Got 3D, now what? HELP!

[customline]

I want to build some A and T and deuce hot rods but needed front axles. I bought a "wild drop" from A-modeler and a beam axle kit from Custom 3D Scale Creations. The Aussie axle is on the way but the 3D kit arrived yesterday and, frankly, I'm a bit flummoxed. I knew there would be a learning curve but ...well, take a look👇

☝this is what it will become if I can separate the pieces without breaking anything or throwing it against the wall.  Where do I begin?  There are tiny parts all jammed together and very fragile in appearance. I think I bought myself a nightmare before Christmas  😱 .  It comes with no instructions and the vendor's eBay site bears a brief narrative about warm water. I asked questions but their answers weren't very helpful to me. It's my first exposure to 3D printed anything. The detail is phenomenal and it looks as though the scale is accurate to a fault. Please help 😔

[stitchdup]

dip it in HOT water before you try removing the parts and work slowly. you may need to dip 2 or 3 times but the hot water makes them easier to remove. it looks daunting but its just a different sprue layout really. i would mark the parts too as once you start removing items it becomes easy to miss a part. take your time and you'll be fine and if a part doesn't came away easily dont force it. if you need to cut the attacments se a fine tooth saw, too big a teeth can catch and chip bits off

[LennyB]

Jim, you can handle this I have faith in you.  As Les said, hot water and take your time.   With real small parts you can lay out some masking tape sticky side up to hold them in place. 😄

[customline]

7 hours ago, stitchdup said:

dip it in HOT water before you try removing the parts and work slowly. you may need to dip 2 or 3 times but the hot water makes them easier to remove. it looks daunting but its just a different sprue layout really. i would mark the parts too as once you start removing items it becomes easy to miss a part. take your time and you'll be fine and if a part doesn't came away easily dont force it. if you need to cut the attacments se a fine tooth saw, too big a teeth can catch and chip bits off

Thanks, Les, I guess that once I get started it will become clearer.

[customline]

7 hours ago, LennyB said:

Jim, you can handle this I have faith in you.  As Les said, hot water and take your time.   With real small parts you can lay out some masking tape sticky side up to hold them in place. 😄

Thanks, Len.

[1930fordpickup]

I would say start on the easy part on outside of the brick and just keep turning it as you go. Patients will help you. Don't ask me how I know. Oops.  I used sprue cutters on my miss adventure. They were not the problem.

Parts look great. 

[gman]

That is an excellent looking dropped I-beam axle. If you post your progress it would be interesting to follow along. I am also curious as to how the 3D printed parts hold their shape when holding up the weight of your model.

[bobss396]

I think that some of the 3D stuff has TOO much detail, like the old Revell kits that were a challenge.

I like to snip the parts off far away from the part. Real small parts I work over a plastic container with a piece of paper towel on the bottom so they won't bounce out.

Some suppliers have pictures to aid assembly which I appreciate. 

[Shark]

The vendor I have purchased from said not to get the parts wet, might reactivate the resin. I just use a small pair of scissors, cut close and file.

[peteski]

38 minutes ago, Shark said:

The vendor I have purchased from said not to get the parts wet, might reactivate the resin. I just use a small pair of scissors, cut close and file.

Some resins are water-soluble, so I guess that's possible. There are lots of variables to consider when it comes to 3D printed parts.  I is not just plain polystyrene or polyurethane casting resin we have been used to dealing with for decades.

[Fantom]

I have bought a lot of stuff from that guy, his stuff fits well and just take your time and trim the parts out carefully.

[customline]

9 hours ago, 1930fordpickup said:

I would say start on the easy part on outside of the brick and just keep turning it as you go. Patients will help you. Don't ask me how I know. Oops.  I used sprue cutters on my miss adventure. They were not the problem.

Parts look great. 

 

6 hours ago, gman said:

That is an excellent looking dropped I-beam axle. If you post your progress it would be interesting to follow along. I am also curious as to how the 3D printed parts hold their shape when holding up the weight of your model.

 

1 hour ago, bobss396 said:

I think that some of the 3D stuff has TOO much detail, like the old Revell kits that were a challenge.

I like to snip the parts off far away from the part. Real small parts I work over a plastic container with a piece of paper towel on the bottom so they won't bounce out.

Some suppliers have pictures to aid assembly which I appreciate. 

 

1 hour ago, Shark said:

The vendor I have purchased from said not to get the parts wet, might reactivate the resin. I just use a small pair of scissors, cut close and file.

 

1 hour ago, peteski said:

Some resins are water-soluble, so I guess that's possible. There are lots of variables to consider when it comes to 3D printed parts.  I is not just plain polystyrene or polyurethane casting resin we have been used to dealing with for decades.

 

1 hour ago, Fantom said:

I have bought a lot of stuff from that guy, his stuff fits well and just take your time and trim the parts out carefully.

Thank you all and Merry Christmas! 

The vendor made a point of soaking the parts in warm water, so I guess that's where I start.  I think there's enough info here to start this adventure. Thanks again! 🤓

[gotnitro?]

A trick I learned to remove parts off the supports is using a hot knife to melt the rods away. Their commonly used in wood burning sets.  I like to melt the parts off, then snip the rest away w fingernail clippers.

[customline]

14 hours ago, gotnitro? said:

A trick I learned to remove parts off the supports is using a hot knife to melt the rods away. Their commonly used in wood burning sets.  I like to melt the parts off, then snip the rest away w fingernail clippers.

Another good alternative, thank you!

[Dave G.]

I had this screwball idea in my head that when you bought 3D parts from folks, that they were already separated. Hmmm, that looks like someone tried to cook spaghetti in the dish washer !

Edited December 26, 2024 by Dave G.

[rattle can man]

Good to know about the water-based material. I'm going to try my first attempt at printing a file at my library and they use water based/ acrylic resin for environmental and health concerns. painting it will be the next experiment after printing. They couldn't/ wouldn't advise on acrylic, lacquer, etc.

[Fat Brian]

7 hours ago, Dave G. said:

I had this screwball idea in my head that when you bought 3D parts from folks, that they were already separated. Hmmm, that looks like someone tried to cook spaghetti in the dish washer !

It depends on the seller, I've gotten it both ways.

[customline]

Hot from the tap works quite well. Only broke one shock absorber. I used a PE shear and a chisel blade but some of the less fragile items just sorta pulled off. Thanks for everyone's input, it worked out well enough. Putting it together looks like a fun time. 😕