it goes to 3200 watts, but that high is not needed to get the vapor to go, best is to test it with your small induction plate. wear your safety gear, and test with small amounts

[@MagoMakes]

@@Costronica Cheers, chap. Now to try and find a small, tall induction pot!

[@Jonwes11]

Important safety note for those just finding this video (like I am): the effectiveness of respirators depends entirely on the cartridges used. Some are meant for organic fumes, others are only meant for solid particles which will do nothing in this use case. They can also only be used for a certain amount of time before they go bad. That said, acetone is one of the safer solvents out there for sure.

[@andrearodriguez1839]

hello! can i do this but with any PLA filament or has to be that brand?

[@Costronica]

"that" brand? i use 6 different ones... like i say in the video i cant be sure of any/all brands of PLA, testing 6 brands was enough for me to make a best guess :)

[@SCHNIERElektrostatik]

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

[@jaysoncummins]

so, you're ensuring the acetone vapor line is at the top of the print? You don't put a lid over the top of it and leave a little slit for it to ventilate?

[@Costronica]

when setting it from high to low like i did, there is no need for a lid, you can ofcoarse, but remove the lid slowly, otherwise you suck the vapor out of the pot as you lift the lid. drag is a thing so consider that.

[@jaysoncummins]

@@Costronica , ok I just thought the lid help the vapor creep up to the height you need it to be to encompass the entire print

[@Papa_Shorty]

What type of spray putty are you using? Thank you.

[@Costronica]

Motip spray putty

[@Papa_Shorty]

@Thanks again!

[@Moxzot]

Pla has different variances of pureness, impure pla will be more likely to be effected than pure pla and I'm sure the heat is also affecting the process. As shown in your testing some had little to no effect.

[@Costronica]

True, however alot of hobbyists will go for the cheaper stuff though, i want to do a round 2 but under a big microscope, and also add abs to lot and compare the surfaces

[@healingsounds9960]

Very good video m8, greedings from Greece.

[@mandoreforger6999]

Is it the acetone, or just the heated vapor?

[@Costronica]

think more the combo of both, heat softens the PLA and because its more malleable, it can react to the vapor, as normal vapor from acetone doesnt do anything to pla

[@zahari_s_stoyanov]

Are these still spongy?

[@Costronica]

no

[@markusmaurette8992]

Was the Ultimaker White PLA the regular or the tough?

[@Costronica]

Regular

[@IrocZIV]

Why do you think this technique works so well when an acetone vapor bath by itself does little smoothing?

[@Costronica]

well i dont think anymore, i know ;) all jokes aside, a vapor bath on its own generates no heat, the combination of heat (to make the pla soft) and than the vapor hitting is what does the trick, ofcourse as shown in the video not every brand of PLA reacts the same. some purists go "wEll YoU dOnT uSe PuRe PLA!" but who does nowadays, pretty much everybody i know and see in every 3dprinting group goes for what is available for a good price vs ok quality.

[@majinkeyboards]

4:55 start

[@DieEneGuyJeWeetWelWelke]

Tinytronics for the win :D

[@lynxshd]

Sweet thanks

[@ChaozXIII]

that means amazon basics is an impure filament mixed with abs

[@tamroberts7303]

This. I've literally soaked my hatchbox PLA(in the past) in Acetone(pure) and It did nothing to it.

[@ChaozXIII]

and that is a good thing

[@Costronica]

while its true it wont do much in pure aceton, its the combo of heat and acetone vapor that does the trick, these same models dunked in pure (cold) acetone wont give any reaction either

[@IDCrish]

Hi, can you come up with any other way of heating the acetone?

[@Eugensdiet]

First time I watched your channel Good video. How come you sound like an American. Looking forward to watching more of your videos.

[@Costronica]

Too many cartoons as a kid, I pick up languages and accents really easy 😁

[@No1sonuk]

If your induction heater isn't an electric heater, how does it work without electricity?

[@AAMovieStudios]

It plugs into the an outlet just like an electric portable cooktop with the coil but with induction instead. Have to use steel pots, aluminum will not work.

[@No1sonuk]

@@AAMovieStudios Oh. So it IS an electric heater...

[@BossmodePictures]

@@No1sonuk Technically, the "iduction heater" is not a heater by itself as it does not generate heat but only a rapidly changing magnetic field. The combination of the induction generator and a ferromagnetic object on top (like a pot) could be considered as a heater :-D

[@Costronica]

@@BossmodePictures thanks for answering that for me :D wanted to get to this comment all week but didnt have the time and forgot :P

[@Costronica]

the answer is down here perfectly, i will add that what i ment with "normal electric heater" are those small camping hot tops, basicly those heat/glow up with a big ass coil, so thats a big glowing hot object, and thats a no no for this.

[@noahsardjan1471]

Lekker bezig man,

[@ahmedzubairsheikh]

informative!

[@TimoWestenfelder]

Standart PLA Filament?

[@Costronica]

ive tried 6 different brands, i guess some can be considered "standard"

[@dnkeyhnter690]

That gun looked really nice

[@noyza2132]

it would probably work best on clear (pure) PLA

[@jam99]

Man, you're using different colours and then comparing! They have to all be dark for a decent comparison. But thanks for a great video anyway! (Once the spray is applied it matters less.)

[@AlWolf_13]

Давай, давай мужик! Очень интересные видео, не зря подписался.=)

[@Bublerkin]

I need a large pot to make things smooth

[@hulkgqnissanpatrol6121]

Seems like your using cheap filament!! Pla is non-reactive. If your Pla is reacting it's not "shit" it's a better Pla! Yes Pla ➕ will react but the filament will most likely not dissolve evenly leaving streaks/lines. Abs on the otherhand will do exactly what your TRYING to do.

[@Costronica]

ive used 6 different brands of pla, all at different price points, regardless of price, it still prints with the same ease, abs i used to print with, the enclosure simply was to cumbersome in my current shop

[@spiritburners]

boy i am so glad you cut to the mask at that point !!! This is so effing dangerous man in both fumes and the explosion risk.....

[@lizarrrdbeth]

OMG...I want to be friends. I want to come over and chat your ear off. Just got into this hobby myself. Lots of noobie questions answered so thank you. Can't wait to try the spray puddy!!

[@robluijten8085]

First!

[@posxd3865]

xd