Best products from r/PrintedMinis

First up, I recommend dropping the IPA. It's actually MORE toxic than most any resins ( such as the Elegoo you got. ) Just get some Simple Green. It's actually slightly better at cleaning, for less money, and far safer. Only downside I have noticed really is when shaking it obviously foams up.

For curing chamber, I honestly just use 2 cardboard boxes. 1 small 1 to place prints on, 1 as the outer box with a hole on top where I place a blacklight lamp. ( I got: this one which works great: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07K788YLM/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o07_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1 ) I haven't yet bothered with aluminum foil inside, I just turn the parts a few times.

There will be a lot of variables in curing time, so you just kind of have to figure it out, but it's also not a delicate thing. The main "issue" from over curing is some colors ( especially white ) will change color a bit. ( In the case of white, it will get the classic sun damaged plastic yellow/brown depending on how long it's cured for. ) It won't really hurt the part unless you WAY overcook it. With my 30w lamp a few inches from the parts, I usually do around 5 mins per side.

For cleaner, you can add me to the long list of pickle jar users: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B002KKCLI2/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o05_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

It's perfect for the situation, though that one is a hair small for max sized stuff. This way you can give it a good shaking, stirring, spinning, sifting, the works. The strainer makes it perfect for getting smaller parts back out. It's basically the ideal object, at least for manual cleaning. Hit the cleaner with your UV lamp for a couple minutes every now and then to pull most of the resin out. ( This also works for cleaning up any resin mess you do manage to get around. Table, sink, sides of the printer, etc. )

I then just use my sink to rinse off after the cleaner bath.

I do recommend leveling every time you remove the build platform. It's easy, and can make a difference.

If you got the new little plastic piece with your printer that your plate can attach on to, this is to let your part and build platform drip back into the vat. You take your platform off, slide the plastic part on in its place, then the platform onto the part.

A note about the fumes: With the Elegoo resin, they are pretty minimal while printing. It's during curing that they can really get going, so keep that in mind to minimize exposure. Personally I use a large bathroom/walk-in closet, with the door closed and vent fan running all the time and this pretty much removes all of the fumes.

Contrary to popular belief the orange cover is not to protect your eyes. The resin absorbs the UV to start with, as that's literally its job. More importantly with the Elegoo Mars is that it uses 405nm which is really visible light ( aka blacklight ), and is extremely safe to start with. Rather, this cover is there to protect the resin sitting in the vat from any stray UV. So, you can leave the cover off for a bit to check on the part at the start, just remember to leave it covered for the bulk of the time, and try to keep any UV light far away.

Oh, a small thing I've been seeing so far with some testing: If you want tiny holes, square seems to work better than circular. ( Triangle/prism is pretty bad. ) I'm currently running some more specific tests on this though to figure out more details. It's just my early testing that showed square being more reliable, so keep that in mind.

A friend bought me this set for my birthday: https://www.amazon.com/Citadel-Shade-Paint-Games-Workshop/dp/B00KOD3FM8/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1537582745&sr=8-1&keywords=citadel+wash

I haven't found uses for all of the different colors yet, but I have used far more of them than I expected when I opened it. For example, I painted a zombie last night - I used my Vallejo buff to lay out a basic skin tone, then used the citadel flesh wash over it (which made it into a bronzed god!), then went over that with the green wash from that set. That turned the whole thing putrid, so I went back over the tops of the shoulders/head with the buff again to bring them back up to that original flesh tone, which worked out really well!

I'm starting to appreciate that investing in good paints is well worth it. I got some little eye-droppers so that I can pull out a tiny amount of paint onto my easel before painting (so that I don't waste a bunch of it), which has been pretty effective. I really like the bottles that the Vallejo paints come in, but I really like the colors of the Citadel washes.

Asking about the "best" filament for minis is kinda like asking people about the religion they prefer - people get all excited :) My own preference is AIO Robotics which has been always consistent in quality and thickness (doing four measurements on their PLA will always average out very, very close to 1.75 mm) Remember that there is cheap filament and good filament but I've yet to find filament that is cheap AND good.

I haven't used acetone like some other posters. My one "must have" finishing tool is really good sprue cutter like this one I got from Amazon:https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001TMZ7QA/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o03_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1 It will allow you to snip off junk very close to the model without breaking off delicate parts like swords and spears. I then finish up with sanding and filing with jewelers' files.

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Good luck!

correct, my process is: detach from plate into ipa bath #1, pick up and brush in bath with paintbrush to remove excess resin, bring over to waste bin, clip supports, wet sand base / areas to touch up, dip in ipa bath#1 again and paintbrush off any more excess resin exposed by removing supports and produced during wet sand, then final dip and paintbrushing in ipa bath #2 to ensure as little resin remains on the mini as possible.
in all honesty, after this process the model looks and feels clean and not tacky at all so unsure if it even needs a final cure, but i do it anyway, about 5-15 minute in my pot
and yes, all those turntables are a complete cluster of reviews, I honestly just closed my eyes and picked one that had prime shipping, lol pretty sure i got this one https://www.amazon.com/Display-Turntable-Battery-Rotating-Collection/dp/B072XJ55DG/ref=sr_1_2?keywords=turning+display+stand+solar&qid=1564585668&s=gateway&sr=8-2

been looking for a 3.2L ultrasonic cleaner, but they are all like $70 or higher, trying to wait and see if i can catcha sale on one

I usually start the printer before I leave for work in the morning. When I get home I will clean them up, so they sit as long as 6 hours before cleanup on a normal day. I have let them sit for 12+ hours before with no noticeable effect.

The cleaning / support removal process takes maybe 20 minutes including cleanup of the workstation. I cure them for about 20 minutes in a curing chamber as well.

I don't clean my tank unless there are resin bits on the FEP that won't squeegee off. The few times I have cleaned it, I filter the resin through a paint filter back into the bottle, then let ipa rest on the FEP for about 30 seconds, squeegee, and repeat as necessary to break up any hardened resin. Gotta be careful with this, I ruined a FEP trying to pick off dried resin.

Once I have completed cleaning, I wipe down the LCD screen with a clean antistatic cloth that I only use for this purpose, and it (hopefully) never touches resin.

I printed a vat cover on my FDM printer to seal it off when I'm not using it.

For the build plate, I bought some cheap microfiber shop towels from the hardware store, and I cut them up into patches. I put a small amount of IPA on the patch and wipe down the build plate, then toss the patch. I use these for general cleaning of my tools as well.

I posted some costs above:

> I'm estimating this is 3 - 4 liters of resin. Resin is about $40 per liter. Anycubic Photon is for sale on Amazon right now for $270. There are some other expenses associated with a resin printer. Safety equipment (nitrile gloves, safety glasses, apron, ventilation if needed), cleaning supplies (IPA, IPA storage, Ultrasonic Cleaner is optional), and consumable parts for the printer (FEP and LCD screen have to be replaced periodically).
>
>I bought an ultrasonic cleaner because its easier. it was about $60. Also I recommend a ventilation system unless you can put this in a garage that people aren't occupying. Fan, duct, and carbon filter were probably $50 - $60 total.
>
>I wouldn't say its a cheap hobby, but it definitely could be worse.

Some procedural stuff:

I like to remove supports before IPA bath. It seems to give a better finish to any spots the supports make.

I have 3 IPA baths - An older "dirty" IPA bath, a large ziplock bag with IPA, and a newer "clean" bath.

After cutting supports, I dunk the minis in the dirty bath, then toss them in the ziplock bag. I put the ziplock bag in an ultrasonic cleaner filled with water for 5 minutes, as shown in this link https://ntrs.nasa.gov/archive/nasa/casi.ntrs.nasa.gov/19690000520.pdf

I then remove the models and do a dunk and a light shake in the clean bath, which is a pickle container with strainer

This all may be over kill but its pretty quick and hasn't failed me yet.

I remove and put the models in the UV chamber for 20 minutes, give or take.

I do all my work on a sheet of wax paper, so when I'm done I can wad up all my waste and toss it.

That is pretty much my process.

Occasionally I will set my sealed IPA containers in the sun so the resin drops out. I am still looking for a good way to filter the dry resin out of the IPA. For now it just settles at the bottom of the container.

If you have any questions about getting the Photon going, give me a holler. I made all of the regular mistakes, so can probably help.

I will say the following:

Leveling the plate is the most important thing you can do. My process is a lot like the generic instructions, but I take it a step farther: When I level the very first time, I loosen the top screw, and the four build plate screws as well. I then use the paper method (Get a regular piece of printer paper under the plate and gently .01mm lower the plate from 0 until the paper can be pulled out, but not pushed back in. I then hold the plate in my hand and don't let it move as I tighten down the 4 plate screws in an X formation. I then check the paper, and usually have to lower it a few .01 mm at a time until it's back to being tight. Then I hold the plate again by hand and tighten the center screw. Finally, I hold the square head and tighten down a quarter turn or so more to really lock it in place. At that point, I try to leave it alone until it gets moved, or prints get weird. I haven't had to re-level this since then.

For the Thumb Drive: Seriously, replace the one it comes with. I fixed a lot of problems by spending $10 at Frys. Resist temptation to get a large drive. You don't need it, and it can mess up on the Photon. I got a 16GB Sony, and it works really well. I still have occasional issues where I've ejected the drive, and will have to put it back in the computer, and re-eject. This happens about 1/6 or so times. A little irritating, but not a huge issue.

Download Chitubox. Use it. Forget the included Photon Slicer, which is simply an older version of Chitubox, and is inferior in every way.

Don't be afraid to use 3rd party resin. Like I said, I use Elegoo grey. It's a little thinner, but that doesn't seem to give me any less in the way of prints, but it does make it a little easier to get off of the build plate.

Invest in some plastic putty knives. By some, I mean a lot. They're about $1 each at Home Depot, or you can buy in bulk from Amaozn. I also sometimes use a [plastic razor scraper ] (https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B076BBW1WM/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o05__o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1), but honestly, the plastic putty knives work great. I never use metal on the build plate.

Stir your resin between prints.

Don't overfill resin.

Inspect your print basin every few days for leaks. A leak onto your LED screen is a bear to get off.

Buy a big pack of nitrile gloves, a bunch of 99% IPA, and some jars or bins where you can rinse off resin.

You can buy a $11 UV nail curing station from Amazon that'll work beautifully to cure your prints. It actually works great, and there's no real reason to buy something more expensive, except for convenience.

Anyway, I could go on, but this is a basic overview based on all of the mistakes I've made, and hopefully learned from!

Edit : thanks for the gold!

Oh my wolf and his tiny feets haha Sorry about that! Spiders looks great though~


So, I'd go with gluing it back on or using it as a dead wolf mini. Super glue has worked swell for me when repairing minis. This has been recommended to me, and also works great. It is a bit more forgiving than super glue.

https://www.amazon.com/SCIGRIP-10315-Acrylic-Cement-Low-VOC/dp/B003HNFLMY/ref=sr_1_3?keywords=acrylic+cement+glue&qid=1566472844&s=gateway&sr=8-3


Cheers,

Mia Kay

If you want to be on the save side you need the following (besides resin):

• Isopropanol (99%)
  
• Some kind of plastic jar, where you can fill Isopropanol inside to clean the print (like this one: https://www.amazon.de/gp/product/B002KKCLI2/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1 )
  
• Disposable Gloves
  
• Safety Goggles
  
• Either a well ventilated Working area or a respirator mask
  
• A spatula since the one that comes with the printer is not very good.
  
• A ton of paper towels
  
• Microfiber towels, a few. Best would be two different colors. One to clean the inside of the resin vet and one for the outside/the display with a few drops of Isopropanol.
  
• A few replacement FEP sheets for the vet, since that is one thing you have to replace after a while.
  
• Some kind of metal/plastic tray. I put that on the table and the paper towels inside for when I remove the print, since I tend to remove support structures before curing the print.
  
• Some UV Light to cure the print, but the sun does work as well.
  
  There are a few good tutorials how to handle a resin printer on youtube, I'd watch these to prepare as well.

(Note in case the Reddit redesign doesn't make it clear: there are three pics in the gallery.)

I bought my character from HeroForge and printed him in a wood/PLA filament. I'm really happy with the results in person. The photos are big enough that it really highlights the layers and any small color differences. (And also some pieces of fluff from when I was cleaning the stain off of him that I removed after seeing the pics.) In real life, the layer lines are not very visible, and look more like wood grain where they can be seen.

I printed in 0.1 mm layers, with the tree root-looking supports from Meshmixer. I then stained him with an Olympic color called Royal Mahogany. I just dipped him in and then wiped him off pretty much right away - previous tests had shown that leaving the stain on for 10 minutes didn't really look any different. Happy to add other details if desired.

There is some work involved to clean them up, but it's really not that much hassle. I bought two of these pickle jars from Amazon and have filled them half way with 99% IPA, once the prints are finished I put on some nitrile gloves, get the prints off the print bed and into the first pickle tub and gently slosh them around in there for about a minute then use the pickle tray to easily get the prints out and into the other IPA pickle tub and give them another minute of rinsing. And then it's just removing the supports and giving them a bit of time in the sun or under a UV led lamp to harden.

i have an ender 3 pro and after saying no to any upgrades I finally started to see what everyone is talking about 6 months down the road. here is a list of things that you will see a lot of you tubers tell you to replace. the YouTube channel Tomb of 3D Printed Horrors is a great resource for everything about the ender 3.

1. new boden tube and couplings that are alot better to use then stock https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07DC594D6/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o01_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
   
2. THIS IS A MUST HAVE! a new metal extruder (eliminates a crap ton of extrusion issues) https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B079JZ374W/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o02_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
   
3. Glass bed (best bed adhesion with 0 cleanup) this is optional but does solve a ton of issues down the road https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07JKGNB6W/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o06_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
   
4. extra nozzles in a variety of sizes (not needed but nice to play with different sizes and to clear any clogs fast you can just replace the nozzle....i run .2, .4, and .8) https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07JPZ7TNX/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o03_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
   
   the YouTube Chanel Tomb of 3D Printed Horrors has a step by step build guide for your ender 3 ( i used it for mine) he will recommend most of this list as well. He also has other videos on the slicer settings you will use for Cura. for D&D models you can use this google doc list https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1PemvBH7LC-hm4KoeA8OXVu5_k963Vpmw7kOEA_1tzWs/edit?pli=1#gid=0

We have a 10s, but the same basic upgrades apply. Your goal is to increase stability and repeatability.

Springs:

https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B07M7MP2FC/

They're longer than the originals, and much stiffer. We went from having to relevel every print to never touching it once we had it dialed in.

Mirror bed:

https://www.ikea.com/us/en/p/lots-mirror-39151700/

Replaced the glass bed with one of these. Huge improvement over the original bed, especially since it meant we could swap out build plates without touching the leveling. Just unclip, remove old plate, add new plate. Wash with dish soap and water, wipe down and air dry.

Tools and parts for Petsfang:

https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B07R1H3Z8X/

https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B07DXRNYNX/

https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B071WMHNG5/

These and whatever M screw set floats your budget are all you need to print and install the Petsfang.

1. Nitrile Gloves
   
2. Two sealable plastic containers for Isopropyl Alcohol. Pickle container with strainer
   
3. 90% Isopropyl Alcohol
   
4. Some type of 405nm UV light - I use UV strip lights
   
   
5. Little Squeegee wiper things to clean resin off the FEP without damaging it.
   
   
   
6. Optional but highly recommended: Organic vapor Respirator

I have/had the maker select. I fought it about ever other print I did on it until it finally became more expensive to troubleshoot than buy a new printer. Thats when I got the ender 3. I honestly think the ender 3 prints way better than the maker select ever did for me. Dont get me wrong the maker select was a good printer when it printed but I think the ender 3 outperforms it.

Yes the whole myth around resin being so expensive I think stems from a couple years ago when it was waaayyy more expensive and the only players in the game were selling $3000 printers. It has come way down and just realize every single time someone say that it is 10x more than FDM they are either misinformed, lying, or an idiot lol. I think the fact that you have to but it $60-$150 at a time instead of $17 (what a cheap roll of filament costs) really confuses some people. I have done the calculations though since I print for commissions and my resin volume per mini is usually between 4ml to 7ml. Resin can be bought all day for $0.08 per ml. I love it when people try to argue with me on it though :)

[Here are the connectors I bought](https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01MQYJ9T6/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o09_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1) you probably could find a smaller pack but this is the size you need. The connecter on the hotend side is a different size, but I didnt have any problems with that one so I only replaced the one on the extruder.

Buy an new extruder, the plastic one will start to wear out after your first roll of PLA. Get one of the all metal ones like this

https://www.amazon.com/SCIGRIP-10315-Acrylic-Cement-Low-VOC/dp/B003HNFLMY/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?keywords=scigrip+pla&qid=1564958389&s=gateway&sr=8-1

This is the stuff I use and it works great. It only works for certain plastics which has been nice because it peels off anything I accidentally get it on.

I've been meaning to coat some pieces with the stuff because it kind of melts the plastic to weld it together. Doesn't do it enough to disfigured the print but it might be enough to hide the layer lines.