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Polishing your Head

Posted: Sat Apr 19, 2014 5:24 pm
by JohnStack
Don't know if anyone has posted this but if you sand the tip of your printer head with 1500 grit, wet, nubs pop right off, none of that burned nastiness.

Re: Polishing your Head

Posted: Sat Apr 19, 2014 5:39 pm
by mhackney
A good "tip" to polish but a better way is to use a little metal/brass polish. It's really easy and you get a mirror finish, here's how:

Get a 4" square of heavy cloth - old blue jean denim is perfect for this. Lay it on a flat table blue side up. Put 1 drop or a small dap of polish on the cloth. Hold the cloth down with your off hand and the nozzle in your good hand and rub the tip briskly in circular strokes on the cloth/polish. This takes about 15 seconds and leaves an absolute mirror surface. Much smoother than 1500 grit wet sanding. You'll be even more amazed!

Re: Polishing your Head

Posted: Sun Apr 20, 2014 11:41 pm
by McSlappy
I was pleased, after reading the title of this thread, that it contained awesome information instead of a joke.

Anyone stuck the nozzle in a chuck and polished the slopes of the nozzle too?

Re: Polishing your Head

Posted: Mon Apr 21, 2014 8:23 am
by Fester
I have a small round brass dremal brush that i use to clean the outside of the nozzle in between prints , still looks like new. At some time I may use the brass polish method posted here to really shine her up.

Re: Polishing your Head

Posted: Mon Apr 21, 2014 8:44 am
by mhackney
McSlappy, if you use the method I describe it actually polishes the slopes too. The cloth is soft enough to deform and polish that area. I polish a LOT of brass, aluminum and nickel silver for my hand crafted reels (look at my avatar) and this is how I polish all my screws and small parts.

Fester, the problem with any abrasive like a brush is it leaves microscratches. It might look shiny but look at the surface with a loop or microscope. Molton PLA will grab onto those scratches tenaciously! Polish leaves much finer scratches - too fine for the PLA to grab on to. Try it!

Re: Polishing your Head

Posted: Mon Apr 21, 2014 10:26 am
by JohnStack
I posted this in another forum too - but there was some concern over introducing FOD into the stream. I don't think so. As an alternative, they suggested trying this for ABS.

(Sorry, I'm not doing this.)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kNRvXJhpQ_I" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Re: Polishing your Head

Posted: Mon Apr 21, 2014 4:53 pm
by McSlappy
Ah thanks Michael - yes that does make sense now I think about it. I'll give that a go on some of my extra nozzles!

Re: Polishing your Head

Posted: Sat May 31, 2014 9:35 am
by p38nut
My kids gave me for Christmas one year a bottle of Mop-N-Glow. Works well if I keep it off my ears.

Re: Polishing your Head

Posted: Sat May 31, 2014 9:42 am
by Eaglezsoar
Would Brasso work for the Polish or is there something that works better?
I would like to find out from someone with experience the name brand of polish that works best.
Sometimes the nozzle is covered with a heavy coating of filament residue, in a case like that is it
best to use a dremel brush to clean the heavy deposits then use the polish?