PLA VS ACETONE, ETHLYL ACETATE and METHYLENE CHLORIDE

As usual 0.06 layer height prints first airbrushed with the mentioned chemicals, but due to little to no effect using that method I decided to brush on the chemicals instead quickly and then airbrushed them lightly with a primer to see the effect of each one afterwards. Methylene Chloride turned out to be more effective when applied in smaller amounts compared to the other two!

I may try and see how 0.1 prints take to methylene chloride, but there will never be as much detail as in 0.06 prints so it defeats the point in doing it in my opinion. This is because I am trying to get high levels of detail and surface smoothness at the same time whilst saving material costs using PLA for my prints which is a very cost effective material.

[RFC-]

3:06 - Note that methylene chloride can go through nitrile gloves (which is what you seem to be wearing). Use either butyl or neoprene gloves, or don't wear any gloves at all (it actually evaporates very quickly off your skin). Any gloves that are permeable to it will actually make it take longer to evaporate and increase the likelihood of skin burns / irritation.

[andyspoo]

Apparently Tetrahydrofuran (THF) or oxolane (which is used for cleaning pools) will dissolve PLA. You might want to consider experimenting with that.

[RonFloyd]

You punch the top with a medium flatblade screwdriver, then, with the flat side pointed up, pry the top out by leveraging against the top of the threads. It should pop out fairly easily. After that, the cap will be the seal. The seal is just for storage and transportation mishaps. Thanks for the video.

[mainstay.]

I wish you had shown us the 'before' print with the original print lines first.

[sergeantseven]

I use Methylene Chloride to fuse and smooth most of my prints, it works on PLA, PETG, and other materials really well. almost too well some times, I buy it in 1 gallon Jerry cans off of Ebay for relatively cheap, can't get it anywhere else. plus it is really strong stuff so it needs to be stored safely and used in a well ventilated area. I use a respirator too even when just pouring it. I use vapor smoothing most of the time, where I have a pool of it in the bottom of a can and the part hangs above it for a few minutes. it evaporates really fast so no need to heat it or anything.

[sublimationman]

That seal lid on acetone, place a flat screwdriver on top (corner down) and whack the back with a hammer, it will puncture it and go inside a little, then tilt the screwdriver down and it will pop out, dispose of it as it's no longer needed.

[mnlala]

FDM inventors should feel proud of watching how you use the technology

[danlane]

Thanks for the video, Will multiple applications of acetone get a result as good as methylene chloride?

[jayd]

Can you do video on how to get the lid off? Thanks!

[Brewermb]

Have all the chemicals removed the orange colour?

[Shinobubu]

Acetone does not chemically react with PLA. Ethyl Acetate looks promising I wonder if it can make Clear PLA more clear ?!?

[gustavotobon]

Hello,
Love the video, can you tell me how to prevent resin from sticking to pla printed molds. Thank you

[TriptonStudios]

Does the Methel cloride affect the strength and hardness of the print ? I want the silk rainbow fillament color to be retained but with gloss and no layer lines ?

[captain]

What happens if i mix them all in a single bottle and use that mixture?

[statoilbensin]

I have used Ethyl acetate to clean airbrush, same with acetone it works great for lacquer and enamel paint. The chloride stuff sounds like its quite strong so I would not dare use it to clean my airbrush as it might damadge teflon seals.

[bitsurfer]

I would use an ice pick to poke the top of the acetone can then pry off the seal.

[Flagazz]

That's cool @Cloakfield ! I printed a sea horse at 70 microns with old blue ultimaker filament, one half with 0.8 wall (forgot to change) and the other with 1.2mm. I will try with Acetone 100%... maybe it's a crazy torture test cause the tail is too thin and tends to warp, right? I will post the pics in UM forum...

[stanislawkaminski]

How about gluing PLA parts with ethyl acetate? Will it work?

[blade]

Thanks for this, I had never heard of Methylene chloride but I will be giving this a go.

I watched a video made by DIY perks last night on his method of treating abs with acetone that seems to be quite effective and easy. He creates a simple vapour chamber so you don't need to use as much solvent or sit there brushing dipping or spraying and produces a very even finish. As all these solvents produce vapour at room temperature I would assume the method is interchangeable with all three of these. The video is called "Simple way to make ultra-smooth 3D prints at home"

[BreydonsRC]

Not sure why you would spray these solvents on instead of just brushing it on. Does your mask have chemical filters in it? It looks like just a dust mask.

The best thing I have found for smoothing PLA is UV resin. Just brush it on and hit with a UV flashlight for a few seconds. It sands easily then.