Okay Angus message received loud and clear.....IF YOU'RE HAVING TROUBLE WITH 3D PRINTERS TRY GLUE & METH

Wow, I'm new to printing and after a dozen good prints I started having issues with this last night. Fantastic timing on this video.

This really helped me out. I didn't realize that my print-bed was dirty, but suddenly all of my prints started to fail. I cleaned it and the very next print came out great.

I swear, this video was so helpful. Nothing stuck to my bed for a while unless I cranked my bed temp to unreasonably high temperatures. With this method, everything stuck with no hope of popping off the bed. Fantastic vid as always

"bed adhesion" - me in the mornings

Thanks man, I tried everything and I didn't know what to do anymore. Soaking a towel did the trick for me, awesome!

I just recently figured this out. If only this video had come out earlier! This especially applys to glass beds, when they're properly clean prints actually stick on the glass without any addhesive.

OMG THANK YOU!! This was driving me absolutely nuts after several failed prints. I'm now watching my printer lay down a perfect base layer after a half dozen failed attempts. That glue trick is genius.

Thank you, thank you, thank you! Finally I'm able to print details on layer 1 without the filament curling round the nozzle.

Nice one mate. I was having big problems with adhesion when using ABS. I modified your idea and used construction pva 5% and 95% water and applied with cotton wool. No alcohol used.. it works a treat. Many thanks for the idea.

This was absolutely the finest solution! For those in the USA, I used an elmer’s glue stick and denatured alcohol (methylated spirits). This worked amazingly. My print is coming out now and looks beautiful.

Very helpful. I've seen a lot of requests for help on Facebook that seem to be exactly from this issue. Suddenly people can't get anything to stick anymore. Saw one guy actually got so frustrated he sold his printer and bought another one. If only he'd seen this video!

This works! Before applying glue stick, use a spray bottle to spray some clean water onto the bed. While wet, the glue stick will just slide over without leaving uneven glue clumps.

Dude oh my god holy crap! I have a print that uses the entire print bed of my Prusa MK3s, its a mold master for making a silicone mold and then casting with urethane so it has to be perfectly flat. I usually don't have bed adhesion problems but for whole print bed prints - there is usually a little corner peel here and there... This mineral spirits and glue stick thing! I've never had more buttery smooth perfect first layers in my life! Dude, you have changed my life. If I ever have more kids they will be named Angus! Thanks brother!!!!!

That scraper gives me nightmares. I had stitches in my palm from the good times of 3D printing haha. Thank you Cocoon Create for an ultra sharp scraper.

A+++ fixed EVERYTHING... every 10 prints or so i do 3-4 dabs of glue stick & wipe it with iso alcohol & a towel... EVERYTHING PERFECT since!!! Big thanks for all your vids Angus

Thanks for the tips Angus. Another trick for glass beds is to wash them in dishsoap for a squeaky clean bed that sticks like mad.

Hello Angus! I recently had issues with bed adhesion on my prusa mini after swapping from PETG to PLA and the smooth PEI sheet. Isopropyl alcohol didn't work for me but this worked better than I could have expected! I've been able to fill the bed with multiple prints, multiple times and it's made printing a real joy first time, every time! Thank you!

This video saved me a lot of frustration. Was rubbing aaaall kinds of skin oils on my build plate, and was baffled when my first layers started failing.

Thank you so much for this video. It saved my printer from not going to be a 400 dollar paper weight. I had the exact same problem after using it for 6 months. printed many different things. In recent time, more and more, I started getting this issue and one fine day, I was not able to print anything at all. I thought it is due to bed leveling. Spent entire weekend, tried to level 100+ times and test printed. will work well in test print until I put a print with multiple layers in it... 1. upgraded stock spring - same problem 2. checked the bed for warping - no issue found but same problem 3. bought BLTouch and installed - same problem. I was about to give up and then i found your video. isopropyl alcohol sprayed and glue stick used, now it is sticking like super glue... problem solved. now I spray the alcohol and glue everything when I print... Thanks Again.

I don't have a 3D printer but I love your content! It's very inspiring and I can see that you put a lot of work in it. Keep it up!

This is similiar to what others have suggested too. However, your suggestion about mixing alcohol with the glue to spread it out across the bed is fantastic. I have had fourteen failures in a row so far from losing adhesion. I may have finally fixed it but it took all week. Thanks for your suggestion! I'll modify how I apply the glue on next go around!

Actually, I come to love using cheap aerosol hairspray on my PRUSA PEI sheet. You'll need to do this in a contained space and not when the PEI sheet is on the printer (because you'll end up coating a lot more than the sheet). I just find a nice cardboard box that will fit the sheet at the bottom and then spray it once to give it a good coat. Since there are fumes, I close the carton and let the fumes settle (which adds more spray on the surface of the sheet). I then place the sheet on the print bed and let the heat of the printer warming up for the print to dry out the surface. Works like a charm. Every once and a while, after a few prints, I take the sheet off and wash it and start all over.

As a first 3D printer I bought a Startt for £99 to set me on my way. Being an unheated bed, I quckly ran into adhesion problems. Tried glue sticks, hair lacquer, hair gel, etc. with mixed results. Have now found a very good solution - nano d/s tape. Can thoroughly recommend it. Great adhesion every time and minimal fuss. Job done! PS: Angus, Thanks for all your tips and advice - much appreciated

I have the Wanhao I3 plus. I never let the bed get real dirty and I use a water based glue stick which means that I can do the same thing as shown here but with water on the paper towel vs solvent. This brings the surface back to like new!

Very cool. I’ve been using glass surfaces on my Ender 3s and use a very similar process. I usually just wash the glass in warm soapy water, then use IPA to quick clean/dry and eliminate any oils remaining. Then a light use of a glue stick and a damp ipa rag to spread it around evenly. Glass still looks good and can print quit a lot of prints before cleaning is necessary. I’ve also been experimenting with etching cream with glass. Several coats of etching cream and a single super light application of glue/ipa spread has given one of my glass beds a long life span without cleaning (think I’m going on 4 months of almost daily printing without cleaning). And my prints still have just as silky smooth a surface as unetched glass. Awesome video as ever!

The suggestion about spreading out the glue stick evenly with solvent did the trick for the PEI sheet I got for my CR10s but never got to work right. Printing quite nicely now. That said blue painter's tape will always hold a special place in my heart. That stuff, with some glue stick, is almost fool proof, in my experience.

I was getting to where my prints wouldn't stick even with glue and hairspray. I went to the Prusa Forum and learned to clean my print bed in very how water and Dawn dishwashing liquid. Perfect fix!!! I don't even use glue or hairspray anymore.

This is what I did too after mine started failing to stick ..but did not know why it made a difference, thanks for the explanation.

One thing to try: Half metho, half water. It works much better for removing oily things and as a side effect will also remove salts and sugars(from sweat) that also cause problems and at least on the Prusa beds require no other coatings. I will need to try the 'diluting the gluestick' trick on my other machine's glass bed though. Love the stuff, but it builds up quickly. Edit: Also, no PVA in gluestick. :)

Thank you for your tips on cleaning the printer bed. I was shocked at how much residue was on the table after 8 small prints. Thank you

The gentlest method to degrease anything, I found, is to first use vegetable oil. Then soapy water, then water, then use IPA generously. I suspect mineral oil would do the same thing, but vegetable oil is simply safer. It works so well because it dissolves some greases much better (faster) than alcohols or soaps do. I found for instance that it works insanely well with many adhesives that are otherwise recalcitrant. Soapy water and IPA easily take care of the remaining oil. You can also use it to clean your hands after doing mechanics work. Just try it. No need to use abrasive soap, just squirt a generous amount of canola oil in your hands, rub, rinse with soap, no grease stains left.

I've had good luck with a glass or mirror plate surface wiping down with isopropyl alcohol or glass cleaner every 5 prints or so. I also use a micro fiber cloth (autoparts store) to wipe the bed plate before every print. The micro fiber cloth acts like a magnet to pick up any microscopic dust particles. In addition a level bed is a must with the proper nozzle to bed clearance. I prefer a paper thin (.15mm) gap between the nozzle tip and bed which helps to really compress the first layer to the plate. If you start having problems down the road check your bed and/or nozzle clearances as very tiny changes seem to happen over many hours of use. No sticky hair spray or glue mess to worry about using this method.

I agree. Glue stick is my goto.

man u make my day, i have for weeks have trouble sticking stuff to the bed and was getting very frustrated with my mk3s, until i saw ur video and now it works all the time, thank you for the tips!

Wow! Invaluable info as always. I'd never thought of smoothing glue stick with solvent, but it makes perfect sense. Bravo, another awesome raft of knowledge for my ever-growing arsenal.

I prepared a bottle with gluestick/isopropanolalcohol solution, testing the stickyness with my fingers. You don't need a lot of gluestick. Moisten a sheet of toilet paper with this sticky solution and applying to the bed. This thin film is unvisible on your print surface. Very fine support material sticks perfect on glass.

We could not have a solvent like that in such an attractive bottle here in North America. Good tips! Thanks

was having this exact problem and that pretty much fixed everything! still have one small sector on my bed that will not stick no matter what, so it's causing things to warp around it, but that's a much easier fix than prints failing outright

I've been using glue stick for a long time but your way of thinning it out feels like a game changer to me! Thanks this is what I've been looking for!

Thank you! My rock solid Prusa i3Mk3S+ was misbehaving and this tutorial helped me diagnose and lack of adhesion caused by a dirty build plate.

I have been using a similar method since I assembled my Anet - I use a lot of glue stick straight onto the aluminium bed, and then use water and my finger to spread the glue evenly and smoothly over the whole bed. It is a bit more messy but I have only done it three times since getting the printer almost a year ago, and it works very well. It is important to have a level bed, though, so I have a leveling probe set up to help with that and it works very nicely. Washable glue stick and a removable bed is fantastic as you can clean it under running water!

MAGNETS !! Beside cleaning the bed surface I take a very different approach to keeping the prints "stuck" to the bed. In the actual deign file for the object I add a very thin single layer to the bottom of the objects itself, a layer that extends out in all directions from the base of the object, extending out about an inch in all directions. I then convert that design to STL and run that STL file through the slicer. The first thing that then gets printed is that very thin layer. After it's printed about a half inch (vertically) of the object I pause the print and place some small, strong, magnets around on the extended pad. And then resume the print. Those magnets keep the print solidly in place. After the print is done it's a simply matter of cutting off that extra hold-down pad. This also works great for objects that have very little that's actually touching the bed. I have a number of objects that are fairly tall but only have a thin line of material contacting the bed. I extend that first layer out to create a reasonably sized first payer and use my magnet approach to keep it firmly attached to the bed during printing.

I have a glass bed and use alcohol and a glue stick. Sometimes it's a challenge getting a print off of it. But frankly, that's much better than a failed print. Time wasted prying off a print is a lot less than starting over.

Perfect tip... thank you. My Prusa sheet has been not sticking around the middle for a while. I just move the prints around, if possible. But today I have a print going diagonally from one corner to another... and it would just on stick. A few clean and glue stick rounds and everything is sticking really well. I did a z height adjustment of just -.002 just in case. Thank you... back to printing. I've got a 10 hour RC Wing part on the go now. Cheers.

Holy, thank you so much you solved all my issues. I had PLA warping!!! Now I can even use Abs with no warp thanks so much

Thanks for this simple and effective advice! I have a CR-10V2 with glass bed. So far I haven't used any sprays, tape, or glue. I scraped the glass plate though and I could see the stuff coming off. Then I cleaned with 99% IPA and saw some yellow on the paper towel (I have been using white filament). I didn't use any glue or spray. Now a model that had failed to stick several times is printing perfectly.

This is something it took me a while to figure out. Running a DIY Prusa i2, with glass on a heated bed. Every once in a while, I need to spray down the bed with glass cleaner, then just quick smear of glue across it. Right now, I'm getting about 200 hours between cleans, and all materials are sticking fairly well. (I print ABS, PETG, and PLA)

My current method is primarily solvent cleaning the bed (wear gloves). I only use glue stick if that's not enough for the job. I use glue stick is like Angus shows, but I use water to dissolve the glue. You only want a near invisible layer, certainly not lumps or streaks. My main need for cleaning is removing excess glue. A powder coated steel bed rarely needs glue.

This honestly helped so much, a little bit of Methylated Spirits, and my prints are sticking better than they ever have! I almost gave up hope on them, thank you so much!

Dude, your video just save my life, i've got an assesment on the uni, and my mk3 i3 was failing on this, thank you.

On my Anet A8 I added a piece of glass covering the heater, and what I do is just spray some hairspray once the bed is heated. Every month/ month and a half I rinse the glass and the old hairspray just comes off. Regarding first layer quality, it doesn't gross the plastic, instead it makes the bottom surface kind of shiny and very smooth

At first i was like: "Hell yeah, a video i can post to the forums i am active in to help out newbros joining the 3D-printing community and having always the same issue of prints not sticking." And then i saw you pulling out the gluestick. Instantly revoked my plan on posting it. If you really want/need some PVA layer on your printbed, go with water-based wood glue (thats the made out of PVA). Thin it with water... then brush it on the slightly warmed up buildplate (40°-50°C). The water evaporates and you are left with a REALLY thin and REALLY even coat of PVA.

Great tip Angus. Hey if you're doing this quite a bit, you could invest in a cheap lab squeeze bottle to put your metho in. Makes it easier to dispense the metho and reduces spill if you accidentally knock the bottle over.

It may be overkill but I have the habit of cleaning the surface with isopropanol before every print (slightly moist cotton pad). Haven't had a print come loose yet on my MK3 printer (counter is at about 250 individual print "sessions" now) and the printsurface still looks as new. With that said, nice video and good suggestions for other print surfaces!

Simply wiping it down with a little alcohol made a HUGE difference for me. Thanks for the guidance.

Good trick and I found this out by accident while cleaning my glass build plate. Basically I wiped it down with isopropyl alcohol and found that it was dissolving out my old glue stick application, so I used the spatula to scrape up as much of it as possible. When I hit the glass a second time with isopropyl, there was still a thin layer of old glue that stuck around and I just rolled with it. Didn't reapply my glue stick, just used that thin gooey layer as my build surface.

Hey Angus, I have a less labour intensive tech with pva glue. I use the principle of Peel Ply (used in carbon-fiber pasts manufacturing). I do not have a removable surface, instead I use a cut mirror piece. Every print, I cover the designated position on the glass in PVA glue and the I take a small piece of paper (like a post it) and tap on the glue, that it gets "stringy". I will dry quite fast due to the heat and this is in my opinion the easiest and most efficient way th get your print stuck. Even if does stick "too much", you take a sharp spatula and go between the glass and the print right into the glue. This technique is so easy. I have 4 pieces of glas for my printer, and when all 4 are used/coverd in PVA, I just shove them into the shower and clean them. If you read this, a short answer would be great if you knew the "Peel Ply" technique (yes this is the official name) ;)

Got my Ender 3 Pro since a couple weeks. First dozen prints absolutely no problem with adhesion, now I'm at the point where I can't get a print to stick without gluestick no matter what. I've tried cleaning, re-leveling, declogging, slower printspeeds, different temperatures. Literally the only thing that worked reliably was Gluestick xD

Dude, you have just saved my sanity and my 3D printer's life. I really wanted to smash the damn thing to bits, but it seems like the methylated spirit clean followed by mixing it with a glue stick seems to have resolved my issue. I have spent hours trying to fix this.... Nice one!

Hi everybody, I print on the glass bed and for me the best solution for good adhesion is ... WATER WITH SUGAR. Just before printing I wipe the warm bed (50-60 deg C) with cloth soaked sweet water. After 1 minute you have thin sticky layer on your bed - IT WORKS GREAT !

Thanks for the video Angus. FWIW - I use a Kapton sheet on my Anet A8. Works great for PLA. Prior to printing I spray with a little Windex on a warm bed and wipe clean. Keeps the Kapton clean and I don't have adhesion problems. I change the Kapton sheet every few months depending on use and how scratched up it's become.

Finally...I found an Aussie showing me stuff I can use! Thanks! Subscribed!!

This is the video everyone needs to watch BEFORE THEY PRINT THE FIRST TIME. So many companies like Snapmaker etc. don't really communicate how important it is to clean the bed (even the very first time) so people start destroying their bed right from the start until they stumble around the internet and finally find all these bed adhesion videos. Meanwhile, they waste their first bed, have bad first experiences and the company makes more money selling new beds. Just start teaching people bed maintenance before the print - Every company blows this!!

Just a little tip, Windex takes glue stick residue off instantly. Clean with IPA after as Windex decreases adhesion, especially on PEI.

I never used any glue stick on my Ultimaker 2+ and my parts stick to the bed without any issue. From my point of view, the right leveling of the bed is crucial for the part to stick to the build plate! Before a print I use a wet paper towel to clean the surface.... that's it.

I clean with alcohol and then use a purple glue stick. Then I like to spread the glue around the bed with a little bit of tap water. This gets me great adhesion! Another trick if you have a removable bed plate is to simply run the print surface under hot soapy water in the kitchen sink, then apply the glue stick in the same way.

Thanks macha, I didn't do what you told. But I heard some solvent in ur lecture. So I just poured PVC solvent cement, 20 drops and it worked. Thank u cheta

For ABS with a heated glass bed. I use ABS yellow plumbers glue. It is quite cheep, and I heat the bead to about 80C. As print cools down, it starts making popping sounds, and comes free on it's own.. Note: Print head when hot will melt through the ABS glue if added too think. And makes for a glass like finish on the bottom. *Down side it is Yellow in color. But paints up nicely.*

I was having this problem and couldn't sort it out. But in your video you mentioned the glue sticks were PVA and I stared to suspect what my cheap sticks were made of. So I tried a little PVA glue and wipe over with damp cloth. Its the best first layer the printer has done since it was new! Thanks very much for taking the time to share your knowledge.

I worked at a 3D printing company, they used these kind of methods I just took their beds and washed them with cheap soap to do the dishes and water. Never stuck better.

I bought a glass replacement bed for my ender 3 pro (bed was warped in center). I started using AquaNet (because it was the cheapest and wasn't going to smell like kiwis or anything) hairspray on the glass and that works amazingly. One light layer usually lasts for a few prints. I try not to touch the bed and if I do, its usually not where a print will be happening. Every once in a while, I'll just wash it using dish soap and warm water. I've never had a print break free since. In fact, a lot of the times i've had to stick the entire bed in the freezer for a few minutes to get the prints off. Even at room temperature, they wouldn't give.

Nice tip mate, I ended up flipping my Ender 3 glass plate upside down to the shinny glass side and using the glue stick trick. Seems to be working better now. My main issue was the the glass plate was warped. I put a straight edge on it and it is definitely not flat. I lapped it flat on a granite plate with sandpaper but wore away most if the sticking side.

Amazing ... this worked like a charm and now I'm not frustrated with my printer anymore! :D

I have a heated glass surface. I use water soluble glue sticks and clean with water and paper towels from time to time. Wiping a thin glue layer is neat. I should try that next time.

Thank you for another brilliant video! For NAR (= no apparent reason) my prints started to come away from the plate. All the levelling in the world didn't fix it but you did! Many thanks. PS: I also turned the cooling off for the first layer.

Thanks for the tips. Never would have thought it was a dusty or dirty board. Thought it was because of the nozzle and ptfe tube replacement because the prints turned out really bad after doing this even after levelling mutiple times. Cleaned it with soap and now better than ever. Couldnt even see the dirt or grease but you would be surprised at how dirty it could get.

That is Denatured alcohol for those in the US, you can get it in the painting section of hardware stores or big box stores. Thanks Angus

you got some of the better videos and more clearly explained compared to others i have seen.

Thanks Angus. Great tips as always. Love the laying the paper towel and pouring directly on the print bed technique!!!

Glue stick is PVA so water soluble. With a removable bed run under a hot tap and nail brush and its spotless and chem free. To avoid Glue stick lumps and get a super even thin coat add glu as normal then agitate with a warm damp nail brush. It gives a white creamy solution that drys in a few minutes. ;-)

In the US, "methylated spirits" is called Denatured Alcohol; but Pure Grain Alcohol is cheaper ("EverClear") and can be used to make really strong cocktails -- straight, it is often called, "Moon Shine"

This video helped me tons. I kept thinking my bed wasnt level. Just needed wiped down. Thanks!

White school glue is PVA. It's water soluble. It's working nicely for me and it's cheap. It's easier to spread over the bed since it's liquid.

No. While it is true that oils from your hands or any other slippery obstacles must be removed, and something like glue stick can help, there are other concerns to handle before ever considering those types of fixes. I struggled with this issue for many weeks and pulled out the rest of my hair in the process, viewed yours and all the other vids on the subject, only to find that the first layer calibration is the most overlooked issue on this subject. I finally found a guy talking about that, and since I calibrated my printer to print a proper first layer I have no need for anything to aid in bed adhesion. I have a prusa mk2.5. I've been making 100% successful prints now of all sizes and shapes for about 3 months. Now I just wipe the bed before each print with a little rubbing alcohol and I'm good to go. Check out the first layer print in your calibration menu folks. It'll take a little effort to get it right but you'll be happy you took the time.

Great advice. Just received my Prusa MK3s. Had a corner peel up on a 10hr print, frustrating. I did the glue stick method on the first one and it was great, but I applied too much and it was a pain to clean up. Tried hairspray, thats when the corner peeled. I like the applying small amount of the glue stick and spread it around method. Thank you again for confirming that this works.

I've had a lot of problems not even glue helped, so tried using strips of very thin double sided sticky tape, sounds nuts I know but it works a treat. Should point out my bed isn't heated.

Just come across this video.... You saved my printing sanity.....

I've just been wiping over the printbed with a damp cloth whenever I've had issues, it's been working fine for now but I'll keep this in mind if that ever stops working

You should try 3D Detailing Panel Wipe, we use it in the Vehicle Detailing industry to clean all the wax, dirt and grease from panels of the vehicle before applying a ceramic coating. Works very well to get the surface to what we call "Naked Paint"

Im having a good run getting pla,pla+,petg, carbon fibre to stck using a metallic self-adhesive vinyl, applied then scuffed with fine wet/dry sandpaper, cleaned with IPA (rubbing alcohol), then TUNE THE Z-OFFSET!, i tune the z-offset at every nozzle change. My experiance with glue stiks was they made a mess, and results varied greatly depending on the brand of glue stik i was using (however my method was not as described in the vid, i just slapped it on willy nilly and crossed my fingers!)

thx 4 the tip! had set up my bl touch and my 1st layer did not stick what ever i did! so now i know! glue + alc = bed adh!!!! now i get got prints that stick!!! THANKS!

Thanks for sharing this. I just recently cleaned my print bed. After a while of printing with PLA and no problems I switched to PETG and it would not stick. After cleaning the bed and getting rip of all those oils. It prints just fine now though I think for a big print. I'll try the glue stick trick. Thanks for showing it off. :)

I know this video isn't targeted for a user such as myself. But... I am so glad that I use hairspray on a glass bed. Glass is stupid simple to clean (soap and water) and I can spray the glass with hairspray while it's off the bed. I never have adhesion issues with PLA, PET, or ABS plus the prints pop right off the second that the glass cools off. I've tried a few types of hairspray and they are all the same so I get the cheapest crap I can find (Aquanet).

Glass and methylated spirits- that brings back memories of my first two printers!

i havent needed to buy a glustik in over 20 years, instant results after 4 days of thinking my bed was out of level constantly.

As soon as I heard you say metho, I thought "found the Australian

I only use a glue stick when i print petg because otherwise it sticks to much when printing on pei. A friend is using the saltwater method for printing on glas. For that you use normal water with a high amount of salt in it and put it on the hot heatbed. Then only a small layer of salt is left on the glas which can be easy removed with only water after the print.

I have a Creality CR-10... My main use for the printer is to make cosplay pieces. Since my heating bed doesn't work, I started to use wood glue for my prints. All my prints turn out great! The glue creates this sorta cement type, so my prints stay on nice and firm when it get further up in height. Once the print is finish, I take it to the tub and fill it with hot water and let it soak for a few mins. The glue will return to a soft and easy to remove state. I haven't had any issues with it... so far....

I had a problem that nothing would stick any more. Bed was fine. Turns out there was a bunch if gunk in the hot end, so extrusio and retraction had lag and so every line would start extruding late and get pulled right up, then get knocked off when the nozzle came back, stick to the nozzle and then there would just be a blob stuck on the nozzle. Took everything off the hot end, cleaned it out, refitted everything. Worked great. Guess i have to remember to add it to the maintainance processes every so you often.