Getting good adhesion… Setup and Maintenance

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…on your printing surface can be a challenge, especially when you are just starting out.

Of course, your print isn’t going to stick if the surface is not level.

I initially used tape and glue stick which works well most of the time, but I was replacing tape constantly and tape would be stuck to the bottom of my prints.  If you don’t get the strips of tape perfect, you will get lines on the bottom of your print where there are gaps in the tape.

Moving to Mirrors

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I watched this Video by Nikko Industries.  I when to Home depot and purchased my 12 x 12 glass mirrors.  Here is an option from Amazon with beveled edges which are nicer to work with.  Took out some 80 grit sand paper and got to scratching.  I worked it for about 5 minutes in every direction, just as described in the video.  I have not looked back.  This is the easiest adhesion solution but sometimes it works too well, I will explain how I get around that later in the post.

This solution also provides a nice smooth surface on the bottom of your finished print.

Before you start, level your bed IAW (In accordance with) my How-to on bed leveling.

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Any Glass Mirror will do.  CR-10s like 12×12 inch mirrors

Step 1: Get your mirrors and scratch them up.  The scratches should go in every direction, so rotate the mirror as you scratch, 45 degrees every 30 seconds or so.

Circles, straight, angled – Wax on, Wax off.

The result – ever wonder how hard it is to take a picture of a mirror?  You should try it.

Step 2: Remove your existing glass and clip in the new mirror that you just scratched up.

Step 3: Heat up the bed to 60C

Step 4: Apply a layer of Elmer’s glue stick, Extra Strength put down a thin even layer.

Step 5: Start Printing.

 

Maintenance of your 3D Printing Surface

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Once you have your mirrors in action, it doesn’t take much to keep printing.

Occasionally, you will want to scrape off some layers of glue with a razor blade.

 

Then heat the bed back up to 60C.. Click your knob and follow the pics below.

 

Then another layer of Elmer’s glue stick, Extra Strength.

I never remove all of the glue.  I never clean with any solvent.  Print, print, print.

You may break a mirror on occasion but you bought 6 so, scratch one up and keep going.

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There is a ton of other useful stuff on Makersteve.com and more coming every week.

Be sure to check out my Ultimate Build Guide for Creality Ender 3 and the Ultimate Build Guide for Creality CR-10S / CR-10 – Step by Step

If you find this useful, please consider purchasing products through any of the links on the page, it’s free to you and I get a little something for my time.  Or, just go shopping at Amazon or Ebay  or Gearbest.

You can also support me through Patreon or buy me a Ko-fi!

Happy Printing,

Steve