Ok so I’m deffinetly old school but on my previous printers with glass build plates i would use salt water film on the build plate for pla and aquanet hairspray for abs and petg. (I always removed the build plate from the machine to apply the hairspray.). BBL states that to print petg i must first apply glue to the pei build plate to prevent damage to the build plate. Question is will Hairspray work as a disconnect layer when the build plate cools as well as the glue. aquanet is way cheaper and readily avail at local food stores.
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The short answer: Yes, I use it all the time.
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Here’s a tip that makes it easier to apply. I pull the liquid out of the hairspray can and load it into an acrylic marker so it works like a glue pen. It spreads more evenly, stays neater, and lasts far longer since you’re not losing half of it into the air as overspray.
https://www.amazon.com/Montana-Acrylic-Empty-Refillable-Marker/dp/B0112WE7D0/
Here’s the process. Note: I used to spray the hairspray into a bottle using a tube applicator like the kind on a can of WD40, but that method is messy and wastes a lot of product.
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Freeze the can first to drop the pressure. Using an old-style can opener, pierce a tiny hole on the “thin side” of the can near the top rim so the propellant can vent slowly. Keep the hole as small as possible and let it bleed off fully. I do this outside to make sure no flammable gas builds up indoors.
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Once all pressure is gone, open the can the rest of the way. Pour the liquid into a large bowl that’s at least twice the listed volume of the can. It will foam like a carbonated drink, and the extra space prevents it from overflowing.
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Let it sit uncovered so the dissolved propellant can escape. You can stir it gently to speed this up. The goal is to let it go completely flat. This may take a few days so if your impatient like me, I put the product into an empty 2 liter bottle so there is enough space and shake it while periodically letting the bottle open to release pressure. Even after that, you’ll still need to let it sit in a loosely covered container to allow gas to escape but reduce evaporation.
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Load about 30 ml into the marker body and store the rest in a sealed bottle. It will last a long time and gives you a controlled, clean application.
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Ok thx for the info. I will definitely be ordering one of the applicators this afternoon.
Aquanet unscented (specifically that brand+variant) is really good IMO
For PLA + PETG, I find it just as good as OEM liquid glue / PLA MAgigoo - and I am a sucker for how quick it is, spraying on a little thick and a quick wipe to even out. There are better and more appropriate glues for higher temp filaments.
The applicator thing is neat, probably would waste a lot less. I swear, this crusty towel isn’t what it looks like!
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I have one of those, but it’s crusted with glue stick I spread with IPA.
I’m all for old school, which at one point was new school. Cheap (I guess cheap is relative these days) and readily available. Unless they changed the ingredients It is flammable when first applied and contains alcohol
(Water (Aqua), Dimethyl Ether, SD Alcohol 40-B (Alcohol Denat.) VA/Crotonates/Vinyl Neodecanoate
Copolymer, Acrylates Copolymer, Aminomethyl Propanol, Sodium Benzoate, Cyclohexylamine, Triethyl
Citrate, Cyclopentasiloxane, Sodium PCA, Masking Fragrance (Parfum))
http://visalia-keenan.safeschoolssds.com/document/repo/b3c471a0-3b7d-11de-bc22-f8c243af2369
Thanks for all the help. I will keep on keeping on then, as I used to say. and hopefully enjoy a long line of good prints from this machine.
I have been using this Avery glue and it works perfectly. You get 6 large sticks for 10.00 and it lasts forever. You can also reconstitute the glue on the plate by spritzing a little distilled water on it. I’ll get 5-10 uses without reapplying the glue with the water trick. The nice thing about this stuff is it turns purple again when it’s wet, so when it stops doing that, I wash it off and reapply. Your mileage may vary, but it has worked flawlessly for me for keeping parts on the plate, first layer issues, and ease of removing parts from the plate.
Thanks for raising this topic. This is a good chance to address the recurring myth that certain glue-stick brands perform better on a build plate. Most of these products come from the same global supply chain that produces everyday classroom glue and rely on the same PVP formulation. For print adhesion, there’s no meaningful difference between the branded “3D printing” sticks and the standard versions sold in office or school aisles.
When I compared a Bambu glue stick to an old Elmer’s stick we still had in a drawer, everything matched: packaging, smell, consistency, and how it went down on the plate. Even the caps were interchangeable. The only variation I’ve seen is tinting that fades as it dries, which doesn’t appear to affect printing.
I also tested the liquid “printer glue” products. Despite the marketing claims, I haven’t found any situation where they outperform a normally applied PVP stick.
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Useful Tip: Use a damp sponge or paper towel to smooth the glue into a thin, even film. It behaves like the liquid products at a fraction of the cost. Here’s a simple applicator designed for that purpose:
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Before someone brings it up, here’s the part about Vision Miner’s Nano Polymer Adhesive.
I have a bottle of their $11/oz product($45/120ml bottle). Their marketing frames it as the best solution for advanced high-temperature materials. In my testing, I found one situation where it might justify the claims: Garolite/G12 paired with Nylon, where other adhesives underperformed. Bambu’s liquid glue worked similarly but was thicker and left surface artifacts, while Nano held up for multiple cycles as advertised.
Application is cumbersome, and for a 255 mm plate I measured the cost at roughly $2–$3 per coating. That’s a steep ask for most users. I use it sparingly and only for my Garolite plate, for my high temp engineering plate, hairspray is my go-to and it works well.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XDOaqR1DcwU
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