I’ve just changed over from normal masking tape to homebase (UK) own branded blue masking tape but now I can’t get my prints off the bed it sticks so well. Should I wait for the bed to cool right down or try and remove it while it’s still hot?
I’ve found myself having to use a Stanley blade to free the print and I’ve scratched the Ali plate up quite a bit.
I use 3M Blue painters tape but I’m not sure how it might differ from the kind you are using.
I let the bed cool down all the way and then used a sharp 3/4" chisel, bevel side down, and gently pry up at the edges of the print. Do not rock it back and forth side to side or try to scrape the part off the bed. When cool the parts pop right off the bed for me. Even large flat 9" x 4.5" parts come right off with prying up around all the edges.
I was going to buy the M3 but the homebase one was a little cheaper. I printed the Tulio Laanen marble maze yesterday and it took me 10 mins or so to get it to release. I’m sure it will be fantastic for small pieces but I might go bad to normal masking tape for larger bits.
@Andy_Shilling - Try Wilkos Blue tape, I found it to be pretty good in a stop gap. Not something I use most of the time though. Usually It’s Printbite or Insette Hairspray on glass or on bare ally.
I see that some people put glass on top of the ally plate, is this good practise or did it play a problem with hearing the bed, I might give the hairspray a try thanks @Ax_Smith-Laffin
@Andy_Shilling - did that for a while on my old Migbots due to the ally plate not being flat. You’re basically using the Ally like a heat spreader, as Ally heats more uniformly than glass, by doing so, so it’s only a good thing.
If you’re going for Insette, make sure it’s the Blue Cap stuff, the Red doesn’t work.
Although, personally, these days I’d look for a more permanent solution as it saves money and time in the long run. I can highly recommend Printbite, made by a UK Company, so first class Royal Mail shipping, standard 200x200 is like £16 or so, well worth the investment.
Thanks again I’ll look into that, I’ve got a 220x275 Hictop at the moment but I’ll be building one of Tom’s i3 mk2 clones once all the parts turn up. That might be just the thing I need on there.
No worries, Jason’ll cut it to size fer you, just drop him a message via the Flex3Drive website.
@Andy_Shilling how does your first layer look? Most of the time I have had too much adhesion, the z offset was too low and my first layer was overly squished into the bed. If you’re looking for another adhesion method, check out laser transparency sheets, they are pretty cheap and work great. You glue them down on top of blue tape, or you can glue it to your bed using a clear Elmer’s glue stick. Your prints will have a smooth glossy look on the bottom and they will pop off easily when you want them to.