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Acetone vapor smoothing ABS and metal

Posted by etfrench

etfrench

Acetone vapor smoothing ABS and metal
September 17, 2016 03:28AM

Registered: 9 years ago
Posts: 483

I have a hinge printed in ABS and want to smooth the surface for looks. The hinge uses a steel rod for the pin. The holes have been drilled and reamed for a tight fit on the steel rod. Would it be better to leave a rod in each side of the hinge (using different rods for each side) during the vapor smoothing or just do the vapor smoothing without the rods?

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Origamib

Re: Acetone vapor smoothing ABS and metal
September 17, 2016 08:16AM

Registered: 8 years ago
Posts: 601

If you leave a rod in there, it will probably get stuck. The acetone 'melts' the abs, leaving the surface sticky. so any metal rod in the hinge could get stuck. Acetone also weakens ABS prints, so if this is a particularly load bearing hinge you may not want to do this. Consider printing with 4-5 perimeters and sanding instead to maintain strength.

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DaGameFace

Re: Acetone vapor smoothing ABS and metal
September 17, 2016 03:18PM

Registered: 8 years ago
Posts: 318

if you dont want a reprint, I would suggest 2-3 coats of primer and a sanding then a finish coat

If you need some help, or don't understand what I just said, feel free to send me a PM anytime

Printer: Prusa i3, 2 E3D v6 Hotends, Arduino + RAMPS 1.4 with a Bypassed 5V Regulator, 400w Insignia ATX PSU, Custom Designed Bowden Extruders

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etfrench

Re: Acetone vapor smoothing ABS and metal
September 18, 2016 03:03AM

Registered: 9 years ago
Posts: 483

Thanks for the replies. There won't be a lot of force on the hinge, so the vapor smoothing shouldn't affect the operation. Painting would require a lot more skill to make the parts look good. There are way too many nooks and crannies in the design for my skill level at painting smiling smiley

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Srek

Re: Acetone vapor smoothing ABS and metal
September 18, 2016 06:30AM

Registered: 12 years ago
Posts: 2,470

I always smooth first and then drill, ream or tap any holes. Anything you put in the holes during vapor smoothing will very likely get stuck thoroughly.

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DjDemonD

Re: Acetone vapor smoothing ABS and metal
September 20, 2016 07:35PM

Registered: 8 years ago
Posts: 3,525

Can you pull the metal part out and coat it in vaseline, then do the smoothing?

Simon Khoury

Co-founder of [www.precisionpiezo.co.uk] Accurate, repeatable, versatile Z-Probes
Published:Inventions