Thanks DW Dad! This was very informative and great job!

My $.02: I've been experimenting with different coatings and techniques for a while to get smooth prints - on large and small prints - and I've settled on a good-quality 2-part urethane high-build filler primer by Speedokote (SS-2790W/SS-2790A Super Fill High Build Primer). It builds very quickly, wet-sands like a dream (no paper clogging, no crumbling, feathers beautifully) cures very quickly (depends on how you thin it) is easy to chase details back in where necessary, and is just really nice to work with. I find that in some parts of the models (depending on spray orientation), the primer will fill in the layer lines and lay down - so no sanding required. Yes, it's a two-part urethane and requires a spray gun and urethane reducer - so you'll need a mask and an area with good airflow to spray in, but after trying a dozen different methods, this is the one that really ends up being the least amount of work and gives some really great results.

This is awesome! Thanks DW!

Absolutely fantastic video with lots of great details! Haha man i can relate to that bondo body filler mixing wrong haha. Will have to checkout that Bondo Metal

Great tips man! I'm getting ready to fill and sand my Djarin armor and this video helps a lot! you earned my sub sir! This is the way...

The Bondo putty (I use a similar one from 3M because it's hard to get Bondo in my country) dissolves in acetone. This means, you can titerally thin it down with acetone, to a consistency of like Tabasco sauce. The result is something like a brush-on putty, which goes really deep into the PLA lines and bonds way batter than pure outty. I usually give the print just a rough handsand 180, use pure putty for really deep spots. After curing I start to liberally apply thinned putty with a 30mm brush. The acretone accelerates the curing, so after half an hout you can apply a second coat etc. Usually 2 medium heavy coats are enough. I usually let it stand to cure over night, but that's just me being patient ;-) When cured I handsand with 220. Next step is wetsanding with 800 - wetsanding because it doesn't clog up the sandpaper. Personally, again, because I'm fussy, I wetsand with 1200, which gets the thing close to mirror sheen before even applying a filler primer. I honestly try not to use machines for sanding though. A machine can friction heat the filament if you manage to get through all the putty and can damage the print. But wetsanding, because it keeps the sandpaper "sharp" indefinitely, is'nt that far behind regarding time, since you'll have to do many parts and areas via hand anyway. I don't have WIP videos in my channel but some videos of pretty good results with this technique (not just 3d printed stuff).

OMG don't know how I missed this Lil Z!! I'm so sorry for the slow response shout out to you from your #1 fan and subscriber!! You rock buddy 👍

"We're going to Wakanda, you wanna come?" Love it! Great video. Thanks for sharing.

Things that i use: CARD SCRAPERS. They are just so amazing that they deserve to be fully capitalized. Then woodfiller, then sanding. The amount of sandpaper i've saved alone makes card scrapers superior, but they are also at least four times as fast, depending on the shape. They work with PLA the best, it is sufficiently hard to be smoothed by card scrapers that are meant for harder woods (wood filaments especially are like made for this method, PETG and PLA+ are not so good as they are more elastic, the scraper tends to jump and jitter). They are also easy to DIY, any sharp 90 degree metal can be rolled to form a scraper edge. I made my own miniature scrapers from large stainless steel tweezers. The edge is good for months, and you can make more and less aggressive versions for removing a lot of material (which is how i do most big holes and friction fit parts to get them exactly right) and less aggressive for final finish. Oh, and the best part: card scrapers do not heat the material. All the heat is in the chips as those deform and then are removed... So, you can go as much as you want on just small area, no need to think about heat. And they never clog. I use woodfiller since it is cheap and waterbased, it is just very fine gypsum powder. No need for ventilation but it does creta quite a bit of dust so surgical mask at least is adviseable. Trick: do not blow! Ever! Keep moist rag beside you at all times and wipe the dust, and rinse the cloth when it needs to be rinsed. Cuts at least half of dust from landing EVERYWHERE.. Gypsum dust is not fun thing, it is somewhat abrasive and goes.. everywhere. Woodfiller is easy to work with, you can retain a lot of the details, just because it will be sanded first, before plastic. Thinning it with 70/30 IPA/water mix makes it easy to brush, to get thinner layers. I've never had any problems of it coming off, it sticks fairly well but of course, needs to be painted and coated, it is quite soft stuff. And as it is waterbased, no toxic fumes, it is also fairly fast drying (do not use heat, let it dry in room temps or it will form cracks) And fully agree with the video, let things dry. The longer you let them dry, the easier the sanding becomes. You want to sand something that is hard, not something that is gooey. With waterbased stuff it is extra important as PLA hydrolyses over time if it has water in it, your model becomes more brittle as the polymers snap shorter and shorter. Let it dry overnight, then sand it, prime it, let that cure for hours. It is slower process but overall much less work, time is doing lot of the work for you, so let it do that work.

Hey man , all the love from india. Love the information you throw in your videos.

It's like a where's Waldo... I see gladiator helm, I see Rocketeer, and joey and Suzie and... Lol Great video thanks

Fantastic video!

Shoutout to your DOOM mask back there... ALL CAPS! I'm working on a Modern Post-Imperial kit for the Naast chapter of Mando Mercs and your videos have been VERY helpful!

Thank you very much for the video, awesome detail and definitely gonna try plastic metal, I am planning to try to print/paint Boba as well as a few other helmets thank you for the great content! Showing pics at each stage I find very beneficial so I have a rough idea what to be looking for as I progress

Great video! I learned a lot. I'm going to give the Bondo plastic and plastic filler a try,

Amazing video as always! I'm hoping to get my first 3d printer around Christmas time this year and have been binging non stop 3d printing videos trying to pick up tips before I start screwing things up. :) Once I have settings dialed in I'm looking to make statues and things as gifts for friends. (The little spaceships from batteries not included, the Mondoshawan from the Fifth Element, etc). Do you have any tips for post processing smaller things like that or would you be willing to make a video about those kind of things? I've been all over youtube the past month watching hundreds of videos and your prints and final products are by far the most refined I have seen. Thanks!

26:10 What’s wrong with wood filler, in your opinion? Could you elaborate? 😮

Great video and very helpful tips. I have a question; I use wood filler to fill in the joints and seam lines, can I use Bondo Platic Metal to fill in the joints?

For the plastic metal is that Bondo 901 and is the glazing putty Bondo 907C? Thanks for the video.

I saw you used stage 2 bondo spot and glaze putty...what's the difference of stage 3 and what should you use to finish

Hey just curious: is there a reason you use pla opposed to Petg? It doesn’t warp from heat/friction from sanding. A lot less brittle as well.

After that final primer spray at the very end, do you then sand again before you apply the paint in Part 2?

Do you use Tack cloth to remove dust prior to paint? - I saw your paint tent this time - anything else you do to stop airborn artifacts?

So say you just got a fresh print of the printer. Would you say the steps would be 1. Sand. 2. Filler then prime / sand as many times as needed. 3. Paint?

Thank you for this very informative video.

What's the different between glazing putty and plastic metal? can i getaway with just glazing putty or just plactic metal, and what is your suggestion if its for smaller piece that have a lot of intricate details like pistol prop etc? I really frustrated with those print lines. I currently working on the Oblivion pistol and im trying using UV resin which is good cuz it dries fast but sanding it is harder, please help, Thank you

Super helpful for my first mando print. How do you deal wkth detailed areas when applying the plastic metal/bondo. I found its so difficult to spread kt usually gums up and im worried indented lines might disappear

Love the DOOM mask #ALLCAPS 14:47

Have you changed over to UPOL? How does that compare to the metal filler Bondo?

I'm just waiting for my elegoo Jupiter lol

on your very last coat of primer do you sand that at all or just spray the color you want on top with no sanding?

Thanks again for this. I’m brand new to working with 3D printing. I’m following along with this video with my own Mando helmet … when I put on the Bondo plastic metal … how thick & dense do I apply it ? (Or does it really matter)

Do you rinse off your prints after saning and before adding another coat of fuller primer?

Just to clarify, you cover the entire helmet with plastic metal and sand it off, and then repeat that with the glazing putty?

What are you using to spread the glazing putty on the extra pieces?

Can i wet sand bondo glazing putty with water? Or it will just dissolve the putty?

What do you clean the sanding dust off with after sanding the primer?

Once I’ve sanded, primed, and I’m ready to paint what are you cleaning your pla parts with again? Just straight alcohol?

At what point is it recommended to stop using the electric palm sander? Do you still use it after the bondo glazing putty with 220/320 grit?

Do you have an alternative to use from bondo as it's really expensive in the uk?

You did a great job - but that's a lot of work, and wish I had seen this video 2 weeks ago before I bought an FDM printer - I wouldnt have bought it - I just don't have the time to spend sanding and filling

0.4mm nozzle, higher heat, slower print, shorter layer height makes less lines

can you link the print file/maker for this helmet?

8:50 испугал на хрен!)) смотрел на колонках jbl в тишине!.. видос зачет лайк подписка спасибо из России!

Nice MF DOOM mask

Your thumbnail is inaccurate. This is how to get a perfectly SMOOTHED print, not how to get a perfectly SMOOTH print. Big difference. LOL.

Can't find this in europe so boring

I’m sorry but I’ve never been one to spare feelings. If you can’t properly mix regular bondo you have no business trying to 3D print anything.