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#Sanding/smoothing complex parts?
green oysterBOT
white gust
I was wondering how you can sand or smooth parts with complicated details.
Slowly. Methodically. With small tools. With patience. There's lots of printable sanding tools to help get in to small areas.
https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:4639552
crisp locust
Try to file as much as possible, then use emery boards or nail files to sand more they can be cut to size, then to get the final details use a toothbrush with some car polishing compound and work it in, this is by no means a perfect finish but it will get you close enough to be able to to cover with filler primer to look smooth.
crisp locust
That’s the one I use, the compound is not a filler, it works like very fine sand paper in liquid form so can get in the gaps you can’t with paper.
Bondo is a filler and you can use that before the compound and then polish it up smooth
tired flower
The things I use.
Small jewelry file set off Amazon.
Metal nail file at CVS or dollar store
Popsicle stick and wrap sanding paper around it.
outer terrace
Sometimes there is just details and small spaces you can't sand or it will be a pain to sand. If it's small areas and such it probably won't even be that noticeable thay it wasn't sanded unless you really look at it and are close up.
Take Frank's mk39 suit for example. Its pretty much impossible to try and sand inbetween all the hexagons on starboost. So he just sanded the outer faces of the hexagons and didn't sand between them. Then he just coated it probably with filler primer which is going to fill in some of the layer lines between the hexagons and then painted when he was done with the priming stage
untold marlin
2 part resin or uv resin will give you a good start when carefully applied and allowed to dry. YMMV
white gust
@hasty comet I think what he's suggesting is the popular technique right now for people who don't feel like sanding.
You use either layers of 2-part resin (like fiberglass resin, or SmoothOn, or XTC, or the 10 other brands) and paint that on with a foam brush to act like an overall filler/smoother to hide layer lines (and other details).
If you have are or willing to us UV resin (like for resin printers), you can do the same with that. Just whatever kind of resin you might like, have handy, feel better using, etc.