this post was submitted on 19 Dec 2024
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The nozzle crashed into the print and tipped it over so I printed the top part separately and glued it there. Any tips how to hide the line where it's glued on? It's all PLA.

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[–] [email protected] 35 points 2 days ago (2 children)

If you can still separate the pieces: Take some big enough flat surface (has to be very flat) and cover it with sandpaper. Sand the pieces until they are completely flat. They will then connect without any gap in between.

[–] [email protected] 6 points 2 days ago (1 children)

This is the correct answer.

For anyone who wants an acceptably flat surface on a shoestring budget — or free — any piece of modern glass will do it. Even that out of a cheap picture frame. Modern float glass is extremely flat. Maybe not to optical lab grade standards, but certainly enough to render the gap between any two given objects small enough to fit on any piece of glass you're likely to be able to lay your hands on straight enough that you couldn't slip a piece of paper in between. Supply your own wet-or-dry sandpaper.

This is also useful for mirror-finishing the bottoms of heat sinks or the bevels on chisels.

[–] nous 4 points 1 day ago* (last edited 1 day ago)

Any surface that looks/feels flat will be good enough for this use case, no need to find a bit of glass. Most table tops will do. You might need something better for flattening heat sinks, but for 3d prints you don't need to be that accurate. The plastic will deform far more under light pressure then the difference in any relatively flat surface you can find.

If you have one then there is no harm in using it - but also not need to explicitly look for something that flat. Any table will likely be good enough.