Printing ABS using Elmers glue on the bed

I have previously been printing ABS on 6mm glass at 110 deg C covered with Kapton tape and a layer of ABS juice. It has been the most successful method I have found so far. But it is a load of hassle.

After reading about Elmers glue on here I decided to give it a go. I have now done about 7 or 8 prints. Not all of them successful.
I cleaned the glass first with acetone them polished it with a tissue. I have applied the glue to some at room temp before heating the glass up to 110 C and also directly at 110 C.

I have come to the conclusion that it works for small parts only. Larger parts lift and it is not as good as ABS juice.
Surface finish is not as good if the glue is applied at 110 C. It must be applied cold for a good finish. It also still has to be cleaned off and reapplied between prints.

Any tips or suggestions welcome.

I only use white glue for PLA and have been quite successful with it.

For ABS, I am happy with the Kaptan tape, but I don't use ABS juice - just the tape. I used to think this was a hassle because I tried to retape with every print job and it was very frustrating not having the tape overlap. Now I consider the tape as a semi-permanent thing. I always have two pieces of glass ready to go and I take care to protect the tape when I remove objects. I also use the soapy water method of putting the tape down. I spray the glass with soapy water, and then I put down the tape. I am able to move it around until it abuts to the next piece. Then I squeegee out as much of the water as I can and then just let it dry. Sometimes I'll put it on the printer and turn on the bed to help with the drying process. My usual method, though, is to put on the tape at the end of a printing session so it is ready for the next time. It's worked well for me.

I use the purple glue stick for ABS at 110c with no issues. Ive only had one print lift off ever.
I also dont wipe and reapply every print, I just add more glue to the plate. I can normally get about 4 prints before I have to switch to my other sheet of glass and clean the other.
I REALLY dont want to use ABS juice because of the chemicals and the smell.

Floyd: do you apply it when the glass is cold or when it is at 110 C ? I assume one coat?

Ive applied cold and hot and hot works better in my case. I wait till about 30% into the heatup cycle then rub some glue on.
Maybe its coincidence but ive also noticed it holds better if I apply with a circular motion instead of a grid motion.

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Floyd
I use the purple glue stick for ABS at 110c with no issues. Ive only had one print lift off ever.
I also dont wipe and reapply every print, I just add more glue to the plate. I can normally get about 4 prints before I have to switch to my other sheet of glass and clean the other.
I REALLY dont want to use ABS juice because of the chemicals and the smell.

No different than women using nail polish remover which they have been doing for years. ABS juice works very well and is super simple to clean up...a razor blade and like 10 seconds (I print on a mirror). Don't even have to remove the build plate.

Acetone is not particularly toxic. It is produced naturally in the body after all. It is best to avoid breathing it in though.

For me, ABS juice did not work if applied directly on glass. The print didn't just lift in a corner, it completely dislodged even with the glass at 110 deg C.

ABS juice works well if it is used on top of Kapton tape, but this is hassle. Elmers glue is easy and cheap to use if I can get it to work. I am going to try Floyd's method but my printer is in bits again while I do yet another mod.

I find Aqua Net hairspray works very good with PLA and ABS, just cover the bed lightly before every print. Takes just a couple seconds and don't have to deal with brushes or tape.

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dave3d
ABS juice works well if it is used on top of Kapton tape, but this is hassle. Elmers glue is easy and cheap to use if I can get it to work. I am going to try Floyd's method but my printer is in bits again while I do yet another mod.

Let me know how it works out.
I was just printing some stuff 2 days ago and it was a 3" cube box and it didnt lift at all. Using Makerfarm ABS with bed at 110c and Magma hot end at 230c.

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dave3d
Acetone is not particularly toxic. It is produced naturally in the body after all. It is best to avoid breathing it in though.

For me, ABS juice did not work if applied directly on glass. The print didn't just lift in a corner, it completely dislodged even with the glass at 110 deg C.

ABS juice works well if it is used on top of Kapton tape, but this is hassle. Elmers glue is easy and cheap to use if I can get it to work. I am going to try Floyd's method but my printer is in bits again while I do yet another mod.

Again, you don't need polyamide tape. You just need to use the correct glass and prep the surface correctly. I'm having EXCELLENT results with ABS juice and a mirror (tempered glass). Make sure you are cleaning the glass thoroughly. Use hot water and dish soap. Then rub/rinse with cleaning vinegar (or white vinegar) and rinse thoroughly, trying not to touch the surface with your fingers. The water should look like it is 'sticking' to the glass. If it beads, there are still oils on the glass, or the glass is unusable.

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tjb1
I find Aqua Net hairspray works very good with PLA and ABS, just cover the bed lightly before every print. Takes just a couple seconds and don't have to deal with brushes or tape.

But you have to worry about highly flammable sticky hairspray getting over everything....

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MrBaz

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tjb1
I find Aqua Net hairspray works very good with PLA and ABS, just cover the bed lightly before every print. Takes just a couple seconds and don't have to deal with brushes or tape.

But you have to worry about highly flammable sticky hairspray getting over everything....

I've been spraying it on the beds with no covers on anything for almost a year now. I would think its safer how we use it rather than the fumes getting sucked up by a hair dryer.

I'd say acetone is more flammable than hairspray anyway.

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 01/17/2014 11:04AM by tjb1.

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tjb1

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MrBaz

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tjb1
I find Aqua Net hairspray works very good with PLA and ABS, just cover the bed lightly before every print. Takes just a couple seconds and don't have to deal with brushes or tape.

But you have to worry about highly flammable sticky hairspray getting over everything....

I've been spraying it on the beds with no covers on anything for almost a year now. I would think its safer how we use it rather than the fumes getting sucked up by a hair dryer.

I'd say acetone is more flammable than hairspray anyway.

Actually, the aerosol in the hairspray is way more flammable and in larger quantities than what little acetone evaporates from me wiping some abs juice on a cold mirror.

How do you deal with all the buildup and over spray that gets everywhere? I wipe on abs juice and it easily scrapes off for easy disposal. I use less acetone applying the abs juice than a woman would spend cleaning her nails.

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MrBaz

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tjb1

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MrBaz

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tjb1
I find Aqua Net hairspray works very good with PLA and ABS, just cover the bed lightly before every print. Takes just a couple seconds and don't have to deal with brushes or tape.

But you have to worry about highly flammable sticky hairspray getting over everything....

I've been spraying it on the beds with no covers on anything for almost a year now. I would think its safer how we use it rather than the fumes getting sucked up by a hair dryer.

I'd say acetone is more flammable than hairspray anyway.

Actually, the aerosol in the hairspray is way more flammable and in larger quantities than what little acetone evaporates from me wiping some abs juice on a cold mirror.

How do you deal with all the buildup and over spray that gets everywhere? I wipe on abs juice and it easily scrapes off for easy disposal. I use less acetone applying the abs juice than a woman would spend cleaning her nails.

I spray it on the bed, not everywhere else. I don't have any build up elsewhere.

Hairspray contains a mixture of butane and propane as the propellant so not good.

I don't like the smell of cheap hairspray. Reminds me of old girlfriends.

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tjb1

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MrBaz

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tjb1

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MrBaz

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tjb1
I find Aqua Net hairspray works very good with PLA and ABS, just cover the bed lightly before every print. Takes just a couple seconds and don't have to deal with brushes or tape.

But you have to worry about highly flammable sticky hairspray getting over everything....

I've been spraying it on the beds with no covers on anything for almost a year now. I would think its safer how we use it rather than the fumes getting sucked up by a hair dryer.

I'd say acetone is more flammable than hairspray anyway.

Actually, the aerosol in the hairspray is way more flammable and in larger quantities than what little acetone evaporates from me wiping some abs juice on a cold mirror.

How do you deal with all the buildup and over spray that gets everywhere? I wipe on abs juice and it easily scrapes off for easy disposal. I use less acetone applying the abs juice than a woman would spend cleaning her nails.

I spray it on the bed, not everywhere else. I don't have any build up elsewhere.

Ah. Smart man. How do you clean it? Razor blade?

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dave3d
Acetone is not particularly toxic. It is produced naturally in the body after all. It is best to avoid breathing it in though.

For me, ABS juice did not work if applied directly on glass. The print didn't just lift in a corner, it completely dislodged even with the glass at 110 deg C.

ABS juice works well if it is used on top of Kapton tape, but this is hassle. Elmers glue is easy and cheap to use if I can get it to work. I am going to try Floyd's method but my printer is in bits again while I do yet another mod.

Try washing the glass off with just basic hand dish washing soap, and really rubbing it when washing it, then carefully not to touch the glass dry it with newspaper.
That way i get ABS to stick to bare glass without anything well enough to make many things, corners will still sometimes lift but the main part is really stuck there, so brim is solution to corner lifting.

There is no solution for ABS better than beer on 110C(real 110C!) glass. Don't try to detach hot model or you'll break the glass.
2mm glass is enough.

Post has been removed that I commented on.

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 01/21/2014 08:56AM by dave3d.