Hey all,
I’m wondering if there’s a way I can cobble together a solution to print onto a piece of 4mm toughened glass. The glass in question is 20.5 x 32.5 cm (so quite different from the ~250x250 build plate). I’m not looking to print more than once or twice, and not looking to print ‘real’ objects. I don’t mind that I (presumably) won’t be able to print over the whole piece of glass.
I’m wondering if there’s a good way to attach it, and then what reconfiguration I need to do with the printer (a lot seems to be automatic, would it cope with a bed that suddenly gets 4mm higher?). I assume I could just tell the bed to heat a bit higher/longer than usual to get it to heat the glass sufficiently.
The back story here is I have an antique ‘servants bell’, which has a piece of (broken) painted glass in it, which I’m looking to replace. My freehand/artistic skills are terrible, so I wondered if I could use my printer to draw out masks and stencils, and then paint over them with a couple of different colours, take off the masks and then have a new piece of glass for the bell.
Any help or clues would be very welcome.
Why don’t you use the A1 to make stencils, tape the stencils onto the glass and then paint it that way?
On my printers that had glass beds, they were held down with binder clips, I don’t think that will work with that piece of glass.
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Yes, making stencils and sticking them down is an option. Experience suggests that unless you stick them down very carefully, paint leaks underneath - but it’s an option.
My previous printer was glass, and yes, clipped down. I’m not sure how to replicate that here, but I like the idea of the stencils all being properly placed and well adhered to the surface - if there’s a way to do it. Since it’s only got to be good for one print, I might be able to just tape it on or something similar. It just depends if the printer would be happy to print on something that’s not the actual bed…?
I think, adhesion will not be that easy. Some time ago, glass was the standard for print beds. E.g. PLA sticked ok while hot but detached almost by itself after cooling.
PETG on the other hand sticked so tight, that even after cooling you could end up with small bits of glass torn out when trying to remove. I still have such a glass bed laying around for my Ultimaker 2+.
I think the proper way to make stencils for painting is using a cutting plotter and something like Oramask foil, which is designed exactly for what you want to do.
Maybe you find somebody with a plotter?
Oh, just saw that you have printed on glas beds yourself.
Maybe when you want to try it with a printed stencil, for making it tight against creeping, you can spray the underside with spray adhesive ?
Just wondering if you have thought about making masks on a basic inkjet printer using self-adhesive photo paper. Of course, you’ll need to cut along the lines but it may be easier and quicker regardless.
Self adhesive paper could but an option. It certainly avoids the paint leak problem. There’s going to be quite a lot of cutting though (7 of the 8 indicators have a room name, and there is a line of text about the manufacturer). An option for sure, but maybe once I’ve exhausted the 3d printer route.
Back to the A1… If I slap a piece of glass on the bed, presumably the normal bed levelling will figure it out, but as the glass doesn’t fill the bed, if the levelling procedure tries to measure off the side of the glass, there’ll likely be an expensive problem. Is there a way to control the levelling process, just enough so it knows the bed is 4mm higher than normal?
I wondered if I just do a small print in the middle of the glass with levelling enabled, then do the main print with it disabled…?
Here is another option. Print the stencil on the printer, spray the back with a spray adhesive, stick it to your piece of glass, paint and peel the stencil off when dry.
Another good idea for sure. I’d have to make “bridges” to hold the centre of an “O” in place, and paint under it, so intricate but manageable for sure.
So are we thinking that it’s not going to be possible to print directly onto the glass?
I would at least have a first try on some scrap pieces i think.
That is the nice thing about vinyl cutters with masking foil:
The cutter cuts the foil only but leaves the backing intact. Then you put transfer tape (only light adhesive) on top and remove the backing while the transfer foil keeps everything in place. Then you put both on the target and remove the transfer foil. the masking has exactly the layout as the cutter created.
I wonder if a play on the painter’s tape cheat would work and a vinyl stencil. (although reinventing the wheel is always a good way to make more work for oneself)
With painting clean edges on a wall one sticks down the painters tape, paints the edge with the color from the other side to fill in the tiny gaps that are going to seep through, then paints the fresh color over a sealed line where no more seepage can happen.
I wonder if laying down a vinyl stencil (I’m sure you could easily hire someone to cut it on a cricut, HD2, Brother, or other plotter cutter) and painting a masking fluid to seal any seepage gaps would work. I just don’t know if there is anything you could use as masking that would not peel off your intended permanent paint.
Though honestly, vinyl stencils rubbed down well might create clean enough lines. They are pretty sticky. I would recommend testing the timing for when to remove it, relative to the dryness of the paint so you don’t chip it.