Did anyone try other types of crêpe paper then 3C Scotch Blue Painters Tape?
What are the results?
I’m currently testing alternatives to the Kapton Tape I have used all the time for PLA.
3M ScotchBlue is available in smaller widths (36mm and down) and at reasonable prices from Amazon or Voelkner/Conrad, if you’re concerned about the pricing of the 48mm variant.
For 3D printing the 3"(actually 2.83 inch=73mm) variant is the most reasonable one to limit the number of steps between adjoining strips.
Here is the small 50mm one
http://www.voelkner.de/products/488254/ScotchBlue-Abdeckecken-L-x-B-50-mm-x-50-mm-Blau-2090COR-3M-Inhalt-1-Rolle-n.html
So…this is about alternatives.
Surely this can’t be the only brand that works well.
What doesn’t work and why?
That one is little 50x50mm patches on a roll - probably a bigger pain to apply than a 36mm tape.
Any particular reason why you’re looking for alternatives?
I’ve had good experiences with clean, plain glass (with a tendency of not sticking enough), others are reporting that hairspray on any surface works well (with a tendency of sticking too well).
Other blue tapes often have less adhesion to PLA than genuine 3M.
I want to know what property makes it suitable to see what easily available brands outside the US work fine.
Or if anything is recommend at all on a heated metal surface.
I’m using Tesa tape for “edge protection” - (http://www.tesa.com/industry/products/tesa_4319,i.html) with very good results (PLA only)
some alternatives
http://funbiestudios.com/2013/03/alternatives-for-blue-painters-tape/
I’m under the impression that the roughest surface worked best in this test?
(Hard to see on my current LCD)
On glass or metal, ABS “slurry” works quite well. That is, dissolve ABS in acetone to form a thin liquid, then wipe a very thin layer onto the build platform. The acetone dissolves leaving a very thin (invisible) layer of ABS that sticks to the metal/glass and the printed PLA or ABS sticks well to the ABS. If you’re printing ABS this is easy - just wipe the platform with acetone after your print and the little bits of plastic dissolve and wipe the layer.
You can also use hair spray. But for that you’d want to take your build surface out of the printer to spray it, so your printer doesn’t end up sticky (and flammable). I use this on either glass or metal sheets, clipped to the build plate.
Plain heated glass always worked so well for me that I never tried the suggested alternatives. I’ve only ever printed PLA though.
For PLA, I recommend watered down white glue (Elmer’s, PVA) on glass at 70C. Very sticky, great surface quality.
I had poor luck with plain heated glass until wildseyed told me to crank the heat up higher. I did, and ABS began sticking like glue. I hear PLA will, too. How hot is your bed?
60°C at the moment for PLA.
60 here too. Much higher and it stops sticking, do definitely try lower as well as higher if you’re having trouble. You want it to go through the glass transition but not cool so much it warps, is my understanding.
Forgot to mention that I’m using Tesa tape on cold bed. For large objects wide brim is necessary (10 or more mm)