Clean up

The parts may have extra bits and artifacts that need to be removed. We recommend using a pair of flush hakko snips to remove the "gobbers". 

Low retraction slice settings will introduce excess material near the port cut outs, stand-offs and posts. These can be cleaned up by snipping away the bits and pieces. 

Clean up parts over a trash bin to avoid stray bits and pieces. Wear safety glasses to avoid any projectiles!

Tolerance Testing

You'll want to run a few tests on the parts to check the tolerances for screws and fittings. If sections are too tight, use a filing tool to loosen the tolerance. 

  • Join two enclosure parts together and insert #4-40 screws to fasten parts together - Checking if posts line up.
  • Insert a #4-40 machine screw into mounting holes to make screw threads.
  • Test tolerances of speaker mounts. Check if a mini metal speaker snaps into the cavity.
  • Test tolerances for the action buttons. Place a button over the opening to check if they loosely fit.

Sanding

Optionally, you can sand the parts for a smooth finish. Use a low gritted sand paper and work your way to a finer grit. This helps reduce the appearance of lines and ridges in the surface.

Sand in a well ventilated area. Use a mask and worker gloves while sanding to reduce the chances of inhaling fine dust particals and getting any on your hands. Clean up dust from sanding with a vaccum.

Note that sanding the parts will discolor the surface. Black parts turns to an 'ashy gray'.

Tack Cloth

If you're down with sanding the parts, you can use tack cloth to remove fine particals and dust from the surface. This will make the part a bit sticky, so you may want to use latex gloves while cleaning.

XTC-3D coating

For a shiney and reflective, finish you can use XTC-3D coating from Smooth-On. It's a two part epoxy resin that can be applied to printed parts with a sponge brush.

Use latex gloves while handling and applying epoxy resin. This two part compound is a 2A : 1B ratio that has a work time of approximately 15 minutes. 

Follow the insturction sheet included for tips on applying coating to parts.

Follow the safety guide sheet included with XTC-3D before applying!

Bonding

The cover and frame for the battery needs to be bonded together. We recommend using E6000 adhesives for making a permanent industrial strength bond.

Apply E6000 to the inner edge of the battery cover and place ontop of battery frame part. Lightly sequeeze tube to apply and pull back to retract adhesive from leaking.

Use a weight with a flat surface like a book or case to appy pressure to the parts.

Let parts dry over night.

Don't apply too much E6000! Use small amount, apply to parts with cardboard underneath to catch any excess.

This guide was first published on Jan 14, 2015. It was last updated on Mar 08, 2024.

This page (Finishing Parts) was last updated on Dec 22, 2014.

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