sudomod

Hey all,

Working through my minty pi v3, and I'm thinking about painting my 3d bezels...wondering if it is something that has been done before? I'm not getting amazing results with printing the faceplate or screen bezels, and would like a smoother/more finished surface. It seems like everyone just 3d prints and goes...wondering if anyone has ever painted their 3d parts and if not why?

I have a "decent" print with a crappy first few layers, and another one that curled up on the edges. Ironically all my other pieces printed just fine, its the faceplate thats not printing great.

Regardless I was thinking of experimenting with spraypaint on one, and testors model paint on another. I work on cars and paint stuff pretty frequently, I know surface prep is key, and I'll have to use a higher build primer to "fill" the 3d print but I know I'll lose/fill some of the smaller detailed portions

Anyone have any feedback? Would anyone like if I posted my results?

Thanks everyone!

I'd genuinely like to see what you come up with, so if you decide to post something, it'd be great!

In my experience, painting is a hit or miss (but then again, that's just me). I don't do it enough to consider myself experienced, but I have learned some stuff. The biggest thing I learned is that sanding yields the best results. Even without painting, sanding at a low grit and then moving up to higher ones makes the surface nice and smooth, with little blemishes. It takes a while, especially if you're printing with ABS, but it does a decent job of fixing the mistakes that the printer makes. I usually take a handheld orbital sander, sit outside, put it between my knees facing up and run it while moving the part over the top. It makes a lot of dust, but the sanding and the slight melting that the friction causes makes for a nice(ish) finish.

More recently I tried using XTC-3D. Using just by itself makes a nice glossy finish, but sanding it once it's dry makes a really good surface for paint.

I use automotive parts primer when I paint my prints, hope that helps.

I'm just finishing up on a shell I designed myself. I printed it in PETG, sanded it, then automotive body filler and JB Plastic Weld, followed by alternating high-fill primer and sanding until the lines disappeared. I hit it with a couple coats of spraypaint before pouring epoxy resin on it.


It would look really good but I couldn't stop myself from messing with it when the primer was drying so it's not uniform.


The primer and sanding worked really well for filling in imperfections.

CarbonKich wrote: ↑

Thu Mar 21, 2019 5:10 am

I'm just finishing up on a shell I designed myself. I printed it in PETG, sanded it, then automotive body filler and JB Plastic Weld, followed by alternating high-fill primer and sanding until the lines disappeared. I hit it with a couple coats of spraypaint before pouring epoxy resin on it.


It would look really good but I couldn't stop myself from messing with it when the primer was drying so it's not uniform.


The primer and sanding worked really well for filling in imperfections.

Post a picture. Maybe you'll inspire someone to paint their mintypi as well.

Hey guys,

I saw a post from VeteranGamer how he made his TintyPi Custom Build. He sanded the 3D parts and painted it, and put Water Slide Paper/Decals on the paint... Looks pretty solid to me, like a professional handheld... And I think the results would look pretty much the same with the new v3.