Glue Stick Juice Stopped Working

[dkaustin]

I thought I had found the magic solution (no pun intended) to bed adhesion when I started using the Elmer's Purple glue stick dissolved in water. I dissolved a full stick in about 8 oz. of water to form a kind of loose gel and painted it onto the cold bed with a foam brush. It took several applications to build up a suitable thickness. Once that was done, I was able to print multiple jobs with no further attention. When it started to lose adhesion, I just washed off the bed plate and repeated the application.

Now suddenly, the dissolved glue stick juice isn't working. I'm not getting any adhesion at all. Calibration is good. Anyone else seen this?

[teoman]

Try a fresh gluestick??

[geneb]

The layer of glue you put down doesn't need to be built up at all.

g.

[Heflin]

I stumbled on a solution that has amazed me. I use the Elmer's purple glue stick and before it has a chance to dry I roll over it with a brayer. Adhesion is fantastic and it lasts through multiple prints. I presume that the brayer textures the glue as it rolls and lifts causing a slightly rough surface. Whatever it is doing it works better than hair spray, kapton and plain glue stick apllication combinations I have tried. ABS at bed temp of 90, PLA at 60.

[geneb]

I've never seen a brayer with a texture on it, just smooth ones. TIL!

g.

[Heflin]

I am using a smooth brayer but it is the stickiness of the glue on the brayer roller causes a texture. Kind of like using a brayer on ink, the surface of the ink is not rolled smooth but has a texture from the surface tension of the ink on the plate and the ink on the roller.

[teoman]

During my PhD years, i used to visit the labs of the materials sciences guys and some of them were working on hydrophobic (water repellent) surfaces.

Basically if you can get the surface fuzzy on a micro-nano level, the the water does not touch the actual surface because it just sits on the fuzz. There is air underneath it and it just slides off.

Now to the point:
One of the methods was to saturate the material with alcohol and paint it on to something. Then suddenly heat the surface. The alcohol evaporates and bursts out off the material forming the fuzz.

So... if you were to suddenly say microwave your glass plate with the gluestick slurry, you could potentially create a large surface are for the abs/pla to stick on.


Or create a hydrophobic surface where nothing sticks to

[corski67]

I keep reading posts regarding adhesion issues. Aussie Mega hairspray - Your adhesions issues will be gone with one coat. Clean it every few prints and just give it a fresh dusting each time in between cleanings. Other brands work well also but this one really sticks and it smells nice... Just like my sweetie.

I use a sharp razor blade to scrape it clean when it gets built up with a few coats. It will scrap off really well and you can just sweep up the dust or vacuum it off.

[ZakRabbit]

I'm following mhackney's lead and going with PEI.

[dajay23D]

i had adhesion issues as well and NOTHING worked in the BEGINNING. I started out printing ABS plastic. I tried the Aquanet Hairspray as well as the Elmers purple disappearing and both of them did NOT work. I even combined them. Finally, I was on the verge of giving up, so I applied the glue liberally. I mean I caked it on. At least 4-5 layers. I caked it on while it was to bed temp at 90C as well. Then it just worked! Now, I just wipe a few layers on after a few prints.

[VAXHeadroom]

I use Kapton tape with a slurry made of acetone and a little leftover ABS plastic. Let the plastic dissolve into the acetone, wipe the mix onto kapton tape and the acetone will flash off leaving a film of ABS. Works perfectly with ABS and PLA. Getting the wide kapton tape onto the glass surfaces without bubbles takes a little practice, but well worth it. I tried everything else and this works every time, every print. I'm printing drums and the drum heads need to be flat and smooth as they print first.
https://youtu.be/gAXCLEh_4QI