Hot air thread removal
What’s a good hot air temperature to melt back PLA threads from a model? I have very thin threads across quite small openings that I’d like to remove. Thanks.
Re: Hot air thread removal
I use a Turbo, kitchen gas lighter (flame roars a bit and is mostly blue) sort of conical flame, I just sort of 'flash' the flame over the hairy bits...
not the standard kitchen lighter with the lazy yellow flame( this sort leaves carbon in the prints(Soot)
regards Joan
I try to make safe suggestions,You should understand the context and ensure you are happy that they are safe before attempting to apply my suggestions, what you do, is YOUR responsibility. Location Halifax UK
Re: Hot air thread removal
I just used Joan's exact method yesterday on a Gothic Lamp and have used on other various items with great results. Just remember to keep the flame moving and do not let it sit in one spot for more then a sec or two or bad things happen. One other thing I do not recommend this on certain white or clear filament's I had some scorch marks on a project that was white.
Re: Hot air thread removal
You can use a heat gun on high setting. Just keep it moving and don' stay on one part for too long. If you have go over areas more than once, let it cool a bit between passes.
-Kevin
-Kevin
Re: Hot air thread removal
Thanks for the suggestions. What I have is an adjustable hot air gun that goes up to 300C; it’s for unsoldering/repairing pc boards. I assume that is way too hot. The low end is 100C. Is that hot enough? Thanks.
Re: Hot air thread removal
The heat gun I have has a range of 120℃ to 730℃. To remove these small hairs/threads I set it to the middle of this range and move quickly. The small threads disappear almost instantly. Don't pause in one spot - keep moving. I haven't seen any burned spots, but I've heated some models enough that they get soft and start to deform (if you're wanting to reshape something this can be useful).
If the heat gun you have goes up to 300℃, I'd set it at or near the high end. If in doubt - print some test models and experiment 😉
-Kevin
-Kevin
Re: Hot air thread removal
Thanks, Kevin. Ground truth is really helpful.
BTW, what is that heat gun designed to do? It gets hot enough to melt aluminum!