Using clearcoat to waterproof 3D Prints
After repairing cracks in a 3D printed Bulbasaur planter, I needed to find a way to protect it from the elements. 3D prints are not normally waterproof, due to minute cracks between layers that could allow water to seep in. Having water (and who knows what else) fill up the interior of the print is not what I wanted, so set out to determine if a clearcoat would be the way to go.
Turns out that most clearcoats contain acetone! This is actually great for ABS prints, since the acetone will eat away some of the plastic, giving the clearcoat a strong connection. It also had another great side-effect. Sanding ABS distorts the color of the plastic, making sanded areas very obvious. The acetone in the clearcoat highly reduced the visability of those blemishes though, giving the entire object a higher quality visual appearance. The same is true for areas where support materials were removed. A clearcoat makes it much less apparent that supports were there.
Have you used clearcoats on 3D prints before? Do you have another technique that you use to finish your 3D prints? Let me know in the comments below!
What brand/kind of clear coat did you use?