9 Things I Wish I'd Known About 3D Printing

With so many new people joining the hobby every single day, I got a bit nostalgic recently thinking back on my own journey from beginner to still learning every single day but definitely very proficient...

In this video, I'm going to share with you the top 9 things I wish I'd known when I started with 3D printing. From the basics, to more advanced things I've only recently learned after years in the hobby.

So whether you're just getting started, or you've been in the hobby for a while now, stay tuned, because I have some valuable tips for everybody.

🎥 IN THIS VIDEO: 🎥
00:00 Introduction
01:33 Invest In Your Learning!
04:46 Too Much Is Never Enough
07:30 Working on 3D Printers vs. 3D Printing
09:21 Learn (The Right) CAD Sooner
12:12 Don't Be Afraid To Try Exotic Filaments
13:56 Dry Your Filament!
17:27 Clean Your Build Surface (Properly!)
20:32 Community
23:18 Reconnect w/ What You Love

🔗 LINKS MENTIONED IN THE VIDEO: 🔗

🛒 RECOMMENDED GEAR: 🛒

❤️ LOVED THIS VIDEO? ❤️
▶️ Subscribe to the channel
🔔 Turn on Notifications
🎁 Send a "Super Thanks" (Tip)
✍️ Write a comment below!
👍🏿 Like this video

#3dprinting #3dprinted #3dprinter

[bseery]

Yes, the "Why your prints are failing" video would be greatly appreciated for people new to the hobby.

[ShopNation]

"People pay for the curation of information, not the information itself" Oh boy that's a nugget right there!

[jrockwing]

I now understand why you speak slowly and clearly unlike a majority of YouTubers, being a professional speaker was a good past life choice for you!

[ArrowTech]

with my own money i saved up i bought an ender 3 s1 pro and am loving it. im 12 yrs old and have been printing for 3 months and researching for a year on 3d printing. I'm a hobbyist in 3d printing and want to upgrade my printer a lot. and i want to make a business doing 3d printing

[AndrewAHayes]

When I first started using 3D printers in 1990 at work, what is now known as the hotend was called the extruder and what is now known as the extruder was called the hobb, it is strange how the Internet changes the names of things!

[TinSVM]

Hello, I enjoyed the video, but I'd like to offer some constructive feedback. Please don't take it the wrong way, but you repeated yourself quite a bit. I believe the content could have been more concise and to the point. Looking forward to your future videos!

[mitchellbernstein]

Thanks Johnathan for another informative video. Rabbit hole indeed…I’m 72 and retired and bought my first 3D printer, AnkerMake M5C, a little over a month ago and now also have a Bambu P1S and printing with ASA & PC.

[sublimationman]

Been 3D printing 12 years now. I use a textured PEI sheet and I found what works for me (99.99% of the time anyway) and that is clean with 99% isopropyl alcohol then every 3-5 prints I wipe the bed with 0000 steel wool (super fine) it does not damage the bed at all but does remove those ghost print marks and is as good or better than Dawn washing. Just to test this I have been using this method for around 500+ prints without washing in soap (use to wash in soap every 5-10 prints). I also have my Z offset set dead on (perfect first layer) so for me at least this combination has yielded maybe 1-2 warped prints for 500+ prints and those were when I went too long before the steel wool. Now the steel wool makes no visible marks on the bed (surprised me) and when I use it then IA clean the bed looks brand new. I had heard years ago about using steel wool but figured it would ruin the print bed (sand it down) but I was very wrong and wish I had tried it even sooner.

[talbech]

I love your videos and positive energy. I am a new 3D printing enthusiast. With a background in engineering and then later on as an application specialist for Silicon Graphics on Alias|Wavefront products (Maya) I am no novice to 3D applications. I have picked up Unshape on your recommendation and already find myself doing fun projets. What really make me thrilled is the ability to see my models and designs some to live. Investing in a Prusa MK4 has given me a reliable output device while maintaining a touch of the Open Source. I will be doing a little of everything from tinkering/upgrading the printer, printing useful tools for my workshop to hopefully one day building a prototype for my own milling machine. Thanks again for your great content.

[sqrjick]

This was a fantastic video! Very well presented and I honestly agree with all of your advice. I would love to see the “why your print is failing” video.

I’ve found that I definitely fall more in the “making your printer work” side of the hobby. The tinkering is the fun bit for me. Nothing beats designing my own models to solve my own problems and then printing them on my own customized printers!

[rebootnut]

I just got into this hobby a few weeks ago by purchasing a Bambu P1S. I really do enjoy your content. I feel I've learned so much and avoided so many of the initial pitfalls I see other new enthusiasts talk about in other chat groups.

Keep up the great stuff!

[rbid]

definitely will be nice to see about social media 3d printing

[philipekupferman]

I also transform my hobby into a full-time job and there is no limit to learning new things. YouTube is a great source of information but sometimes reaching out with experts could shortcut a long journey. I would love to get in touch more often with nice people and share our experiences. Thanks for your videos and I hope we will find peace in Israel. Shalom

[mrofficial]

There is no destination, only a journey. When you finish a project, you always seek greater and grander things. You should not quit when things don't go your way. It's not a race, it's a marathon.

[flightmaster]

I've been 3D printing for about 4 years now and I can confirm that everything mentioned in this video is 100% correct. Great video, well presented. Subscribed

[codenamegreen]

Great video. I just purchased my first 3D printer yesterday being the Bambu Labs X1C and AMS as well as a second order for 4 rolls of PLA basic white, green, red, blue. I started watching videos about drying filament today but saw not about drying more than 1-2 rolls. Thank you for your video as I purchased the SULU S4 on Amazon which should help more so in the future when I branch into other non forgiving filaments like ABS. Living in Mississippi even though in a well climate controlled cooled house, I feel better prepared to keep moisture away from my filament rolls.

[DiegoJ]

The s4 is amazing. I’ve been using it for a couple weeks now for my TPU and it has made a massive difference in the quality of the prints

[ScottHess]

When I was collecting bits to build my Voron V0.2, I was talking to a friend about buying my 3d-printed parts from PIF. He suggested that I instead strip down and rebuild a bedslinger to do it. It was a GREAT suggestion, I learned a ton from that project, which greatly informed my Voron build. Part of the learning was that since I started with a random $50 garage-sale find, I was pretty comfortable ripping it apart and rebuilding everything. In the end, I found that the $50 garage-sale bedslinger printed better than the bedslinger I had been afraid to experiment on.

[malikonia]

No talk about wood or brass PLA? I’ve only been printing for a few months but those are my favorites so far, I like the finish they provide and also that they are sandable. Also Silk PLA especially in gold. This comment is really more appropriate for your prior video but I’m making it on this one because I’m lazy haha.

[TrigTrig]

I started 3D printing back in January 2023 with a $100 Ender 3 Pro from Microcenter. Got my second printer (a used Anycubic Kobra Plus which turned out to be a huge headache) and a bunch of Ender 3 upgrades in January 2024. Last week I ordered a Bambu Labs P1S so i can focus more on just designing and printing, while also having my tinker printers.

Now, we're getting a P1S at work too so part of my job now will be designing and prototyping custom hardware.

I never expected myself to go past just printing free models, but this has turned into so much more.