After having some troubles with Sketchup, I changed to DesignSpark : very powerfull and easy to use. Some pictures of printed models :
https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/2062326/IMGP0797.JPG
https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/2062326/IMGP0800.JPG
https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/2062326/IMGP0801.JPG
Very happy with the results !
Nice, Ted!
Thanks Julia !
I tried acetone vapor as you suggest me : it works perfectly … for smoothing, but not for my leaks problem. I have to keep the element too long in actone vapor, at the end the geometry doesn’t remain the same and I also need accuracy …
Now, I’m using some cyanoacrylate glue on the faces I need to be impervious. As it is very liquid, it just diffuse between slices (difficult to explain in english, sorry). It seems to work quite well.
I’m also setting the fan very low, and it helps.
Salut ted,
Tu utilises quoi, pour le polissage acétone ?
Yep… I think Designspark is the best free software available for drawing. Spaceclaim (it’s not so free big brother) is great for importing and fixing files as well.
[quote name=pilou74]Salut ted,
Tu utilises quoi, pour le polissage acétone ?
[/quote]
I know you asked Ted, Philippe, but I will stick my 2 cents in anyway 
I do something like this https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VvCEnA0NEG4 but I do it in an electric steamer pot instead of a paint can. That way I can add a little bit of heat if I want it to go faster.
Wow, very nice tutorial, Julia ! Thank you very much ! I didn’t know we could polish with acetone in a room temperature environment. That’s interesting.
You mean you put your model inside a steam pot ? And you elevate it ? And you pout acetone instead of water, right ?
[quote name=pilou74]Wow, very nice tutorial, Julia ! Thank you very much ! I didn’t know we could polish with acetone in a room temperature environment. That’s interesting.
You mean you put your model inside a steam pot ? And you elevate it ? And you pout acetone instead of water, right ?
[/quote]
Room temperature works fine, it just takes longer - which in a way can be better because it’s more controlled. At higher temp the part can be completely finished in 30 seconds and destroyed in 2 minutes. The problem with the paint can is you can’t easily monitor the process. I like the steamer because it has a glass lid and I can watch. The problem with the steamer alone is that the vapors stay at the bottom so the top of tall parts doesn’t get as smoothed as the bottom. After seeing the paint can video I now line the steamer with paper towels, which makes a more even vertical distribution of vapor.
Yes, the part must be elevated so that it’s not in contact with any liquid acetone - you don’t want that.
julia
Pilou,
J’utilise la technique de la video que t’a donné Julia en lien. Ca fonctionne très bien. Je n’ai fait qu’un seul essai, mais très fructueux. J’avais simplement pris un bocal en verre que j’avais tapissé de papier absorbant. Un peu d’acétone sur le papier absorbant, le modèle posé sur une assiette et le bocal retourné dessus, comme sur la vidéo. Effectivement, à température ambiante, on a le temps de voir la pièce se transformer … ça prend du temps ! Mais comme le souligne Julia, c’est peut-être plus simple pour piloter le résultat.
As mentioned in the video, it’s important to remove the part before it looks like it’s completely finished, because the process continues for some time after it’s removed - just like in cooking 
Wow realy nice technique to smooth parts with acetone
nice that is good info to have thank you
Merci Julia et Ted !
I got the Acetone today. I Have absorbant paper. I just miss one metal or glass can… I go to IKEA tomorrow ! 
