Polish a printed PLA Part

Has anyone got a way to polish a printed PLA part.
I have printed some parts, and want to clean them up, and make them shiny.

SteveMac

The very first time you expose 4043D PLA to acetone it melts the surface and you can smooth it out if you're applying it with a paper towel. But after a few seconds it seems to be impervious to the acetone and it stops working. Maybe other mixes of PLA available in Europe and Asia will act differently.

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How about sanding, then varnish spraying ? Not tried that yet myself.

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Most of my technical comments should be correct, but is THIS one ?
Anyway, as a rule of thumb, always double check what people write.

I have tried sanding but i wasn't happy with the result on complex parts.
I will look at some varnishs and clear coats and try some.
Thanks

Steve

Acetone is not a chemical you want to mess with on a regular basis. PLA is just plastic. I'd go the route of adding a hard coating to it. Problem is that many hard coatings are also not to be messed with on a regular basis... like epoxy. You can brush or spray on a number of the better synthetic wood glues. I guess it all depends what you are trying to accomplish.

Acetone is basically harmless to humans. However, it is very flammable, and should not be used in large quantities and in confined unventilated spaces.

Our body naturally produces small amounts of it, and surprisingly large amounts can be found in cheap liquor.

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www.Fablicator.com

One thing that works for polishing PLA is the extremely careful application of heat, so the surface just begins to melt. I have successfully polished rough edges by holding them over a clean flame (like natural gas on a stove) for a very short amount of time (a second or so at the most). But of course, the biggest drawback here is that the heat must be applied very carefully and very quickly so as not to distort the part. Using this flame method is very touchy -- it is hard to control and you may end up over-melting. An idea I have considered, but not tried yet, is using a hot air gun (or air "pencil" like they use for surface mount soldering touch-up), with a very small aperature or nozzle. I imagine using it in very small areas at a time. The temperature and spread of the air from the nozzle, and distance from the nozzle would be somewhat critical. It would be much like using an airbrush, I think. I will probably give it a try one of these days.

i use a lighter to heat it up and press it to a flat surface. Doesnt work good in every case tho.