I've watched plenty of reviews of 3d printers and this is the first one that doesnt handwave away the issues such as: just how well ventilated a room needs to be; what a company's understanding of the word 'beginner' is; and the number of teething issues you might face. I was undecided, but I think, like yourself, I'll leave it to the experts. I may not 'save' as much money, but it will be much better for my blood pressure. I very much appreciated this video. If I could click like twice, I wouid.
He forgot to add how much time you have to invest in this. You have to deal with failed prints even when you have the best settings, you have to do a lot of research, the prints also need cleaning up especially when they have no or bad supports or you have to teach yourself how to apply those. Its another hobby in itself. You might also just spent this time on painting and playing. However If you have a dedicated space like a shed or a garage and no children or animals can enter it, its a good option.
You've hit it on the head for me. I think a lot of people who are running 3d printers in their homes (without proper ventilation) are seriously underestimating the long term health-effects they're going to face.
Soooooooooooo why health risks are imprant to be aware of it's not that hard to have a 3d printer and keep it running I would say that it is not just a little cheaper it is 10,000 pounds cheaper I got a deal on my 3d printer it's a elagoo saturn 8k I got it a few years back for 200 pounds it was close to 500 new so far that is one box battleforce etc of miantures and I have used it to print warhammer dnd stuff it's good and now the ones I am talking about can be got for 150,200 online and it is the same quality of gw to print one marine it is between 0.25,1.00 per miniatures it can be way cheaper
@@GRANTry20 Time is money or at least it depends how you value your time. So If you dont have much time but good income it might not be the best trade off. If you dont need minis worth 10000s again not the best trade off
As someone who is planning to get into 3d printing, this is incredibly eye opening. So much better and more informative than the other channels skipping past the details. Great video 👍🏼
Absolutely brilliant video. I got a 3d printer a few years ago, mostly to print 2nd ed space marine arms. I went down the rabbit hole and printed loads of stuff... but now I honestly just wish I'd saved my money and bought the proper models. Don't get me wrong, 3d printing can be great, and it's certainly been a great way to get all the arms, weapons, and shields I need for my oldhammer models. But any problems that arise can be a nightmare to overcome for a beginner. Even something that should be simple like a FEP change can be so frustrating. I haven't even used mine in a year now because the thought of having to deal with levelling the plate, heating the room, dealing with the fumes, cleaning up the prints, and disposing of the toxic waste just leaves me cold. And the cost! I spent almost £100 just on nitrile gloves. Even heating the room went very expensive due to the energy price increase. If you use normal resin, you have to buy isopropyl alcohol in large quantities (and deal with the fumes from that, too). Use water washable and your prints are brittle, and if there's any uncured resin inside, it's gonna burst out at some point. And let's not even get into the frustration of an 18 hour print failing... I think 3d printing is amazing, and t certainly has its place, but I would advise anyone against getting into it as simply an extension of their wargaming hobby. If you have a real interest and have the time and money for a second big hobby, then 3d printing will open up a whole new world for you. Especially if you put the effort into learning how to digitally sculpt, too.
Best kind of videos - OldenDemon gets to make the mistakes and we get to learn from them! In all seriousness, it's nice to see an honest video about a tool which lots of people think is relatively easy to use.
As someone who owned and then sold their resin printer, I'm glad you made a video like this showing how resin printers fail prints and how difficult it can be to get prints done on a resin printer. Also, the smell and the chemicals in the air. After seeing your meter, I'm pretty sure that I inhaled a lot of bad chemicals while I had my printer. I'm waiting ten years and hoping that a lot of the issues you mentioned get solved! Thanks for the video!
Same here, the toxicity of the resins was handwaved a lot when I got my anycubic printer and I worry i've done some kind of damage to myself via poor ventilation and direct contact with skin
@suppositionstudios For all the resins I've checked the MSDS sheets for they don't typically include carcinogens or rings that cause long term damage, they're all just irritants. I haven't checked all of them of course, but long term health problems don't seem to be too much of a concern.
Thank you for this: I'm an older hobbyist who's been wondering about 3d printing, and this is just the kind of "real beginner" review that I needed to see. Maybe I'll look into it again in a few years, haha.
If you're not printing small figures or jewelry then you're probably better off with an FDM printer - the ones that deposit plastic. They're much cheaper and easier to use and you don't need to ventilate the room or anything if you just print PLA. They're great for practical parts. But if you do intend printing figures or jewelry than FDM comes nowhere close to the incredible detail of modern resin printers but you have to deal with the smell, the chemicals, the gloves, the washing & curing stations.
Curious as why you would wait a few more years to look into it? Unless it's from a location/space area i don't see reason to wait.(I had to stop printing for a year when i moved into a tiny studio "apartment" i could spit across lol) the more comments i read, Too many people think that printers are either plug it in, turn it on and watch it go BRRRR, or that it's black magic voodoo that's beyond comprehension. It's no different from any other hobby in practice, in that it takes practice and time to "get gud". how many people pick up a paint brush and start whipping out golden demon level paintjobs right away? or pick up a musical instrument and nail it? And it's gotten to the point where just like any other hobby, you can find good information online or new tips on how to propel yourself forward or minimize costs. I don't mean to come off as aggressive or rude, apologies if I do. PS. you don't have to spend as much to get into it either. my first printer was a black friday amazon deal with printer/wash&cure for $179. I don't use IPA to wash for personal reasons(it almost instantly triggers my migraines) or the detergent solutions they sell, I use simple green instead.
@@josephschulte1073 In a home with pets and young children the fumes are an issue, but if you notice in the video he had a lot of problems until a very experienced friend was able to visit his home and set everything up for him, including adjusting hidden menu options. So maybe in a few years when they become more user-friendly I will look into them again. You even said "it's no different than any other hobby", well I'm an adult with a family, I simply do not have the time to pick up YET ANOTHER hobby to fill my nearly nonexistent free time, not when I paint when I am able.
There is honestly no one making Warhammer content on UA-cam right now that i enjoy more than yourself. Equally nostalgic and relevant, funny and informative. Great stuff.
I was sceptical of resin printers to begin with and this video basically convinced me not to bother. I'd rather wait for FDM printers catching up, you'd be surprised at how good some of those can get if you invest in the right nozzles.
Getting a 3D printer is definitely more of a long-term investment than a shortcut to free models. If you have the spare funds to buy a 3D printer (and its associated extras), knowing that you'll get a lot of use out of it once you learn how to use it, then it's a good idea to get one. I got one a few years ago when I had some extra money, and the ability to print new models today - while I have less money - is definitely an advantage. However, resin prints are much more labour intensive than buying plastic kits, and only experts can get resin miniatures to the same level of detail as said kits. I also find that they're much less fun to assemble, and you don't get the joy of having spare parts on sprues. The enjoyment factor of having resin models just doesn't equal plastics until after you've started painting them. Also, yes, the learning curve for 3D printing is insane, and it is an extremely dirty hobby which probably isn't good for your health. You will inevitably waste a decent amount of money on failed prints before you get useable models, and the jury is still out on whether or not it shortens your lifespan at all. I have no idea how to end this, but 3D printing isn't a hobby panacea. It has its pros and cons. This said, I get a fair amount of use out of mine, so I personally recommend it if you have the time and inclination. TL;DR - 3D printing is great for Historical Henrys, but a bad idea for Casual Kristoffs.
It's definitely one of those purchases that seems brilliant on paper, but falls short in reality. I probably would have skipped getting one and just spent the money on more plastic knowing what I know now.
im more the historical henry. i started printing for getting either lost or completely overpriced miniatures. if forgeworld was a todays company, they would sell stl files and printed kits for sure, modeled by hand, but printed for easy manufacturing. i loved the modular kits gw once made, but modern plastic kits are monopose and painful to assemble, only to make it impossible to ad 3rd party bits and recycle leftovers and kitbash. so this era ended anyway, but i agree that assembling uv resin miniatures isnt that much fun. as an historical henry, for my view, its for example impossible to make a horus heresy army from what gw "grants" you. i printed so many parts, but mixed them with the available plastic kits to get what we deserve, what gw should give us. digital kitbashes start to become a thing, like olden demon did, swapping parts is now possible without buying 6 kits and merge them into a single unit... we can now put an macharius turret on a baneblade without wasting that much money. theres so much stuff we can do now, we couldnt in old days. 3d printing is for enthusiasts, which run the hobby anyway, but not the veterans, the actual modelers and drivers, benefit alone from 3d printing. 3d printing is not about free models, it enhances the hobby experience for everyone, not just for the printers owner.
It's been 3 years since i got a 3d printer for tabletop and i have to say that, YES, it is a long term investment, but that "investiment" i'm talking about has a lot of diminishing returns, even after 3 years i have to say that the proces of printing,washing,curing and building the models is one of the most frustrating and unfun times i've had with it. I mostly print and sell parts to my local tabletop comunity for conversions, but often it feels more like a huge chore than "OMG FREE MODELZ ON GOD XDXDX"
Yeah, the test model will absolutely wedge itself to the plate because companies seems to be more afraid of a failure than how awkward it might be get that thing off. It also prints directly to the plate rather that with more fragile support/raft setup that would make it easier to get off. Exact same thing for me on my first print, and I also snapped the model. lol All your mistake are very similar to mistakes that I would have made as well, an my first machine was the exact same model. I think it's okay to make mistakes, the important thing to do is realize that mistakes FEEL bigger than they really are when we don't quite know as much as we need to.
I keep wanting to get into 3d printing for the same reasons as you, but all the stuff you're talking about in the first half is exactly what keeps scaring me away from it. I'm glad you made this video, I think that because it's still a relatively new industry in terms of home use, it is an intrinsically complicated process with resin printers and the technology has not yet evolved to be able to handle everything automatically (slice, exposure, etc) with an acceptable degree of quality control. The most effective solutions is still "know a guy who know what they're doing to teach you". This video helps a lot and I look forward to seeing more of what you do with it.
So what i learned from this is just hire Archie's Forge! to come around to setup the printer for you ? What you really should have done have is put a link where we can hire him :)
Thanks mate! I was about to buy a printer, because I was so tired of annoying my 3d printer owning friend. Well after this video I'll definitely keep annoying him. Maybe I'll get into printing some day, when I have a private lab... Great video!!
I really enjoyed this and it;s so great to see a "beginner" saying so many things that I have said for 2 years. Your wishlist was spot on!!! I would instantly sub to your channel, but I already was. Thanks for the Shoutout!!! Also, what did you win the Iron Skull Gold Trophy for? I just rewatched my video from that event and don't see you...?
It’s gold in the Staff category, I remember chatting to you behind the scenes during the day, glad your site has gone so well for you in the last few years
@@OldenDemon Oh Crap, it's you!! Yeah we did, I was so nervous going behind the cabinets Next to you guys and people like Andy and Rich! a little starstruck!!! I've been following your channel a while really enjoy your content. Glad to realise who you are! I assume you are not still at SS?
I always suggest to make a proper setup for 3d printing station, keeping it just on the desk in the room, attic, shed, anywhere is just bad because of the fumes getting everywhere inside. Grow tent with air extraction system (hose+fan+carbon filter), that goes on a solid desk close to a window or vent on the wall if you have one in your room, 3d printer, curing and washing station goes inside the tent, you set everything up, zip it and voila, if you prepare it correctly all the fumes ends up outside and some of them already filtered, it cost a bit more, I've spend around 180£ just on the setup, but long term it is worth it. Biggest downside of 3d printing for me is just lack of space, not for a printer and setup but for hundreds of minis being printed over and over again because it is extremally addicting. There are SO MANY amazing STLs all over the internet, you can literally think about completely random army theme and I guarantee you, someone made a STL files for it 🤣 3d printing is fun hobby but safety is number 1 rule, especially if there are kids/pets involved.
Beginner printer here. I’ve been in your shoes too and honestly I did have reservations on buying a resin printer. There were many nuances to worry about besides the toxic fumes, such as worrying about resin curing etc. Yet every time I think I got it figured out, I get issues with my print products and some inevitably fail despite my best efforts. All I can say is, if you want to 3D print, you have to be COMMITTED. It’s a long term project and is a hobby of its own. At first I wanted to print one page rules models, but given the quality compared to Games Workshop, I’ve stuck to printing supporting props for my terrains instead. Highly recommend you do extensive research before buying a 3D printer and ask yourself if it’s worth the time.
It's good to see someone talk about the fumes from resin 3d printing seriously. I've seen big UA-camrs have 3d printing set ups that are not ventilated correctly and even some not wearing gloves! I'm curious how much of a deep dive you took to find these files because I know there's a lot of scanned oldhammer STLs out there
I own a Mars 4 and let me tell you, the about four dozen classic sculpt minis I printed in it were *not* worth the two dozen hours of headache its caused. I’ve had to replace the tank *twice,* and now have replace the Screen for a second time, and the prints are just barely right there in inconsistency where 9 times out of 10 they are fine but that 10th time the parts don’t fit at all. I’ve had the printer for 4 months and it spent most of the last month empty because I haven’t bothered to replace the screen yet.
Figured. you kind of need your own workshop. The real cost, of doing this is in the 1000s, considering you kind of have to sacrifice a room. And at that point unless you plan on printing 10 armies. Its cheaper just to buy the 1 or 2 armies you want for 300 to 600 pounds/ euros per army. (I got a 2100 point CSM army for 275Euros (180 euro spent on 2 different start collecting boxes/combat patrols, and 95 on a lucky 2nd hand find.) But you can buy good combos on something like Element games. where they upsell you stuff like "infantry combo" With Havocs CSM and a commander for around 20% off the already 20% lower MSRP Basically if you can drop 550 Euros on 3D printing equipment, and sacrifice like 5 square meters minimum (worth anywhere from 1000 to 4000 euros per square meter) of your house, you can buy the army that you want, unless its out of print. and then I would just buy from an experienced printer-guy
5 square meters in a house is pretty extreme. You need maybe one square meter of desk space and a window. The printer isn't just ambiently toxic and the air can be livable and normal when you aren't printing and curing. I have a waist high shelf in a garage by a window, works just fine. Also this is definitely a regional difference but 40k models cost way more outside the uk - the entire 3d printer set up including a wash and cure station (not required) can be less than $500. In the US is nearly impossible to get a 2000 point army for $500, can't think of one besides a custodes list. And this is all ignoring the multitude of other things the printer can do besides just printing GW models. It's fairly trivial to be able to pose models in blender however you want, making it the ultimate kitbashing tool and giving you access to model poses GW simply doesn't offer. And obviously dozens of other games out there or just printing cool stuff like a life size velociraptor skeleton.
My main selling point for resin 3d printing that wasn't touched on in the video is the flexibility. It's not about saving money over GW or eBay for me, but being able to have whatever miniature I can find an STL of in 5-10 hours time, without needing to go outside or wait for a delivery from an online order. I can rescale, reprint, mirror to my heart's content. If you are even a little serious, you can learn to do digital kitbashes and pose swapping as well (I've not gotten further than watching online tutorials yet). I now have armies for games that I can play that would have been expensive or annoying to gather any other way, and I can print them in a scale that fits me. Add terrain doodads, bits and bases...
As someone who doesnt really care about making 40k minis, I have a fascination in making general busts and models of all kinds and the ability to create something that isnt made is very satisfying. I grew up on gunpla and bandai model kits, it seems the general idea of paintable models from popular shows is pretty much gone and with ebay and wish being wishy washy its nice to be able to make my own models and adjust them accordingly to my preferences
soaking the freshly washed (not cured) prints in hot water (as hot as your gloved hands can withstand) and removing the supports in said water makes em peel off easily, no shattering, break offs are caught in the water. dispose water same way as your washing medium of choice.
instead of contaminating water I just wrap my prints in a microfiber towel and use it to gently twist the model off the supports. If there are delicate pieces I use clippers while still using the towel to catch rogue resin
@@antongunther3977 not taking a shot here, just trying to give directions for a safer and smoother printing experience. there should be no delicate pieces with dialed in supports and exposure settings (in extreme cases maybe parts that are thinner than your support tips). my small stuff mostly separates while washing, applying heat is the smoothest way to get rid of the rest. contaminated water can be reused. when color contamination becomes visible, its easily UV torched and decanted into another tub. needing clippers is mostly due to overexposure or too thick support tips (common in presupported files, they go for failsafe).
@@cujfab8962 I wasn't taking a shot at you either. I just sharing my own preferences. That being said there are prints that have delicate pieces that require supports. I generally opt to clip them because I am fairly paranoid about the part snapping off. Im talking about stuff like very thin 0.1mm parts. Otherwise I use supports with fine tips (minimal penetration for no pot marks). Heat is good for removing prints, I've experimented with a heat gun in the past (blew too many VOCs around for it to be usable for me). But heating resin contaminated water? Its not for me personally. Also how are you reusing the contaminated water? Dedicated kettle for 3d printing only? Or do you mean you use water washable and just dump the used hot water into the wash station?
Amazing video, thank you for making it. The idea of getting a printer niggles in the back of the mind but this real life review has made me understand just how bonkers an effective set up is to create and how disruptive it would be to household with two small children.
Really enjoyed this video and am amazed that the world doesn’t just give their money to bambu lab.. I was watching your video to see if I should get a resin printer and am so happy I have an a1 mini. The models the a1 makes aren’t perfect but they are safe and super beginner friendly. Printing D&D minis is a lot easier than warhammer, D&D doesn’t rely heavily on the models so being perfect isn’t that important. I know how much work went into this video and honestly wish you could win some award for the incredible job you did ❤
Awesome video, really enjoyed it! Took me back to my first experience which was very similar. Glad to see you made it past the initial settings pains, and into that glorious plug and play stage where the only hurdle left is the occasional model with shit presupports 😂 Happy printing 🤘
Do we feel the air quality checker and the huge gas mask as a recommendation tho as someone who’s been printing for two years it’s so easy to resin print
I've had a 3D printer for years, and either I knew enough going in or got lucky, but I didn't have the same "growing pains" that everyone else has the first time they try to print. That's made the experience way more enjoyable. I just had my first misprint for a while after 30-40 beds, but it was entirely down to user error and the FEP was due to be replaced anyways. I will say I think the more user-friendly and "easier" the manufacturers try to make their machines the more prone they are to problems. My Mono 2 is outdated but in lacking all the bells and whistles I feel like I have more control and can tailor the prints as-needed. When these machines are pitched as "ready right out of the box" it's a bit of a misnomer and leads to frustration, since you still need to know how to properly set things up in the slicer, adjust for the type of resin or temperature, even debug as you go. I also think the manufacturers are accepting of a higher hardware failure rate than many end users are comfortable or used to.
Glad I'm not the only one, printing was quite easy for me initially and I didn't really have any problems. I only had to replace the FEP recently and it wasn't that bad to replace (it was messy, but that was my fault).
I’ve almost pulled the trigger on a resin printer twice. I’m getting older and have become more conscious of my health these days. It’s the main reason I’ve been holding off until I can assure I have everything setup properly and completely ventilated in an outdoor shed.
It is off topic, but I just want to say that you are incredibly pleasant to listen to- both in terms of voice and presentation style. I really enjoy your videos and am glad that I came across your channel.
On the subject of thinking you've bricked your printer, if it's any consolation - when I got my first resin printer, my first print was an exposure test which was completely stuck to the build plate. I tried so hard to get it off that I chipped the corner off with my scraper. Then I thought to myself "if I cure it, maybe it will harden and I can get it off in one piece..." So I cured it. On the build plate. While the build plate was covered in resin. 😂 On the bright side it only took a pack of assorted sanding paper, a very flat surface, and a bit of elbow grease, and it was good as new - barely any failed prints since! Good video, cheers 👍
I haven't laughed this hard in a while XD. Great content mate. Subbed to the channel. P.S. You have revealed all the huge concerns with using resin printers instead of FDM. FDM printing is like childsplay compared to this nightmare. I hope you try that as well.
Great video and really pleased you were able to cover the issues with leftover resin. I do wonder how many people put it down the drain. It was cool to see how your printing experience stepped up a notch when the settings were adjusted.
I’ve started going to 3d printers and getting them to print exactly what I want for my army. You get the benefits of 3d printing without the hassle. It’s not as good as new GW plastics but it’s so much better than old FW resin for Horus heresy. FW javelin for £80 or £30 printed. There are amazing non GW sculpts on Etsy that would work (especially for dark mechanicum).
That's a nice printer they gave you! You should try ABS-like resin - you'll be able to bend that banner pole 90⁰ without breaking and the detail is just as good or better. Needs IPA to clean, though, which is more fumes. But the waste IPA would evaporate very quickly outside.
Great Video. I can totally imagine this happenign to me, just without the joker to call for help. Everything can be great if you are good at it, but that takes work and time, much time. 3D Printer companies still have a long way to go, to make things really beginner friendly.
As someone that also just jumped into the world of resin printing for Warhammer… it baffles me the lack of research people do for something so expensive… before I ever did a calibration test I found several videos explaining the calibration test and how to do the multiple exposure tests… it couldn’t have been an easier process for me. I did two exposure tests with two different prints and started printing all the pre-supported minis I wanted with little to no issue
I appreciate this video giving a more beginner look at 3d printing. Though I'd argue that it's still worth it, sure, it's 100% a hobby in itself, but it not only enables you to print models that would be prohibitively expensive otherwise; it also allows you to print models that don't even exist. For example, right now, my 30k Iron Warriors army consists of Mark two Marines, which don't exist in the current style. I'm printing a Lucius pattern reaver, which doesn't exist. With that said, there are health risks that are not spoken about enough, though frankly, I feel they're overblown in the sense that if you're handling yourself properly, the exposure is minimal; I'd argue some of the things we hold in our daily lives would be more dangerous. For example, I'm a former smoker, I believe entirely the cigarettes that I smoked have done more harm to me than the resin of my printer. With that said, you still want to limit exposures as much as possible; for example, my printer is inside a grow tent with a vent fan leading outside. I have checked the room it's in via an air quality tester, and outside that tent, it is entirely safe.
Thank you for acknowledging the braindead trend of saying, "3D printer go brrrrrr" as if it's a high-RPM machine gun. It's not that fast, it's more complicated than just pressing a trigger, and it's as expensive as a plastic battalion box from GW (or more) before even getting one model printed. That said - I found myself buying 3D printed minis to supplement my Old World army and discovered that Etsy sellers can be super slow, super unresponsive, and still send lackluster prints to you with no chance of getting your money back. I can either go through that frustrating experience 10 times, or get everything I need and print in the comfort of my garage. Pretty clear choice for me and my particular needs.
It is just a meme, it is not literal. The joke comes from the meme "money printer go brrrr" which is referencing how whenever there is economic trouble the government can just "print more money" which temporarily "solves" inflation. Then it became more loosely used by the masses to reference whenever someone made money or had a good idea it would get the wheels of the money printer going i.e. "money printer go brrrr." Obviously this joke is about how 3d printing will "put games workshop out of business." Not a literal description of the process. Let people have fun.
@ifiwasyouiwouldntbe if ever there was something that didn't need an explanation. Have your fun, but don't get upset that others think what you're doing is silly and childish. Here's some wisdom for you: there are two types of people in the world, people who say don't judge me and people who say judge me all you want.
@@Gamecapturevideo You are calling people braindead for repeating a meme. I think you are taking internet comments (some of which might be made by actual silly children), concerning your painted childrens toy collection hobby too seriously fully grown adult man. Thank you for the life advice though. Here is some in return. There are 2 types of people in this world, Those who take themselves too seriously and those who don't take themselves seriously enough.
The main thing I learned from this was I was sat on a fortune as a couple of ebay joblots I got a year or so ago included no fewer than 12 of those sprues with the arms, pads, chainsword and plasma pistol, and several sprues of the arms too. I think if I added up all the oldhammer I got for about £100 between two hauls it must be like £600 of Blood Angels.
little tip for removing the supports with great ease.. use an old hair dryer and heat the supports.. they will start to warp and you can pull them away from the models so ease and leave no marks on the models.. i would also say get yourself some silicon mats resin can cure on them and you can easy peal it of them.. also never cure the models on the supports.. good video.. :)
I appreciate you taking the perspective of a true beginner, I really appreciate it. I think the next experiment should be exposing the uncured resin to "Money for Nothing" by Dire Straits. I feel like the results would be... enlightening.
You know that thing where you open a beer by holding the cap against the edge of the table and smack the top?? That.. but with the rolls.. if youve got rolls money you've got touching the paint up afterwards money..
So what you are saying is that "it's complicated dangerous magic". Fair enough, I'll leave this dark art to knowledgeable wizards on eBay and I'll just pay them. 👍
@12:50 this is exactly how i started in 2020 lmao. Bought my first printer, didnt touch a good god damn thing, got my buddy on a zoom call whod been doing printing for years, got the full rundown on all those funny little things nobody mentions (open the window, pry the prints off like so, clean like this, heres my settings etc) and i never experienced The Pain
Great video, I really wish they would stop adding the rook model as a test print. It is horrible, and after following the instructions with how to setup your printer it gives you a print that is freaking hard to take off of the build plate. Having to search what is going on is bad, and what I mean by this is printer companies should have this information in the booklet already for you. I would love it if they gave you cheat sheets giving you resin profiles with a wide range of resins. And maybe including a miniature from a stl creator that has good pre-supported models. There is a project going around called Minirater started by Jim from Once in a six side and another friend of his, where they rate STL creators pre-supported models so you will know if they are good to print. For example a really good model will get a rating of S tier, and this is all rated by those who have printed the models. Anyway, haha great video mate I really enjoy watching printing from a new people in the 3D printing hobby.
great video and mirrored my experience as well except for models occasionally just poring resin out of themselves because the insides didn't set properly : )
Its how I've made most of my minis, I did a count on foot from mordheim the other day and aside from a foot lost to supports, it looks good. I gave it a peg leg from a marine sprue, and a paint job reminiscent of tim roth from the musketeer.
Resin fumes aren't as bad as some people believe them to be. They think you need a haz suit, full goggles, grow tent with venting kit, ... While the printer is printing away as long as you buy low voc low smell resin (which is now becoming more common and popular), you can just crack a window open slightly, and the fumes (voc - volatile organic compounds) being emitted is within the health standards limit of 500um/m3. Most of it is contained within the hood, and whatever amount leaks outside the printer, is a small amount enough that it can vent through the air flow created by the slightly opened window. Only when opening the hood, cleaning the models, should you fully open a window, wear a respirator, and nitrile gloves, and not use that room for 30 minutes after. Most of the voc is also actually emitted by the Isopropyl alcohol that people use to clean resin with, and during the final curing process. The IPA in contact with the resin easily releases 8-10 times more voc than the resin inside your printer. This can be almost entirely avoided by using water washable resin. Water washable resin, in general too, releases less voc, a lot less smell as well. While the printer is printing though? Almost nothing. Feel free to have your printer wherever you want, and dont feel scared into buying growing tent, venting kits, air purifiers (which don't filter any voc), full body safety suits, condemning a room specifically to a 3d printer, bury the leftover resin in your garden with a satanist ritual,... Your little elegoo mars printer isn't going to kill you. It contains about 500 grams of resin in total. You breathe in more voc when you clean your toilet. Just crack a window open while it prints. Make sure only you uses that room while opening the hood and cleaning curing the models, wear gloves and a respirator, and leave the room empty for 30 minutes after with the windows open. Other than that, have your printer wherever you want, livingroom, hobby room, office,... Obviously , this doesn't apply to print factories, or people with multiple large resin printers in an enclosed space. I'm talking for the average Joe printing some dudes for his warhammer army with his new little elegoo mars he got from the wife for Xmas. Just a little common sense is key, and happy printing !
I deel with harsh chemicals all the time, i use mostly solvents based paints and acid based cleaners with little fear but you are downplaying the dangerss of resin. The solvents used in it are pretty strong, the resin itself can melt through plastic, their is a spike in gases released when flashing the resin. Their is a limit to the safe amount of it in the air but very few studies have looked into long term exposure at maximum safe levels. Alcohol is a VOC but its not as toxic as something like acetone or xylene. Activated carbon is actually used by many industries to filter out TVOCs.
FDM printer owner here (an Ender 3v2, replaced the glass bed with magnetic, and I want to install a BL touch...but didnt get the proper parts or mounts 😒) No i'm not gonna sell you on it just saying sans the safety stuff (which is why I went with FDM, i'm married to a crazy cat lady), yeah I feel you... I'll admit it is rewarding to have it all come together (heck I got some pretty solid models designed for resin printers out of it that came out better than I thought they would, not resin good but way better than I thought and started out with) but maintenance is a pain, learning how to bed level properly was a long and tedious experience (the method that worked for me was to use a feeler gauge for my layer height and then adjust until I had resistance, rinse and repeat...nevermind having to square the printer, making sure all the belts are tight and not worn, making sure all the wheels are tensioned properly, taking care to clean the bed right (Isopropyl+gloves folks! Skin oil has ruined some prints for me), and constant tweaking of slicer settings and as of right now, I'm trying to figure out how to get the rubber feet to sit evenly so the printer wont rock back and forth. For your wish on interface even physical controls would be an improvement, My Ender's knob would at the very least not be ruined by your resin
FDM printers are still getting better all the time, and it's a viable alternative IMO especially for a beginner. I think you would have had a much better time starting with an FDM. I'm never going to use a resin printer until they make a totally 100% safe non-toxic resin that doesn't require PPE. I' m just not willing to take that health risk. It helps that I'm not a stickler that has to have the best beautifully detailed models, I'll never get detail as good as modern resin printers, but after a couple years of practice I can make minis that look pretty decent once sanded, primed, and painted.
I think I’ll wait for the AGI Robot servant to become affordable and have them run the 3D printer for me while I socialise with my virtual friends in virtual meta space in 202X
A side note about the FEP sheet at the bottom of the resin VAT. If some one has one ripp on them that is like never checking your cars tires and then complaining that they burst and you crashed in a tree killing a squirrel family. Altho rare events can accure where it does that anyway but those involve late stage failed prints floating around and puncturing the sheet.
3D printing is just carvaning for this generation. Yes it's theoretically cheaper, but the people who do it do so purely because they actually enjoy the inconvenience and fathing.
It seems the the actual price of a a resin printer is the price of everything you mentioned plus the price of buying and installing a vent hood. Plus all the time involved with learning your new hobby.
Great video, yeah i would say 3D printing isn't for everyone. One of my mates loved the results i was getting and asked me about it, i told him not to get lne as he would throw it out the window before achieving anything! I have a Mars 3 Pro, would love a 5 Ultra but can't stretch to that at the moment. It is a pain at times getting it to work properly, but when it does the resulta are tremendous!
3D printing is a bit like cars. There are people who just drive cars, don't care how it works as long as it goes, and there are the people who REALLY like cars. They love everything about them, and spend their time lovingly tinkering and adding custom noiseners to their exhausts. 3D printing is still very much for the really like cars crowd of model making, so the entry level is the entry level of people who really like cars, not your casual user who just wants to push a button and it work. If you're going to commit to getting into it, don't cheap out on the safety gear, I ended up with my eyes puffing shut from the fumes when I first started, so full sealed face protection is a must. Don't think it's really a technology that's ready for in home usage to be honest. The resin is still way too toxic.
You also need to consider the price and availability of good STL files. Anything that resembles GW IP is going to be removed or hard to find. Plus they also cost money, sometimes as much as a box of minis.
The best 3d printer is the 3d printer your friend that knows how to use one has. Or one that some private or public space has available for people to use, provided they help you in using it. That said having none of those, i'm still kinda interested in the stuff. I just need a spare room or shed...
My advise to people new to printing is to watch some videos and understand you will probably fail for the first few prints, likely your first few days are going to be spent cleaning up failures and leaning what went wrong. I havn't worked with any printer that gave good or even passable advise on cleaning up mistakes, understanding the cause of misprints, and disposal, so please watch some videos on UA-cam on the subject and ask questions. Like mentioned here you should allso pre buy some things along with the printer mainly protection and cleaning supplies.
I've had a 3d printer for a few years. Ended up getting worried about toxic resin issues, and built an old wooden display cabinet into an enclosure/workstation. That cost me $50 usd used, plus I spent about another $200=$250 on a carbon air filter and ventilation fan set up. If I did not have the need to lock it, I could have gotten away with a grow tent on a sturdy table for somewhat cheaper. Anyway, I highly recommend a grow tent if this is something you want to keep doing. Of course, now it really looks like you're growing "Dutch Giggle Grass".
OK some basic safety tips for 3d printing: Number one rule is treat resin like bleach or any other household chemical, with respect and with safety in mind. Its not this super dangerous radioactive chemical that will give you insta-cancer, but if not handled correctly it can negatively impact your health over the long term. wear gloves when ever you handle an uncured model or you touch something that liquid resin has touched or will touch. Specifically wear nitrile gloves as latex gloves are dissolved by resin. DO NOT REUSE GLOVES. Dont bother with those kitchen/toilet gloves that are supposed to be reusable, liquid resin eats away at these gloves as well. Wash your hands often. Ideally after every glove exchange, but realistically at least when you step away from the printer. Get into a habit of this since uncured resin can cause a burn if it is on your skin and exposed to UV light. UV resin also over time irritates the skin and the more bare skin exposure you have the higher the chance your body will become allergic to it (it can be bad enough that even resin fumes will trigger an allergic reaction). EYE PROTECTION: always when handling resin, IPA (or water if you decided to go with water washable). Any liquid behaves unpredictably and trust me I've had some crazy random droplets fly across the room after 5 years resin printing. Better safe than blind because resin got in your eye (yes, there are documented cases of people getting resin in their eye and losing sight in that eye). Have a plan: Plan for a spill. If your printer is on a table put some silicone mats covering the surface of it (preferable a mat with a lip to contain spills). Have paper towels within easy reach. HAVE A RESIN WASTE BIN that you can later cure with a UV lamp or with the sun. You cant dump uncured resin into the trash or the sewer system (EVEN IF ITS WATER WASHABLE RESIN DO NOT FLUSH RESIN OR RESIN CONTAMINATED WATER INTO THE SINK OR TOILET). Plan what you will do if you get resin on your arm (happens all the time, it helps to wear a long sleeve shirt you dont care much about or a lab coat if you want to feel like a mad scientist). In general if you want to avoid issues with waste dont use water washable resin. Most of the time its pretty brittle. It is far easier to allow IPA to evaporate in a shed than it is for water (IPA will be finished in a day while the contaminated water will take much much longer). If the smell of the IPA is bothersome than you can use a grow tent (I elaborate on this below). Keep pets and children away from the printer. They are both very curious and prone to putting things in their mouths. Make sure they do not have access to the printer or printer materials. REMOVING SUPPORTS: Get a microfiber towel (like a small square one will do) and wrap it around the model before you twist it to remove supports. This will keep your gloves safe from ripping from jagged edges and it will keep shards of uncured resin from flying all over the place. (Also see below for my advise on keeping the room you print in tidy -> grow tent) Ventilation: DO NOT PRINT IN YOUR KITCHEN OR BEDROOM. Wear a mask when working with resin, those flu masks aren't enough btw you need an actual respirator (get a 3m with pink filters that cover VOCs initial investment if you go with a copycat but genuine 3m filters is about 25 bucks but they last for way more uses than an n95 mask) The residual fumes are stinky, but more worrisome are the fumes you can't detect with your sense of smell. Volatile compounds can hang out even if you can't smells them. Make sure the room you print in is well ventilated. A really easy solution is to get a grow tent for your printer and an inline fan that you exhaust to a window (this will create a negative pressure in the tent and will help keep fumes and volatile compounds in the air to a minimum). If you get a larger tent you can even store all your materials for 3d printing in one neat and safe area. I personally got a 4ft tall grow tent and a small table that fits inside the tent for 2 tiers of storage. I keep the wash and cure station and supplies in the bottom and the 3d printer and the area I process prints (removing supports) on top. I have an in line fan attached to the top of the grow tent venting all the fumes to the window nearby. I also recommend running the fan for an hour after you are done printing to make sure all the fumes are gone. I personally am very sensitive to the smell of most resins (pretty bad asthma) so I run a carbon air filter in the room I print for 2 hours after I finish printing.
Thank you, Sir. If ever I should find myself in need of someone to publicly endorse a product I wanted to sell, I would certainly call on you first. May you have a happy and blessed Orctober/Orktober (whichever version you prefer to observe)!
At the risk of being burnt as a heretic, my experience with…..FDM printers was easy. Beginners may wish to start there. I sense Exterminatus inbound. But very impressed with print times for multiple minis.
Yeah, the VOCs are gonna get you, but you can fix the smell with a grow-tent carbon filter (because you didn't spend enough money already). I'm a big fan of Sunlu ABS-like resin. I'm told the Elegoo ABS-like resin is also pretty good. They're both pretty durable and the Sunlu comes in a better bottle than the other brands if you get the 2kg size.
I got my 3d printer as a gift, and I was lucky enough to have perfect prints from start. The print failed maybe 3 times during almost 2 years of printing, and that's because of my fault (the plate unleveled after some prints). It's super easy, and super fun, but if you don't have big enough home for it, don't buy it. The smell and toxicity is not worth cheap minis :).
This is what I think 3D printing Warhammer should be used for. Preservation. The Chaos Dwarves are a prime example. Their models were only around for a very, VERY limited amount of time, and are thusly extremely rare, and extortionately expensive. And so… because some dude decided to 3D scan, and clean these models, they can be enjoyed by everyone.
ELEGOO Mars 5 Ultra on Amazon:
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ELEGOO wash/cure Station:
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ELEGOO Water Washable Resin:
(US)www.amazon.com/dp/B0C5LM1HH3?maas=maas_adg_1FF2EF0ABFE190A1A7E27250B15A198C_afap_abs&ref_=aa_maas&tag=maas
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(UK)www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0B12PT1PT?maas=maas_adg_E87C6FD0E519A0953DD6AEA2BACAC4F7_afap_abs&ref_=aa_maas&tag=maas
ELEGOO Resin Detergent
(US)www.amazon.com/dp/B0CT5C6KJK?maas=maas_adg_DD35D0152AE439568841300D6B3375FD_afap_abs&ref_=aa_maas&tag=maas
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I've watched plenty of reviews of 3d printers and this is the first one that doesnt handwave away the issues such as: just how well ventilated a room needs to be; what a company's understanding of the word 'beginner' is; and the number of teething issues you might face.
I was undecided, but I think, like yourself, I'll leave it to the experts. I may not 'save' as much money, but it will be much better for my blood pressure.
I very much appreciated this video. If I could click like twice, I wouid.
Just like it twice?
I suspect a lot of people would click the like button multiple times due to lack of space amongst various other things
He forgot to add how much time you have to invest in this. You have to deal with failed prints even when you have the best settings, you have to do a lot of research, the prints also need cleaning up especially when they have no or bad supports or you have to teach yourself how to apply those.
Its another hobby in itself. You might also just spent this time on painting and playing. However If you have a dedicated space like a shed or a garage and no children or animals can enter it, its a good option.
You've hit it on the head for me. I think a lot of people who are running 3d printers in their homes (without proper ventilation) are seriously underestimating the long term health-effects they're going to face.
Soooooooooooo why health risks are imprant to be aware of it's not that hard to have a 3d printer and keep it running I would say that it is not just a little cheaper it is 10,000 pounds cheaper I got a deal on my 3d printer it's a elagoo saturn 8k I got it a few years back for 200 pounds it was close to 500 new so far that is one box battleforce etc of miantures and I have used it to print warhammer dnd stuff it's good and now the ones I am talking about can be got for 150,200 online and it is the same quality of gw to print one marine it is between 0.25,1.00 per miniatures it can be way cheaper
@@GRANTry20 Time is money or at least it depends how you value your time. So If you dont have much time but good income it might not be the best trade off. If you dont need minis worth 10000s again not the best trade off
Games Workshop will be round shortly to throw you in jail, but I did enjoy your videos when you still had fingers to make them.
IIRC they have taken to just shivving you rather than bothering with gaol.
As someone who is planning to get into 3d printing, this is incredibly eye opening. So much better and more informative than the other channels skipping past the details. Great video 👍🏼
"I Spent 7 Days with a 3D Printer and TOTALLY didn’t die"
This is exactly what someone who died would say.
This is literally the most realistic 3D printing video I have ever seen. Took me 4 months to successfully printing Weapon Waagh!
Absolutely brilliant video. I got a 3d printer a few years ago, mostly to print 2nd ed space marine arms. I went down the rabbit hole and printed loads of stuff... but now I honestly just wish I'd saved my money and bought the proper models.
Don't get me wrong, 3d printing can be great, and it's certainly been a great way to get all the arms, weapons, and shields I need for my oldhammer models. But any problems that arise can be a nightmare to overcome for a beginner. Even something that should be simple like a FEP change can be so frustrating.
I haven't even used mine in a year now because the thought of having to deal with levelling the plate, heating the room, dealing with the fumes, cleaning up the prints, and disposing of the toxic waste just leaves me cold.
And the cost! I spent almost £100 just on nitrile gloves. Even heating the room went very expensive due to the energy price increase.
If you use normal resin, you have to buy isopropyl alcohol in large quantities (and deal with the fumes from that, too). Use water washable and your prints are brittle, and if there's any uncured resin inside, it's gonna burst out at some point.
And let's not even get into the frustration of an 18 hour print failing...
I think 3d printing is amazing, and t certainly has its place, but I would advise anyone against getting into it as simply an extension of their wargaming hobby. If you have a real interest and have the time and money for a second big hobby, then 3d printing will open up a whole new world for you. Especially if you put the effort into learning how to digitally sculpt, too.
I'd say I appreciate videos where things go wrong more than I do where they go right, learning about mistakes and downfalls is good.
Best kind of videos - OldenDemon gets to make the mistakes and we get to learn from them! In all seriousness, it's nice to see an honest video about a tool which lots of people think is relatively easy to use.
As someone who owned and then sold their resin printer, I'm glad you made a video like this showing how resin printers fail prints and how difficult it can be to get prints done on a resin printer. Also, the smell and the chemicals in the air. After seeing your meter, I'm pretty sure that I inhaled a lot of bad chemicals while I had my printer.
I'm waiting ten years and hoping that a lot of the issues you mentioned get solved!
Thanks for the video!
Same here, the toxicity of the resins was handwaved a lot when I got my anycubic printer and I worry i've done some kind of damage to myself via poor ventilation and direct contact with skin
@suppositionstudios For all the resins I've checked the MSDS sheets for they don't typically include carcinogens or rings that cause long term damage, they're all just irritants. I haven't checked all of them of course, but long term health problems don't seem to be too much of a concern.
Thank you for this: I'm an older hobbyist who's been wondering about 3d printing, and this is just the kind of "real beginner" review that I needed to see. Maybe I'll look into it again in a few years, haha.
If you're not printing small figures or jewelry then you're probably better off with an FDM printer - the ones that deposit plastic. They're much cheaper and easier to use and you don't need to ventilate the room or anything if you just print PLA. They're great for practical parts. But if you do intend printing figures or jewelry than FDM comes nowhere close to the incredible detail of modern resin printers but you have to deal with the smell, the chemicals, the gloves, the washing & curing stations.
Curious as why you would wait a few more years to look into it? Unless it's from a location/space area i don't see reason to wait.(I had to stop printing for a year when i moved into a tiny studio "apartment" i could spit across lol)
the more comments i read, Too many people think that printers are either plug it in, turn it on and watch it go BRRRR, or that it's black magic voodoo that's beyond comprehension.
It's no different from any other hobby in practice, in that it takes practice and time to "get gud".
how many people pick up a paint brush and start whipping out golden demon level paintjobs right away? or pick up a musical instrument and nail it?
And it's gotten to the point where just like any other hobby, you can find good information online or new tips on how to propel yourself forward or minimize costs.
I don't mean to come off as aggressive or rude, apologies if I do.
PS. you don't have to spend as much to get into it either. my first printer was a black friday amazon deal with printer/wash&cure for $179.
I don't use IPA to wash for personal reasons(it almost instantly triggers my migraines) or the detergent solutions they sell, I use simple green instead.
@@josephschulte1073 In a home with pets and young children the fumes are an issue, but if you notice in the video he had a lot of problems until a very experienced friend was able to visit his home and set everything up for him, including adjusting hidden menu options. So maybe in a few years when they become more user-friendly I will look into them again.
You even said "it's no different than any other hobby", well I'm an adult with a family, I simply do not have the time to pick up YET ANOTHER hobby to fill my nearly nonexistent free time, not when I paint when I am able.
There is honestly no one making Warhammer content on UA-cam right now that i enjoy more than yourself. Equally nostalgic and relevant, funny and informative. Great stuff.
I was sceptical of resin printers to begin with and this video basically convinced me not to bother. I'd rather wait for FDM printers catching up, you'd be surprised at how good some of those can get if you invest in the right nozzles.
Getting a 3D printer is definitely more of a long-term investment than a shortcut to free models.
If you have the spare funds to buy a 3D printer (and its associated extras), knowing that you'll get a lot of use out of it once you learn how to use it, then it's a good idea to get one. I got one a few years ago when I had some extra money, and the ability to print new models today - while I have less money - is definitely an advantage.
However, resin prints are much more labour intensive than buying plastic kits, and only experts can get resin miniatures to the same level of detail as said kits. I also find that they're much less fun to assemble, and you don't get the joy of having spare parts on sprues. The enjoyment factor of having resin models just doesn't equal plastics until after you've started painting them.
Also, yes, the learning curve for 3D printing is insane, and it is an extremely dirty hobby which probably isn't good for your health. You will inevitably waste a decent amount of money on failed prints before you get useable models, and the jury is still out on whether or not it shortens your lifespan at all.
I have no idea how to end this, but 3D printing isn't a hobby panacea. It has its pros and cons. This said, I get a fair amount of use out of mine, so I personally recommend it if you have the time and inclination.
TL;DR - 3D printing is great for Historical Henrys, but a bad idea for Casual Kristoffs.
It's definitely one of those purchases that seems brilliant on paper, but falls short in reality. I probably would have skipped getting one and just spent the money on more plastic knowing what I know now.
im more the historical henry.
i started printing for getting either lost or completely overpriced miniatures.
if forgeworld was a todays company, they would sell stl files and printed kits for sure,
modeled by hand, but printed for easy manufacturing.
i loved the modular kits gw once made, but modern plastic kits are monopose and painful to assemble,
only to make it impossible to ad 3rd party bits and recycle leftovers and kitbash.
so this era ended anyway, but i agree that assembling uv resin miniatures isnt that much fun.
as an historical henry, for my view, its for example impossible to make a horus heresy army from what gw "grants" you.
i printed so many parts, but mixed them with the available plastic kits to get what we deserve, what gw should give us.
digital kitbashes start to become a thing, like olden demon did, swapping parts is now possible without buying 6 kits and merge them into a single unit...
we can now put an macharius turret on a baneblade without wasting that much money. theres so much stuff we can do now, we couldnt in old days.
3d printing is for enthusiasts, which run the hobby anyway, but not the veterans, the actual modelers and drivers, benefit alone from 3d printing.
3d printing is not about free models, it enhances the hobby experience for everyone, not just for the printers owner.
There like boats, you whant to know a man that owns one but you don't want to own one.
It's been 3 years since i got a 3d printer for tabletop and i have to say that, YES, it is a long term investment, but that "investiment" i'm talking about has a lot of diminishing returns, even after 3 years i have to say that the proces of printing,washing,curing and building the models is one of the most frustrating and unfun times i've had with it. I mostly print and sell parts to my local tabletop comunity for conversions, but often it feels more like a huge chore than "OMG FREE MODELZ ON GOD XDXDX"
Yeah, the test model will absolutely wedge itself to the plate because companies seems to be more afraid of a failure than how awkward it might be get that thing off. It also prints directly to the plate rather that with more fragile support/raft setup that would make it easier to get off. Exact same thing for me on my first print, and I also snapped the model. lol
All your mistake are very similar to mistakes that I would have made as well, an my first machine was the exact same model. I think it's okay to make mistakes, the important thing to do is realize that mistakes FEEL bigger than they really are when we don't quite know as much as we need to.
I keep wanting to get into 3d printing for the same reasons as you, but all the stuff you're talking about in the first half is exactly what keeps scaring me away from it. I'm glad you made this video, I think that because it's still a relatively new industry in terms of home use, it is an intrinsically complicated process with resin printers and the technology has not yet evolved to be able to handle everything automatically (slice, exposure, etc) with an acceptable degree of quality control. The most effective solutions is still "know a guy who know what they're doing to teach you". This video helps a lot and I look forward to seeing more of what you do with it.
So what i learned from this is just hire Archie's Forge! to come around to setup the printer for you ? What you really should have done have is put a link where we can hire him :)
Will trade printer setups for meatball subs
Thanks mate! I was about to buy a printer, because I was so tired of annoying my 3d printer owning friend. Well after this video I'll definitely keep annoying him. Maybe I'll get into printing some day, when I have a private lab...
Great video!!
I really enjoyed this and it;s so great to see a "beginner" saying so many things that I have said for 2 years. Your wishlist was spot on!!! I would instantly sub to your channel, but I already was. Thanks for the Shoutout!!!
Also, what did you win the Iron Skull Gold Trophy for? I just rewatched my video from that event and don't see you...?
It’s gold in the Staff category, I remember chatting to you behind the scenes during the day, glad your site has gone so well for you in the last few years
@@OldenDemon Oh Crap, it's you!! Yeah we did, I was so nervous going behind the cabinets Next to you guys and people like Andy and Rich! a little starstruck!!!
I've been following your channel a while really enjoy your content. Glad to realise who you are! I assume you are not still at SS?
@@FauxHammer nope, I’m doing this UA-cam thing now to see if it pans out
I always suggest to make a proper setup for 3d printing station, keeping it just on the desk in the room, attic, shed, anywhere is just bad because of the fumes getting everywhere inside.
Grow tent with air extraction system (hose+fan+carbon filter), that goes on a solid desk close to a window or vent on the wall if you have one in your room, 3d printer, curing and washing station goes inside the tent, you set everything up, zip it and voila, if you prepare it correctly all the fumes ends up outside and some of them already filtered, it cost a bit more, I've spend around 180£ just on the setup, but long term it is worth it.
Biggest downside of 3d printing for me is just lack of space, not for a printer and setup but for hundreds of minis being printed over and over again because it is extremally addicting.
There are SO MANY amazing STLs all over the internet, you can literally think about completely random army theme and I guarantee you, someone made a STL files for it 🤣
3d printing is fun hobby but safety is number 1 rule, especially if there are kids/pets involved.
Beginner printer here. I’ve been in your shoes too and honestly I did have reservations on buying a resin printer. There were many nuances to worry about besides the toxic fumes, such as worrying about resin curing etc. Yet every time I think I got it figured out, I get issues with my print products and some inevitably fail despite my best efforts. All I can say is, if you want to 3D print, you have to be COMMITTED. It’s a long term project and is a hobby of its own. At first I wanted to print one page rules models, but given the quality compared to Games Workshop, I’ve stuck to printing supporting props for my terrains instead. Highly recommend you do extensive research before buying a 3D printer and ask yourself if it’s worth the time.
It's good to see someone talk about the fumes from resin 3d printing seriously. I've seen big UA-camrs have 3d printing set ups that are not ventilated correctly and even some not wearing gloves! I'm curious how much of a deep dive you took to find these files because I know there's a lot of scanned oldhammer STLs out there
That bit at 4:36...how would someone even do that? That's mental!
I own a Mars 4 and let me tell you, the about four dozen classic sculpt minis I printed in it were *not* worth the two dozen hours of headache its caused. I’ve had to replace the tank *twice,* and now have replace the Screen for a second time, and the prints are just barely right there in inconsistency where 9 times out of 10 they are fine but that 10th time the parts don’t fit at all.
I’ve had the printer for 4 months and it spent most of the last month empty because I haven’t bothered to replace the screen yet.
Figured. you kind of need your own workshop.
The real cost, of doing this is in the 1000s, considering you kind of have to sacrifice a room.
And at that point unless you plan on printing 10 armies.
Its cheaper just to buy the 1 or 2 armies you want for 300 to 600 pounds/ euros per army. (I got a 2100 point CSM army for 275Euros (180 euro spent on 2 different start collecting boxes/combat patrols, and 95 on a lucky 2nd hand find.) But you can buy good combos on something like Element games. where they upsell you stuff like "infantry combo" With Havocs CSM and a commander for around 20% off the already 20% lower MSRP
Basically if you can drop 550 Euros on 3D printing equipment, and sacrifice like 5 square meters minimum (worth anywhere from 1000 to 4000 euros per square meter) of your house, you can buy the army that you want, unless its out of print. and then I would just buy from an experienced printer-guy
5 square meters in a house is pretty extreme. You need maybe one square meter of desk space and a window. The printer isn't just ambiently toxic and the air can be livable and normal when you aren't printing and curing. I have a waist high shelf in a garage by a window, works just fine. Also this is definitely a regional difference but 40k models cost way more outside the uk - the entire 3d printer set up including a wash and cure station (not required) can be less than $500. In the US is nearly impossible to get a 2000 point army for $500, can't think of one besides a custodes list.
And this is all ignoring the multitude of other things the printer can do besides just printing GW models. It's fairly trivial to be able to pose models in blender however you want, making it the ultimate kitbashing tool and giving you access to model poses GW simply doesn't offer. And obviously dozens of other games out there or just printing cool stuff like a life size velociraptor skeleton.
Absolutely essential guide. The last time I tried 3D printing miniatures I died.
Great video. Unironically ethical tabletop games journalism
Your comedic timing is so good!
My main selling point for resin 3d printing that wasn't touched on in the video is the flexibility. It's not about saving money over GW or eBay for me, but being able to have whatever miniature I can find an STL of in 5-10 hours time, without needing to go outside or wait for a delivery from an online order. I can rescale, reprint, mirror to my heart's content. If you are even a little serious, you can learn to do digital kitbashes and pose swapping as well (I've not gotten further than watching online tutorials yet). I now have armies for games that I can play that would have been expensive or annoying to gather any other way, and I can print them in a scale that fits me. Add terrain doodads, bits and bases...
As someone who doesnt really care about making 40k minis, I have a fascination in making general busts and models of all kinds and the ability to create something that isnt made is very satisfying. I grew up on gunpla and bandai model kits, it seems the general idea of paintable models from popular shows is pretty much gone and with ebay and wish being wishy washy its nice to be able to make my own models and adjust them accordingly to my preferences
Now I want a Chaos Dwarf army.
soaking the freshly washed (not cured) prints in hot water (as hot as your gloved hands can withstand) and removing the supports in said water makes em peel off easily, no shattering, break offs are caught in the water. dispose water same way as your washing medium of choice.
^this, took me a lot of trial and error to figure this out but heat really helps in removing supports
instead of contaminating water I just wrap my prints in a microfiber towel and use it to gently twist the model off the supports. If there are delicate pieces I use clippers while still using the towel to catch rogue resin
@@antongunther3977 not taking a shot here, just trying to give directions for a safer and smoother printing experience. there should be no delicate pieces with dialed in supports and exposure settings (in extreme cases maybe parts that are thinner than your support tips). my small stuff mostly separates while washing, applying heat is the smoothest way to get rid of the rest. contaminated water can be reused. when color contamination becomes visible, its easily UV torched and decanted into another tub. needing clippers is mostly due to overexposure or too thick support tips (common in presupported files, they go for failsafe).
@@cujfab8962 I wasn't taking a shot at you either. I just sharing my own preferences. That being said there are prints that have delicate pieces that require supports. I generally opt to clip them because I am fairly paranoid about the part snapping off. Im talking about stuff like very thin 0.1mm parts. Otherwise I use supports with fine tips (minimal penetration for no pot marks). Heat is good for removing prints, I've experimented with a heat gun in the past (blew too many VOCs around for it to be usable for me). But heating resin contaminated water? Its not for me personally. Also how are you reusing the contaminated water? Dedicated kettle for 3d printing only? Or do you mean you use water washable and just dump the used hot water into the wash station?
@@antongunther3977 the tubs i use for cleaning fit in an old microwave, immersion heater works as well
Thanks for taking something that is not commonly well-understood and making it kinda "fun." This is entertaining but informative, not easy, i know!
Amazing video, thank you for making it. The idea of getting a printer niggles in the back of the mind but this real life review has made me understand just how bonkers an effective set up is to create and how disruptive it would be to household with two small children.
Really enjoyed this video and am amazed that the world doesn’t just give their money to bambu lab.. I was watching your video to see if I should get a resin printer and am so happy I have an a1 mini. The models the a1 makes aren’t perfect but they are safe and super beginner friendly. Printing D&D minis is a lot easier than warhammer, D&D doesn’t rely heavily on the models so being perfect isn’t that important. I know how much work went into this video and honestly wish you could win some award for the incredible job you did ❤
Awesome video, really enjoyed it! Took me back to my first experience which was very similar. Glad to see you made it past the initial settings pains, and into that glorious plug and play stage where the only hurdle left is the occasional model with shit presupports 😂
Happy printing 🤘
Lol, I love that I was going to recommend your videos and here you are. :)
Do we feel the air quality checker and the huge gas mask as a recommendation tho as someone who’s been printing for two years it’s so easy to resin print
Archie's Forge! Love that shop! Old school Calgar banner from there is insane value!
😊
I've had a 3D printer for years, and either I knew enough going in or got lucky, but I didn't have the same "growing pains" that everyone else has the first time they try to print. That's made the experience way more enjoyable. I just had my first misprint for a while after 30-40 beds, but it was entirely down to user error and the FEP was due to be replaced anyways.
I will say I think the more user-friendly and "easier" the manufacturers try to make their machines the more prone they are to problems. My Mono 2 is outdated but in lacking all the bells and whistles I feel like I have more control and can tailor the prints as-needed. When these machines are pitched as "ready right out of the box" it's a bit of a misnomer and leads to frustration, since you still need to know how to properly set things up in the slicer, adjust for the type of resin or temperature, even debug as you go. I also think the manufacturers are accepting of a higher hardware failure rate than many end users are comfortable or used to.
Glad I'm not the only one, printing was quite easy for me initially and I didn't really have any problems. I only had to replace the FEP recently and it wasn't that bad to replace (it was messy, but that was my fault).
I’ve almost pulled the trigger on a resin printer twice. I’m getting older and have become more conscious of my health these days. It’s the main reason I’ve been holding off until I can assure I have everything setup properly and completely ventilated in an outdoor shed.
So glad that tray has Weiner dogs on it, was missing those guys in your videos
It is off topic, but I just want to say that you are incredibly pleasant to listen to- both in terms of voice and presentation style. I really enjoy your videos and am glad that I came across your channel.
On the subject of thinking you've bricked your printer, if it's any consolation - when I got my first resin printer, my first print was an exposure test which was completely stuck to the build plate. I tried so hard to get it off that I chipped the corner off with my scraper. Then I thought to myself "if I cure it, maybe it will harden and I can get it off in one piece..."
So I cured it. On the build plate. While the build plate was covered in resin. 😂
On the bright side it only took a pack of assorted sanding paper, a very flat surface, and a bit of elbow grease, and it was good as new - barely any failed prints since!
Good video, cheers 👍
I haven't laughed this hard in a while XD. Great content mate. Subbed to the channel.
P.S. You have revealed all the huge concerns with using resin printers instead of FDM. FDM printing is like childsplay compared to this nightmare. I hope you try that as well.
Great video and really pleased you were able to cover the issues with leftover resin. I do wonder how many people put it down the drain.
It was cool to see how your printing experience stepped up a notch when the settings were adjusted.
I’ve started going to 3d printers and getting them to print exactly what I want for my army. You get the benefits of 3d printing without the hassle. It’s not as good as new GW plastics but it’s so much better than old FW resin for Horus heresy. FW javelin for £80 or £30 printed. There are amazing non GW sculpts on Etsy that would work (especially for dark mechanicum).
Surprised about the hate for OPR!
Enjoyed the video
Always love your videos, I have no interest in 3d printing myself, just watched for entertainment and this didn't disappoint!
I hear that moral turpitude is the best product for cleaning prints. (I love how the humour is seamlessly sprinkled through Olden Demon's videos).
Than you very much for this. Resin printers are a no-go for me then. I'll keep looking at Bambulab A1 with the smallest Nozzle.
Been there mate. My rule of thumb is double the resin cost is roughly covering consumables (gloves etc.).
Great video, loved seeing it done by somone who doset allready have 5 printers ❤️
That's a nice printer they gave you! You should try ABS-like resin - you'll be able to bend that banner pole 90⁰ without breaking and the detail is just as good or better. Needs IPA to clean, though, which is more fumes. But the waste IPA would evaporate very quickly outside.
I have a Bambu Labs A1 Printer and it was easy to set and use, which kinda why I decided on an FDM printer over a Resin Printer
Great Video. I can totally imagine this happenign to me, just without the joker to call for help. Everything can be great if you are good at it, but that takes work and time, much time. 3D Printer companies still have a long way to go, to make things really beginner friendly.
Great video. The best solution is to have a helpful friend or relative who has the gear and knowledge.
As someone that also just jumped into the world of resin printing for Warhammer… it baffles me the lack of research people do for something so expensive… before I ever did a calibration test I found several videos explaining the calibration test and how to do the multiple exposure tests… it couldn’t have been an easier process for me. I did two exposure tests with two different prints and started printing all the pre-supported minis I wanted with little to no issue
My new favorite miniatures channel
Love the tea tray. The sausage dog will not be denied.
I appreciate this video giving a more beginner look at 3d printing. Though I'd argue that it's still worth it, sure, it's 100% a hobby in itself, but it not only enables you to print models that would be prohibitively expensive otherwise; it also allows you to print models that don't even exist. For example, right now, my 30k Iron Warriors army consists of Mark two Marines, which don't exist in the current style. I'm printing a Lucius pattern reaver, which doesn't exist. With that said, there are health risks that are not spoken about enough, though frankly, I feel they're overblown in the sense that if you're handling yourself properly, the exposure is minimal; I'd argue some of the things we hold in our daily lives would be more dangerous. For example, I'm a former smoker, I believe entirely the cigarettes that I smoked have done more harm to me than the resin of my printer. With that said, you still want to limit exposures as much as possible; for example, my printer is inside a grow tent with a vent fan leading outside. I have checked the room it's in via an air quality tester, and outside that tent, it is entirely safe.
totally agree!
Thanks for keeping produxt reviews real xD
Thank you for acknowledging the braindead trend of saying, "3D printer go brrrrrr" as if it's a high-RPM machine gun. It's not that fast, it's more complicated than just pressing a trigger, and it's as expensive as a plastic battalion box from GW (or more) before even getting one model printed.
That said - I found myself buying 3D printed minis to supplement my Old World army and discovered that Etsy sellers can be super slow, super unresponsive, and still send lackluster prints to you with no chance of getting your money back. I can either go through that frustrating experience 10 times, or get everything I need and print in the comfort of my garage. Pretty clear choice for me and my particular needs.
but mine does go "brrrrrr", when it slowly and gently lifts and sinks the head
It is just a meme, it is not literal. The joke comes from the meme "money printer go brrrr" which is referencing how whenever there is economic trouble the government can just "print more money" which temporarily "solves" inflation.
Then it became more loosely used by the masses to reference whenever someone made money or had a good idea it would get the wheels of the money printer going i.e. "money printer go brrrr."
Obviously this joke is about how 3d printing will "put games workshop out of business." Not a literal description of the process. Let people have fun.
@ifiwasyouiwouldntbe if ever there was something that didn't need an explanation. Have your fun, but don't get upset that others think what you're doing is silly and childish. Here's some wisdom for you: there are two types of people in the world, people who say don't judge me and people who say judge me all you want.
@@Gamecapturevideo You are calling people braindead for repeating a meme. I think you are taking internet comments (some of which might be made by actual silly children), concerning your painted childrens toy collection hobby too seriously fully grown adult man. Thank you for the life advice though. Here is some in return. There are 2 types of people in this world, Those who take themselves too seriously and those who don't take themselves seriously enough.
Absolutely not expected to find answer on "should I buy 3d printer" on your channel, thanks for solving my dilemma
@@gi1dor Thanks for the support. I’m glad my suffering has birthed an illuminating video on the perils of resin printing
Man all these teething issues are super relatable. Great video!
The main thing I learned from this was I was sat on a fortune as a couple of ebay joblots I got a year or so ago included no fewer than 12 of those sprues with the arms, pads, chainsword and plasma pistol, and several sprues of the arms too. I think if I added up all the oldhammer I got for about £100 between two hauls it must be like £600 of Blood Angels.
OMG I didn’t think my old Chaos dwarf army be worth much. I was just happy to get out again for Warhammer the old world
little tip for removing the supports with great ease.. use an old hair dryer and heat the supports.. they will start to warp and you can pull them away from the models so ease and leave no marks on the models.. i would also say get yourself some silicon mats resin can cure on them and you can easy peal it of them.. also never cure the models on the supports.. good video.. :)
This is SO stressful to watch. I can't imagine ever seeing this as an alternative to just buying stuff that would be worth the time and effort.
And everyone that uses the 'printer go burr' thing is an insufferable twat.
I appreciate you taking the perspective of a true beginner, I really appreciate it. I think the next experiment should be exposing the uncured resin to "Money for Nothing" by Dire Straits. I feel like the results would be... enlightening.
If I had a Rolls if would 100% use it to open a beer.
You know that thing where you open a beer by holding the cap against the edge of the table and smack the top?? That.. but with the rolls..
if youve got rolls money you've got touching the paint up afterwards money..
I believe they come with a butler to handle that anyway
@@OldenDemon touching up the butler??
So what you are saying is that "it's complicated dangerous magic".
Fair enough, I'll leave this dark art to knowledgeable wizards on eBay and I'll just pay them. 👍
@12:50 this is exactly how i started in 2020 lmao.
Bought my first printer, didnt touch a good god damn thing, got my buddy on a zoom call whod been doing printing for years, got the full rundown on all those funny little things nobody mentions (open the window, pry the prints off like so, clean like this, heres my settings etc) and i never experienced The Pain
Great video, I really wish they would stop adding the rook model as a test print. It is horrible, and after following the instructions with how to setup your printer it gives you a print that is freaking hard to take off of the build plate. Having to search what is going on is bad, and what I mean by this is printer companies should have this information in the booklet already for you.
I would love it if they gave you cheat sheets giving you resin profiles with a wide range of resins. And maybe including a miniature from a stl creator that has good pre-supported models.
There is a project going around called Minirater started by Jim from Once in a six side and another friend of his, where they rate STL creators pre-supported models so you will know if they
are good to print.
For example a really good model will get a rating of S tier, and this is all rated by those who have printed the models.
Anyway, haha great video mate I really enjoy watching printing from a new people in the 3D printing hobby.
great video and mirrored my experience as well except for models occasionally just poring resin out of themselves because the insides didn't set properly : )
Great video, really sums up 3-D printing 👌❤️
Its how I've made most of my minis, I did a count on foot from mordheim the other day and aside from a foot lost to supports, it looks good. I gave it a peg leg from a marine sprue, and a paint job reminiscent of tim roth from the musketeer.
Resin fumes aren't as bad as some people believe them to be. They think you need a haz suit, full goggles, grow tent with venting kit, ...
While the printer is printing away as long as you buy low voc low smell resin (which is now becoming more common and popular), you can just crack a window open slightly, and the fumes (voc - volatile organic compounds) being emitted is within the health standards limit of 500um/m3. Most of it is contained within the hood, and whatever amount leaks outside the printer, is a small amount enough that it can vent through the air flow created by the slightly opened window.
Only when opening the hood, cleaning the models, should you fully open a window, wear a respirator, and nitrile gloves, and not use that room for 30 minutes after.
Most of the voc is also actually emitted by the Isopropyl alcohol that people use to clean resin with, and during the final curing process. The IPA in contact with the resin easily releases 8-10 times more voc than the resin inside your printer.
This can be almost entirely avoided by using water washable resin.
Water washable resin, in general too, releases less voc, a lot less smell as well.
While the printer is printing though? Almost nothing.
Feel free to have your printer wherever you want, and dont feel scared into buying growing tent, venting kits, air purifiers (which don't filter any voc), full body safety suits, condemning a room specifically to a 3d printer, bury the leftover resin in your garden with a satanist ritual,...
Your little elegoo mars printer isn't going to kill you. It contains about 500 grams of resin in total. You breathe in more voc when you clean your toilet.
Just crack a window open while it prints. Make sure only you uses that room while opening the hood and cleaning curing the models, wear gloves and a respirator, and leave the room empty for 30 minutes after with the windows open. Other than that, have your printer wherever you want, livingroom, hobby room, office,...
Obviously , this doesn't apply to print factories, or people with multiple large resin printers in an enclosed space.
I'm talking for the average Joe printing some dudes for his warhammer army with his new little elegoo mars he got from the wife for Xmas.
Just a little common sense is key, and happy printing !
I deel with harsh chemicals all the time, i use mostly solvents based paints and acid based cleaners with little fear but you are downplaying the dangerss of resin. The solvents used in it are pretty strong, the resin itself can melt through plastic, their is a spike in gases released when flashing the resin. Their is a limit to the safe amount of it in the air but very few studies have looked into long term exposure at maximum safe levels.
Alcohol is a VOC but its not as toxic as something like acetone or xylene. Activated carbon is actually used by many industries to filter out TVOCs.
FDM printer owner here (an Ender 3v2, replaced the glass bed with magnetic, and I want to install a BL touch...but didnt get the proper parts or mounts 😒)
No i'm not gonna sell you on it just saying sans the safety stuff (which is why I went with FDM, i'm married to a crazy cat lady), yeah I feel you...
I'll admit it is rewarding to have it all come together (heck I got some pretty solid models designed for resin printers out of it that came out better than I thought they would, not resin good but way better than I thought and started out with) but maintenance is a pain, learning how to bed level properly was a long and tedious experience (the method that worked for me was to use a feeler gauge for my layer height and then adjust until I had resistance, rinse and repeat...nevermind having to square the printer, making sure all the belts are tight and not worn, making sure all the wheels are tensioned properly, taking care to clean the bed right (Isopropyl+gloves folks! Skin oil has ruined some prints for me), and constant tweaking of slicer settings and as of right now, I'm trying to figure out how to get the rubber feet to sit evenly so the printer wont rock back and forth.
For your wish on interface even physical controls would be an improvement, My Ender's knob would at the very least not be ruined by your resin
you got the same ikea table as me bro. good job
13:55 paused video for moment of stunned silence, then ran up to the attic!
Great video. Printing is absolutely not for me but i appreciate the honesty
3D printers = dark souls 🤣😅 Keep up the great work!
switching away from water resin was a game changer for me
FDM printers are still getting better all the time, and it's a viable alternative IMO especially for a beginner. I think you would have had a much better time starting with an FDM.
I'm never going to use a resin printer until they make a totally 100% safe non-toxic resin that doesn't require PPE. I' m just not willing to take that health risk. It helps that I'm not a stickler that has to have the best beautifully detailed models, I'll never get detail as good as modern resin printers, but after a couple years of practice I can make minis that look pretty decent once sanded, primed, and painted.
I think I’ll wait for the AGI Robot servant to become affordable and have them run the 3D printer for me while I socialise with my virtual friends in virtual meta space in 202X
A side note about the FEP sheet at the bottom of the resin VAT. If some one has one ripp on them that is like never checking your cars tires and then complaining that they burst and you crashed in a tree killing a squirrel family. Altho rare events can accure where it does that anyway but those involve late stage failed prints floating around and puncturing the sheet.
3D printing is just carvaning for this generation. Yes it's theoretically cheaper, but the people who do it do so purely because they actually enjoy the inconvenience and fathing.
Great video! We have all been there!
All the big hitters are in here now
It seems the the actual price of a a resin printer is the price of everything you mentioned plus the price of buying and installing a vent hood. Plus all the time involved with learning your new hobby.
Thank You for this very helpful and informative video.
Great video, yeah i would say 3D printing isn't for everyone. One of my mates loved the results i was getting and asked me about it, i told him not to get lne as he would throw it out the window before achieving anything! I have a Mars 3 Pro, would love a 5 Ultra but can't stretch to that at the moment. It is a pain at times getting it to work properly, but when it does the resulta are tremendous!
3D printing is a bit like cars. There are people who just drive cars, don't care how it works as long as it goes, and there are the people who REALLY like cars. They love everything about them, and spend their time lovingly tinkering and adding custom noiseners to their exhausts. 3D printing is still very much for the really like cars crowd of model making, so the entry level is the entry level of people who really like cars, not your casual user who just wants to push a button and it work.
If you're going to commit to getting into it, don't cheap out on the safety gear, I ended up with my eyes puffing shut from the fumes when I first started, so full sealed face protection is a must. Don't think it's really a technology that's ready for in home usage to be honest. The resin is still way too toxic.
You also need to consider the price and availability of good STL files. Anything that resembles GW IP is going to be removed or hard to find. Plus they also cost money, sometimes as much as a box of minis.
The best 3d printer is the 3d printer your friend that knows how to use one has. Or one that some private or public space has available for people to use, provided they help you in using it.
That said having none of those, i'm still kinda interested in the stuff. I just need a spare room or shed...
My advise to people new to printing is to watch some videos and understand you will probably fail for the first few prints, likely your first few days are going to be spent cleaning up failures and leaning what went wrong. I havn't worked with any printer that gave good or even passable advise on cleaning up mistakes, understanding the cause of misprints, and disposal, so please watch some videos on UA-cam on the subject and ask questions. Like mentioned here you should allso pre buy some things along with the printer mainly protection and cleaning supplies.
I've had a 3d printer for a few years. Ended up getting worried about toxic resin issues, and built an old wooden display cabinet into an enclosure/workstation. That cost me $50 usd used, plus I spent about another $200=$250 on a carbon air filter and ventilation fan set up. If I did not have the need to lock it, I could have gotten away with a grow tent on a sturdy table for somewhat cheaper. Anyway, I highly recommend a grow tent if this is something you want to keep doing. Of course, now it really looks like you're growing "Dutch Giggle Grass".
As a Dutchie that stereotypically used to grow, I already have half the equipment for resin printing lol
OK some basic safety tips for 3d printing: Number one rule is treat resin like bleach or any other household chemical, with respect and with safety in mind. Its not this super dangerous radioactive chemical that will give you insta-cancer, but if not handled correctly it can negatively impact your health over the long term.
wear gloves when ever you handle an uncured model or you touch something that liquid resin has touched or will touch. Specifically wear nitrile gloves as latex gloves are dissolved by resin. DO NOT REUSE GLOVES. Dont bother with those kitchen/toilet gloves that are supposed to be reusable, liquid resin eats away at these gloves as well.
Wash your hands often. Ideally after every glove exchange, but realistically at least when you step away from the printer. Get into a habit of this since uncured resin can cause a burn if it is on your skin and exposed to UV light. UV resin also over time irritates the skin and the more bare skin exposure you have the higher the chance your body will become allergic to it (it can be bad enough that even resin fumes will trigger an allergic reaction).
EYE PROTECTION: always when handling resin, IPA (or water if you decided to go with water washable). Any liquid behaves unpredictably and trust me I've had some crazy random droplets fly across the room after 5 years resin printing. Better safe than blind because resin got in your eye (yes, there are documented cases of people getting resin in their eye and losing sight in that eye).
Have a plan: Plan for a spill. If your printer is on a table put some silicone mats covering the surface of it (preferable a mat with a lip to contain spills). Have paper towels within easy reach. HAVE A RESIN WASTE BIN that you can later cure with a UV lamp or with the sun. You cant dump uncured resin into the trash or the sewer system (EVEN IF ITS WATER WASHABLE RESIN DO NOT FLUSH RESIN OR RESIN CONTAMINATED WATER INTO THE SINK OR TOILET). Plan what you will do if you get resin on your arm (happens all the time, it helps to wear a long sleeve shirt you dont care much about or a lab coat if you want to feel like a mad scientist).
In general if you want to avoid issues with waste dont use water washable resin. Most of the time its pretty brittle. It is far easier to allow IPA to evaporate in a shed than it is for water (IPA will be finished in a day while the contaminated water will take much much longer). If the smell of the IPA is bothersome than you can use a grow tent (I elaborate on this below).
Keep pets and children away from the printer. They are both very curious and prone to putting things in their mouths. Make sure they do not have access to the printer or printer materials.
REMOVING SUPPORTS: Get a microfiber towel (like a small square one will do) and wrap it around the model before you twist it to remove supports. This will keep your gloves safe from ripping from jagged edges and it will keep shards of uncured resin from flying all over the place. (Also see below for my advise on keeping the room you print in tidy -> grow tent)
Ventilation: DO NOT PRINT IN YOUR KITCHEN OR BEDROOM. Wear a mask when working with resin, those flu masks aren't enough btw you need an actual respirator (get a 3m with pink filters that cover VOCs initial investment if you go with a copycat but genuine 3m filters is about 25 bucks but they last for way more uses than an n95 mask)
The residual fumes are stinky, but more worrisome are the fumes you can't detect with your sense of smell. Volatile compounds can hang out even if you can't smells them. Make sure the room you print in is well ventilated. A really easy solution is to get a grow tent for your printer and an inline fan that you exhaust to a window (this will create a negative pressure in the tent and will help keep fumes and volatile compounds in the air to a minimum). If you get a larger tent you can even store all your materials for 3d printing in one neat and safe area. I personally got a 4ft tall grow tent and a small table that fits inside the tent for 2 tiers of storage. I keep the wash and cure station and supplies in the bottom and the 3d printer and the area I process prints (removing supports) on top. I have an in line fan attached to the top of the grow tent venting all the fumes to the window nearby. I also recommend running the fan for an hour after you are done printing to make sure all the fumes are gone. I personally am very sensitive to the smell of most resins (pretty bad asthma) so I run a carbon air filter in the room I print for 2 hours after I finish printing.
Thank you, Sir.
If ever I should find myself in need of someone to publicly endorse a product I wanted to sell, I would certainly call on you first.
May you have a happy and blessed Orctober/Orktober (whichever version you prefer to observe)!
At the risk of being burnt as a heretic, my experience with…..FDM printers was easy. Beginners may wish to start there. I sense Exterminatus inbound. But very impressed with print times for multiple minis.
Yeah, the VOCs are gonna get you, but you can fix the smell with a grow-tent carbon filter (because you didn't spend enough money already).
I'm a big fan of Sunlu ABS-like resin. I'm told the Elegoo ABS-like resin is also pretty good. They're both pretty durable and the Sunlu comes in a better bottle than the other brands if you get the 2kg size.
I got my 3d printer as a gift, and I was lucky enough to have perfect prints from start. The print failed maybe 3 times during almost 2 years of printing, and that's because of my fault (the plate unleveled after some prints). It's super easy, and super fun, but if you don't have big enough home for it, don't buy it. The smell and toxicity is not worth cheap minis :).
Don’t use a resin printer inside have a garage or a shed and if it’s too cold use a fermentation belt on the vat to heat up the printer
This is what I think 3D printing Warhammer should be used for.
Preservation.
The Chaos Dwarves are a prime example. Their models were only around for a very, VERY limited amount of time, and are thusly extremely rare, and extortionately expensive.
And so… because some dude decided to 3D scan, and clean these models, they can be enjoyed by everyone.