3D Surface Finishing Techniques - WerkplaatsIDC

This instructable was made together with Olike .

For the first technique we will use 3 kinds of sandpaper

- 100 grit sandpaper

- 180 grit sandpaper

- 320 grit sandpaper

(it is optional to use a 600 grit sandpaper if you want to have a really clean and extremely smooth finish).

Besides that we will also use polyester putty to fix some damaged corners and edges and a piece of wood to mix our putty on.

And the last thing we will need for our finish is 2 spray cans:

- 1 primer (made for plastic surfaces) spray can

- 1 paint spray can

We will use this geometric form to demonstrate our first finishing technique.

Start out by sanding the piece with the 100 grit sandpaper for 5-10 minutes.

Then do the same thing but with the 180 grit sandpaper and after that, repeat the same step but with the 320 grit sandpaper.

By sanding you will give your piece smooth surfaces without any imperfections or excess plastic.

If you happen to damage an edge or corner then don't worry, you're piece isn't ruined yet. You can fix any imperfections easily with polyester potty.

First, take the piece of wood and mix the polyester putty.

Take the plastic piece that came with your polyester putty and scoop a little bit and spread it on the damaged edge or corner.

(Don't be afraid to put a lot of putty on the damaged part, the more putty the better)

Repeat step number 2 with the same sandpapers after the putty has dried.

In order to have a good undercoat we will have to spray primer made for plastic surfaces on the piece we're working on.

You can clean the surface with a brush to remove any dust that may be left on the piece.

Some tips to avoid dripping:

- spray carefully in strokes from left to right

- after applying one layer, wait 30 minutes until the primer is dry

Repeat step 5 but with the paint spray can.

Give the piece a couple of layers until you reach the result you desire.

As we have seen with the first technique you can use putty to fix small holes or broken edges or corners.

To further demonstrate how we can utilise putty, we will be filling up a 3D-printed piece with an extruded text that says "3D". We will only treat the top surface for this example.

We will be using the same polyester putty we made for the first technique. Make sure you fill the holes that you want gone completely.

We will be using the same sanding process we used with the first technique. Start off by sanding with 100 grit sandpaper, proceed to 180 grit sandpaper and finish with 320 grit sandpaper.

Because we will only paint the top surface, we will apply paper tape to the sides in order to prevent any dripping on the sides.

After that you need to apply putty spray. This will fill up the resulting holes. When fully sanded, you can apply the primer paint.

Repeat the same spray process of the first technique.

For the last technique we will use a mix of hardener and polyester for the bottom surface.

Mix a little bit of hardenes with polyester

For this surface we will use a metallic paint coat.