McGyver
Energetic
Well I'm a great believer in if get an eyeroll from the Better Half it's probably a really dumb idea, but usually that only encourages me
Also know that "oh B*gger" feeling when you're using kicker with stupidly super-strong super-glue then realise it's eaten through your glove.
Before remembering you've left the acetone on the other side of the kitchen.
Though sometimes I find while the idea was there, and the implementation didn't work out.
Instead it becomes a good learning experience.
Like here...found this little doodler on thingverse and thought there's gotta be some silliness/prank potential here.
So I go for the average setting, which then leaves the question how to smooth prints.
Acetone doesn't work on PLA and I can't afford 30 quid on smooth-on style products.
Hence the disasters here...from left to right...
Priming it after with car acrylic primer gives it that final smooth.
Though even without primer, base coat is designed to be painted over, so both acrylics and enamels work fine.
In the states there is a material call “Feather Fill”, it’s a sprayable, catalyzed two part polyester resin meant for auto body restoration... We used to use it to coat low density epoxy foam models... the “foam” is porous, but it actually looks more like wood, and is used to carve quick mock-ups for design study models or props... sometimes a client would want a more finished look to the model and we’d need to seal it... the stuff drinks primer and paint, but “feather fill“ makes a smooth shell on the surface.
Its a little tricky to use, and will ruin an airbrush or touch-up gun if you let it catalyze in the spray gun and it’s easy to obliterate details if one is reckless, so you have to be really careful... but it’s pretty cool to use once you get the hang of it.
If you look it up as “Evercoat 712 Feather Fill Gray G2 Primer” you might be able to find it... though it might not be available outside the US due to environmental regulations. A quart kit usually goes for around $45- $50 USD.
If you have lots of cash lying about that you want to toss around, you could also try brushable two part marine epoxy primer... thats almost twice as expensive, but more forgiving in that it’s brushable, can be thinned to a desired viscosity, and is probably easier to find in boating supply shops... but at $90-$110 for a 2 quart kit, it’s probably not worth it for small jobs, since it will probably go bad before you use it up... (average 1 year shelf life if you don’t nitrogen purge the can before closing it).
Or... you can try experimenting with various 10 - 30 minute cure epoxies which are way cheaper and can be found in hardware or DIY stores. I use them sometimes, for small items that need a hard seal coat... since there are often different epoxy formulas, thinning it can involve experimentation... depending on brand, formula or purpose, you can thin it with xylene, acetone, lacquer thinner or even denatured alcohol. But experiment first on something you don’t care for and won’t miss if it’s ruined. Here dollar stores often sell cheap small art brushes, so maybe the pound stores might too, as you want something soft, disposable and cheap to paint on the epoxy with as you usually don’t get much mileage out of the brushes.
I should probably stop now as this entirely unsolicited and you probably know all this already and are like “thanks, but enough already”...
I tend to over-share useless knowledge and suggestions a lot.
Anyway, sorry if this was stuff you already knew or was pointless prattle.
