Gary Lewis Posted January 19, 2018 Share Posted January 19, 2018 HI Gary How did the Bezel come out???? Ron - Good question. I've attached 8 pics of the Shapeways bezel. It is better looking than what the pics imply. I took them in harsh sunlight coming in at an angle, and that highlighted the roughness that exists. But, the first one is probably the most representative of what it really looks like. An observation is that the tops of the letters and the top of the bead are slightly rough, and might not look good when painted. However, I think we could improve on that significantly by making the letters slightly taller such that they are even with the top of the bead, and then using a file or maybe mounted sandpaper to smooth/flatten both the bead and the tops of the letters. I'll have to check on the drawing, but it looks like there's maybe .010" of daylight, at most, between the letters and the top of the bead now, so it won't take much. Otherwise, I'm pleased. I love that the 1/4-28 nuts go on absolutely perfectly. They aren't tight and they aren't loose. They are just perfect. But, the overall texture of the bezel could be improved. And I think using Shapeways HP Nylon would smooth things up. However, I'll need to work with Shapeways to see what needs to be done to the lettering to allow use of HP Nylon. But, I'd really love to see your comments. The good, the bad, and the ugly. Please. I'd like to get this "right", and your thoughts are needed. Are the letters "right"? Are the in the correct places? etc? I would like to see the project get finished in a grand way, so am happy to make another run or two in order to smooth things out and get them right. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PetesPonies Posted January 20, 2018 Share Posted January 20, 2018 Ron - Good question. I've attached 8 pics of the Shapeways bezel. It is better looking than what the pics imply. I took them in harsh sunlight coming in at an angle, and that highlighted the roughness that exists. But, the first one is probably the most representative of what it really looks like. An observation is that the tops of the letters and the top of the bead are slightly rough, and might not look good when painted. However, I think we could improve on that significantly by making the letters slightly taller such that they are even with the top of the bead, and then using a file or maybe mounted sandpaper to smooth/flatten both the bead and the tops of the letters. I'll have to check on the drawing, but it looks like there's maybe .010" of daylight, at most, between the letters and the top of the bead now, so it won't take much. Otherwise, I'm pleased. I love that the 1/4-28 nuts go on absolutely perfectly. They aren't tight and they aren't loose. They are just perfect. But, the overall texture of the bezel could be improved. And I think using Shapeways HP Nylon would smooth things up. However, I'll need to work with Shapeways to see what needs to be done to the lettering to allow use of HP Nylon. But, I'd really love to see your comments. The good, the bad, and the ugly. Please. I'd like to get this "right", and your thoughts are needed. Are the letters "right"? Are the in the correct places? etc? I would like to see the project get finished in a grand way, so am happy to make another run or two in order to smooth things out and get them right. The first pics that were shown seemed to be too rough, as you point out. I thought about sanding the edges too, some 600 wet on a piece of glass for example. I have a question about the way these are made . . do we know for sure it is totally solid beneath the surface? Sanding might uncover more "porosity" ?? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gary Lewis Posted January 20, 2018 Share Posted January 20, 2018 The first pics that were shown seemed to be too rough, as you point out. I thought about sanding the edges too, some 600 wet on a piece of glass for example. I have a question about the way these are made . . do we know for sure it is totally solid beneath the surface? Sanding might uncover more "porosity" ?? Pete - The drawing doesn’t have any voids, so the printing shouldn’t. But I guess it might have a glitch here and there. However, I’m willing to try - if we think that is the thing to do. Thoughts on that? What about the lettering? Is it correct? Anything else? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gary Lewis Posted January 20, 2018 Share Posted January 20, 2018 Ron - Good question. I've attached 8 pics of the Shapeways bezel. It is better looking than what the pics imply. I took them in harsh sunlight coming in at an angle, and that highlighted the roughness that exists. But, the first one is probably the most representative of what it really looks like. An observation is that the tops of the letters and the top of the bead are slightly rough, and might not look good when painted. However, I think we could improve on that significantly by making the letters slightly taller such that they are even with the top of the bead, and then using a file or maybe mounted sandpaper to smooth/flatten both the bead and the tops of the letters. I'll have to check on the drawing, but it looks like there's maybe .010" of daylight, at most, between the letters and the top of the bead now, so it won't take much. Otherwise, I'm pleased. I love that the 1/4-28 nuts go on absolutely perfectly. They aren't tight and they aren't loose. They are just perfect. But, the overall texture of the bezel could be improved. And I think using Shapeways HP Nylon would smooth things up. However, I'll need to work with Shapeways to see what needs to be done to the lettering to allow use of HP Nylon. But, I'd really love to see your comments. The good, the bad, and the ugly. Please. I'd like to get this "right", and your thoughts are needed. Are the letters "right"? Are the in the correct places? etc? I would like to see the project get finished in a grand way, so am happy to make another run or two in order to smooth things out and get them right. Guys - I forgot how UGLY posts via email are, and I didn't realize how long that post was. So I cleaned my previous post up quite a bit and put the pictures in the post itself. Hope that helps. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ford F834 Posted January 20, 2018 Share Posted January 20, 2018 Guys - I forgot how UGLY posts via email are, and I didn't realize how long that post was. So I cleaned my previous post up quite a bit and put the pictures in the post itself. Hope that helps. Gary, the shape file serms really good but that texture is obnoxious. Seems like there was some discussion before about finishing the pieces in an acetone vapor bath to melt the roughness. My only concern then would be what will it do to the crispness of the letters? I think the plan of increasing the letter height (thickness) is a good one, that way the bead and letters can be flat sanded on a sanding block. Does shapeway offer vapor bath? Alternately, I wonder if a product like SEM sand free would soften the plastic and reduce the roughness? Maybe even a coat of the thick self-leveling primer? As a last resort I have skills as a jewler, and given the right tools I could hand finish it to perfection... but obviously that handwork would be time consuming and not something I would be willing to do for mass production. It would be up to the individual to do said finish work. I hope this post does not come across as negative, I am very excited that this is now a possibility. Well done! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ArdWrknTrk Posted January 20, 2018 Share Posted January 20, 2018 Gary, the shape file serms really good but that texture is obnoxious. Seems like there was some discussion before about finishing the pieces in an acetone vapor bath to melt the roughness. My only concern then would be what will it do to the crispness of the letters? I think the plan of increasing the letter height (thickness) is a good one, that way the bead and letters can be flat sanded on a sanding block. Does shapeway offer vapor bath? Alternately, I wonder if a product like SEM sand free would soften the plastic and reduce the roughness? Maybe even a coat of the thick self-leveling primer? As a last resort I have skills as a jewler, and given the right tools I could hand finish it to perfection... but obviously that handwork would be time consuming and not something I would be willing to do for mass production. It would be up to the individual to do said finish work. I hope this post does not come across as negative, I am very excited that this is now a possibility. Well done! Shapeways does do some post production finishing to its products. Some shapes need a support structure (much like a casting needs sprues) cut away. I think they do -or can do- vibratory burnishing and polishing using various media. Acetone vapor works very well to "polish" ABS and PLA filament pieces, but I was under the impression that this bezel was laser sintered nylon. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ArdWrknTrk Posted January 20, 2018 Share Posted January 20, 2018 Ron - Good question. I've attached 8 pics of the Shapeways bezel. It is better looking than what the pics imply. I took them in harsh sunlight coming in at an angle, and that highlighted the roughness that exists. But, the first one is probably the most representative of what it really looks like. An observation is that the tops of the letters and the top of the bead are slightly rough, and might not look good when painted. However, I think we could improve on that significantly by making the letters slightly taller such that they are even with the top of the bead, and then using a file or maybe mounted sandpaper to smooth/flatten both the bead and the tops of the letters. I'll have to check on the drawing, but it looks like there's maybe .010" of daylight, at most, between the letters and the top of the bead now, so it won't take much. Otherwise, I'm pleased. I love that the 1/4-28 nuts go on absolutely perfectly. They aren't tight and they aren't loose. They are just perfect. But, the overall texture of the bezel could be improved. And I think using Shapeways HP Nylon would smooth things up. However, I'll need to work with Shapeways to see what needs to be done to the lettering to allow use of HP Nylon. But, I'd really love to see your comments. The good, the bad, and the ugly. Please. I'd like to get this "right", and your thoughts are needed. Are the letters "right"? Are the in the correct places? etc? I would like to see the project get finished in a grand way, so am happy to make another run or two in order to smooth things out and get them right. Gary, "HP Nylon" just means using their *more expensive* HP printer. Go back and read their product specs.... I think you will find the HP is only a viable option when it is needed for its larger build cube. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gary Lewis Posted January 20, 2018 Share Posted January 20, 2018 Gary, the shape file serms really good but that texture is obnoxious. Seems like there was some discussion before about finishing the pieces in an acetone vapor bath to melt the roughness. My only concern then would be what will it do to the crispness of the letters? I think the plan of increasing the letter height (thickness) is a good one, that way the bead and letters can be flat sanded on a sanding block. Does shapeway offer vapor bath? Alternately, I wonder if a product like SEM sand free would soften the plastic and reduce the roughness? Maybe even a coat of the thick self-leveling primer? As a last resort I have skills as a jewler, and given the right tools I could hand finish it to perfection... but obviously that handwork would be time consuming and not something I would be willing to do for mass production. It would be up to the individual to do said finish work. I hope this post does not come across as negative, I am very excited that this is now a possibility. Well done! Jonathan - I'll contact Shapeways to see how to get a better finish. Maybe they offer finishing, via acetone or whatever, but I don't see it when looking at their site. However, I think the best solution is to go with another material instead of the "Strong & Flexible" that was used. A couple that look promising are shown below in comparison to Strong & Flexible:: Strong & Flexible: This nylon plastic is our most versatile material suggested for both functional and decorative products. HP Nylon: This nylon plastic has excellent material properties and is recommended for mechanical and functional products. High Definition Acrylate: This black acrylic plastic is suitable for intricate details and some handling. Having said that, the one I have doesn't look that bad. As said, I put it in the worst possible lighting conditions to take the pics, and when holding it in my hand in normal conditions it looks much better. However, there is one thing that I've noticed that no one has mentioned - the letters "AMP" of FOG LAMPS appear to be smaller than the rest. Does anyone else see that? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gary Lewis Posted January 20, 2018 Share Posted January 20, 2018 Gary, "HP Nylon" just means using their *more expensive* HP printer. Go back and read their product specs.... I think you will find the HP is only a viable option when it is needed for its larger build cube. Jim - It is lazer sintered nylon, so Acetone wouldn't smooth it. But, maybe the polishing or burnishing would work. I'll ask. As for the HP nylon, that's a good point about the size. So, maybe the HD Acrylate? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ArdWrknTrk Posted January 20, 2018 Share Posted January 20, 2018 Jonathan - I'll contact Shapeways to see how to get a better finish. Maybe they offer finishing, via acetone or whatever, but I don't see it when looking at their site. However, I think the best solution is to go with another material instead of the "Strong & Flexible" that was used. A couple that look promising are shown below in comparison to Strong & Flexible:: Strong & Flexible: This nylon plastic is our most versatile material suggested for both functional and decorative products. HP Nylon: This nylon plastic has excellent material properties and is recommended for mechanical and functional products. High Definition Acrylate: This black acrylic plastic is suitable for intricate details and some handling. Having said that, the one I have doesn't look that bad. As said, I put it in the worst possible lighting conditions to take the pics, and when holding it in my hand in normal conditions it looks much better. However, there is one thing that I've noticed that no one has mentioned - the letters "AMP" of FOG LAMPS appear to be smaller than the rest. Does anyone else see that? It is hard for me to see that on my phone. Although zoomed way in it does look like the letters are not distinct from one another. I wonder what would happen if you attempted to wet sand the raised area with fine paper stuck down to a slightly resilient surface? This might polish up the flats while not leaving sharp corners. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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