Painting, Inlaying and Finishing

I understand that ABS and PLA can be painted with acrylic paints. It is possible to apply varnish such as urethane after painting?

Is it possible to apply coloured epoxy inlays? Or use some other type of inlaying material?

Thanks, Andy

for ABS, you might look into an acetone dip. I've found that if I smooth out the sides + edges w/ 150 grit (or finer) sandpaper and then give the piece a quick dip in acetone, it can give a smooth + shiny finish.
you'll have to experiment w/ how long to leave it in the dip (sometimes just 5 seconds is enough) to get the results you're after, but don't leave it in too long or the acetone will start to "melt" the ABS.
you could also try making an inlay medium w/ a thick concentrate of ABS glue in whichever color you're after. the ABS glue will form a solid bond w/ your piece (...and +1 probably give you more structural integrity.)

as far as laying a varnish over an acrylic layer, I think that might have more to do w/ the chemical reactions b/w the acrylic + whatever varnish you're using.

interested in seeing your results

I don't know if there would be a way to color an ABS/Acetone inlay other than with color filament, so that would limit your options. However, it could be cool. Maybe flow it into shallow channels left in the print, then sand it down a little to remove overflow. After sanding, a couple quick washes with acetone would smooth it out and make it seamless.

I would love to see more on this, maybe we need a post-printing finishing page on the wiki?

I've been wanting to inlay with Sugru. I'm sure it will work - I just need to make sure the piece is sanded first, or when I press-evacuate the inlay, it will stick in the lines.

I have been able to change the color of the filament using a perminate marker and just coloring the filament. I wonder though if this could also be done say if the filament was drawn through an expoy paint sponge.

As far as urithanes I believe most water based urithanes will not react with plastic, so you do not have to worry about a chemical reaction.