cross-posted from: https://lemmy.world/post/5265624
I made this about a year ago and it’s one of my favorite creations. Even though I made a mistake in measuring the bottom and had to cut out some slots. One day I’ll print it again, but it used a ton of filament and took forever last time.
How did you print such a large item? Is it glued together somewhere?
Yes it’s 6 pieces “welded” together. I use a soldering iron to “weld” along the seams.
I’ve tried that before, but it always hardens before I put the pieces together. How do you do it?
Are you trying to melt and then stick together like glue? I place the 2 pieces together and then run a soldering iron down along the seam and “weld” the 2 pieces together while they are touching eachother.
Good tip, you can also add extra filament. You can use CA glue to keep parts in position while welding. You might find that CA glue is enough tho
I’ve had a hard time getting super glue to bond PLA+ and I think I had a hard time with white PET-G too.
Edit: super glue is CA glue. Right?
Yeah, CA and superglue is the same. Well I made 350 mm diameter hedgehog wheel by gluing 6 peaces together. It survived few years of use and cleaning. I also made a PC case, was going to weld it, but looks like CA is enough. Maybe change glue brand? I used locktite for both (abs and pla)
Thanks! I’ll give loctight a try.
Also, get some hand clamps. Helps immensely holding things together to let the glue cure. I use these. Not too pricey and can be used on many other things as well.
Yeah, I use glue, welding, and I have a 3D pen for filling creases as well. I use a 1, 2, or all 3 depending on what I’m trying to achieve.
Oh! Yup, that’s exactly what I was doing, melting them and then trying to stick them together. Is the seam invisible when you’re finished, using your welding method? Does it require touch-up? Is it strong enough, considering only the outer edges are fused?
Yeah, it will harden way too fast to do that. Like the other commenter said, use glue to stick them together, then you can weld the seams, and also add some extra filament if you want a smoother seam. I just welded that print as it’s all held in pretty tight in the drawer. There’s almost no gap around the outside at all. I just welded and there is a visible seam, but it’s minor and I don’t need it to be perfectly smooth. If you wanted it to be perfectly smooth, I’d add filament and then sand it flat and possibly paint if you felt inclined.
As far as strength, like I said for this print it didn’t need to be, but it really depends on what you’re making. Use your best judgement, CA glue bonds very well. I use clear gorilla glue myself. It doesn’t expand like normal gorilla glue. But yeah, I use a combination usually depending on what it is. Like I said, just use your best judgement and definitely keep the parts together and weld along the seam instead of melting and trying to stick together, lol.
Thanks for all of the tips! Sticking multiple pieces together has been a real sticking point for me.
Haha, nice!