Polishing Bronzefill filament

[lbeentjes 1]

I'm thinking about buying some bronze filament soon, but I wanna know what is a easy way to polish the final print. Ive a video of someone putting the print into a rocktumbler, but they are pretty expensive.

So does anyone have experience or knows a simple way to make the print shiny and polished?

 

[ultiarjan 1,223]

here's the advice from colorfabb;

http://learn.colorfabb.com/print-bronzefill/#more-501

 

[ahoeben 1,948]

Personally I get good results with steel pot scrubbers ("rvs pannenspons") and lots of elbow grease. Finer steelwool just desintegrates, but the pot-scrubber works for me. You get a slight silverish finish, because you are depositing a bit of the steel onto the object.

When I am done scrubbing, I use Brasso metal-polish on a soft cloth. This serves to remove the silver-ish shine, and really brings out the bronze. Make sure you polish off as much of the Brasso as possible, because it will tarnish the bronze. Then again, the tarnished look helps making it look like bronze again...

 

[lbeentjes 1]

Ordered the spool yesterday. Ill try the things you posted. Thanks for the help. Ill post some pictures when I make some prints.

 

[conz 0]

3D-Universe tested some rock polishers to polish bronzefill. Looks very promissing:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aQmqQ2KaaJY

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1ehmPlluYMY

The polisher in the 2nd video seems the much better one. Sadly I can't find one of this in germany.

 

[pm_dude 27]

Wow pretty impressive. I had plans to make one rock thumbler and print the parts. I might give it a go

[lbeentjes 1]

Print out a rock tumbler? You got any link for that?

 

[pm_dude 27]

No I haven't seen anything. I'll make the parts and post it on youmagine. I just need to find the right type of motor first.

 

[lbeentjes 1]

http://www.thingiverse.com/thing:71321

Something like this?

 

[coffeecup 1]

Does bronzeFill conduct electricity like real metal?

 

[pm_dude 27]

Dont know but you could try with this if this is what you need.

Conductive ABS filament

http://www.makergeeks.com/coabs3dfi10.html

 

[pm_dude 27]

www.thingiverse.com/thing:71321

Something like this?

 

Yes something like this. I was thinking of something requiring less things not printed. This seems like a bit unfinished prototype. I don't think you should require duck tape in any project

 

[peggyb 169]

the 'science' will be the content of the tumbler. I am a goldsmith and we use these tumblers for polishing silver with different metal shapes (pins, balls, satellites) in combination with a soapy liquid. This will get rid of this residue, the water needs to be cleaned regularly. When using liquid, watch out for rust forming, keep the metal under water or dry them thoroughly.

Have not tried this with pla, don't know if the pla gets harmed by the water.

@ CoffeeCup: Colorfabb mentioned that the conductivity is very low because the bronze powder is covered in pla.

 

[pm_dude 27]

Have not tried this with pla, don't know if the pla gets harmed by the water.

 

I started wet sanding pla and XT. It doesn't become white unlike dry sanding. I use grit 250 at first. very lightly only on big issues. Then 600 and 1500. I also have 3000 if ever needed. On XT it makes a huge difference between before and after. PLA shouldn't be affected by water since we use it for vase and is watertight if well printed.

I think Shapeways uses tumblers with pellets inside to smooth their White Strong and Flexible but its closer to Nylon.

Something like this probably: http://geology.com/rock-tumbler/rock-tumbler-media.shtml

 

Shapeways

:

The 5mm cylindrical pellets we use as polishing media can remove up to 0.1mm material from the surface of your model.

 

 

[pm_dude 27]

in combination with a soapy liquid. This will get rid of this residue, the water needs to be cleaned regularly.

 

I was thinking to make the container in FlexPLA. Its flexible depending on the thickness but not elastic. Feels a bit like leather on the surface and is water resistant (I have a FlexPLA wristband I have almost all the time and it resisted to all water and soap).

I'll have to make sure the top is tight enough to be watertight.

 

[ultiarjan 1,223]

Does bronzeFill conduct electricity like real metal?

 

you made me curious enough to try it ..... no it does not.... (printed and raw fillament tested both)

 

[conz 0]

I was thinking to make the container in FlexPLA.

 

That is a nice idea.

The inner side of the container shouldn't be round. The expensive tumblers are six or eight sided containers.

And the flexible ones are round on the outside and with sides in the inside. Take a look at this video (At 1m20s she explained the shape in the inside.):

 

She uses water to avoid the residue on the surface. For that the container must be watertight. Don't know how the bronzefill will react to the water.

 

[coffeecup 1]

you made me curious enough to try it ..... no it does not.... (printed and raw fillament tested both)

 

Thanks

 

[Blizz 53]

That question was asked on the ulti-evening and the colorfabb dude confirmed that it won't conduct because the ratio of bronze is much lower than the "pla glue"keeping it together.

 

[pm_dude 27]

The inner side of the container shouldn't be round. The expensive tumblers are six or eight sided containers.

And the flexible ones are round on the outside and with sides in the inside.

 

I'm all up for it now . I just need to find free printing time between 3DHubs orders and work stuff. That will be a nice project to learn DSM too

 

[Blizz 53]

Glad the 3dhubs thing is so popular there... Been signed up for 3 months by now, haven't had a single order

 

[pm_dude 27]

Yes its enough to keep the hobby and filament gathering going . Not much more. I guess there are just too many printers already in Belgium

 

[jameshs 42]

Glad the 3dhubs thing is so popular there... Been signed up for 3 months by now, haven't had a single order

 

what is your hub ID?

I had a few months of nothing then 3dhubs gave some advice on setting up the hub, photos and ran a review test of the marvin print and things started rolling - not a way to get rich, but pays for new filament.

I think that the space is becoming more crowed though and the search seems to be on location rather than skill, but the guys at 3dhubs are really developing things all the time - so worth spending some time trying to make your landing page pretty.

Here are my early efforts - about to update because of printshow!

http://www.3dhubs.com/london/hubs/jameshsx

 

[pm_dude 27]

nice badge

 

[Blizz 53]

Mine's here: http://www.3dhubs.com/antwerp/hubs/blizz

Might not be a bad idea to add somewhat more pictures but at this point I'm not really interested in orders from there to be honest. I'm still printing so much stuff for myself...