Painting 3D Printed Parts

[SuperChamp82 743]

I’ve smoothed, sealed, primed and coated smaller stuff with reasonable success but how do you best tackle larger 3D printed parts - like wheels ?

The reason for asking is I’ve bought a set of @VagabondStarJXF’s superb vintage 6 spoke RSR wheels in 1:10 to make a Black Porsche TA02SW look truly authentic and don’t want to mess them up 🙄

I expect you still need to smooth then seal - but how best over a larger area ? - then prime and coat - but, again, what works to produce a factory finish ?

Thanks in advance 👍

[VagabondStarJXF 350]

Thanks for buying them! I was hoping it was you.

AMPro recommended that the SLS Nylon stuff should be sealed with something like Tamiya TS spray paint before you do anything else. I've done this on my Coffin Spoke wheels (on my M04S Stratos) and the nylon absorbs the paint nicely. I think the finish, a sandy matte, looks nice but it's not gloss if that's what you're after. I'd assume that, after sealing the nylon, you could lightly sand then prime to see any imperfections that you could sand out or fill... but I've not tried that on wheels yet.

[Hobgoblin 1059]

Depends on the material and the printing process! SLS nylon is very easy to finish well with some light sanding, sealing then finishing as you would normal plastic. FDM ABS can be sanded or acetone smoothed with very good results, PLA is an absolute horrorshow! 

[SuperChamp82 743]

Thanks @VagabondStarJXF and @Hobgoblin 

The finish I’m after is the 1:12 semi matte on the original 934 wheels ?

 

[burakol 462]

 i actually printed an M03 Mini Shell and i had to piece it together because my printbed is small and cannot accommodate the whole shell as one... 

I used PLA as that is the only filament i can use on my printer... i glued the pieces together using a 3d pen along the seams... as for patching and sealing the uneven prints, i initially planned on using bondo body filler but i got lazy and opted to look for an alternative... i came across a post on YouTube that showed using a woodfiller as an alternative so thats what i decided on doing.. tbh, it doesn’t harden like a bondo does, but it is way easier to apply and sand; no fumes, no mixing, easy clean up... i am still in the process of filling, sanding, priming, sanding and repeat as needed until i am satisfied... 

im using a regular spray can primer and will do so for when i am ready to Paint

 

[burakol 462]

Agree. PLA is probably the least ideal filament to use nowadays... I’m very interested in doing resin 3d printing... looks promising to the needs of the hobby... 

8 hours ago, Hobgoblin said:

Depends on the material and the printing process! SLS nylon is very easy to finish well with some light sanding, sealing then finishing as you would normal plastic. FDM ABS can be sanded or acetone smoothed with very good results, PLA is an absolute horrorshow!