ABS not dissolving very well in Acetone

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ABS not dissolving very well in Acetone

Postby jammer » Sat Dec 07, 2013 6:27 am

I am trying to make some ABS juice but not having the results I expected. I bought the Klean Strip Acetone purchased at Ace Hardware. My ABS is blue 1.75mm from maker geeks. I cut up about 15" into small lengths and then put them in 2oz of the acetone. Left it in almost two days shaking the solution a couple of times per day. Now there is quite a bit of blue goo in the bottom of the jar. If I shake it up pretty hard it will get a little cloudy with a lot of floaties (majority of goo just balls up) but after a couple of hours the solution looks fairly clear and the goo is still there. From my research on the net it looks like the klean strip is 100% acetone. It evaporates almost immediately when clean the glass bed.

Is that too much ABS in the Acetone or what else could cause it?
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Re: ABS not dissolving very well in Acetone

Postby orcinus » Sat Dec 07, 2013 6:08 pm

Most likely the composition of the ABS you're using.

If i've learned anything in the past year it's that terms "ABS" and "PLA" are much looser than they should be, at least as far as filament sellers / makers are concerned. I've seen ABS that barely reacts to acetone, PLA that barely reacts to solvents it should react to (like THF), PLA that reacts to acetone... You name it.
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Re: ABS not dissolving very well in Acetone

Postby jammer » Sun Dec 08, 2013 1:53 am

orcinus wrote:Most likely the composition of the ABS you're using.

If i've learned anything in the past year it's that terms "ABS" and "PLA" are much looser than they should be, at least as far as filament sellers / makers are concerned. I've seen ABS that barely reacts to acetone, PLA that barely reacts to solvents it should react to (like THF), PLA that reacts to acetone... You name it.



Has anyone complied a list of filament suppliers and their associated filament characteristics. That would be a great thread to make into a sticky.
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Re: ABS not dissolving very well in Acetone

Postby dave3d » Sun Dec 08, 2013 11:17 pm

I am a relative newbie and on a steep learning curve. However I have bought ABS from three or four suppliers so far and I have found a big difference in quality. You get what you pay for I think.
They dissolve differently in acetone and smell differently. One really stinks when printing.
The best I have found is made by America Instrument and sold as Jet ABS. Bit expensive in the UK but worth paying extra imho. It is available on Amazon. I suspect fillers are used with some cheaper ones.
When making up ABS juice the pigment seems to dissolve first and this depends what the colour of the pigment is. The chemistry is different for each colour I think. A clear gel is usually left behind.
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Re: ABS not dissolving very well in Acetone

Postby jammer » Tue Dec 10, 2013 2:32 am

Thanks Dave. I am guessing that it is not pure ABS since it still sits on the bottom of the jar. The Wade Reloaded extruders that I received from MakerGeeks look very clean with sharp edges and no bubbles or voids so I am guessing that once I get my printer calibrated and tuned in that I should be able to have some nice prints. I also really like the fact that this ABS has virtually no bad smell. I may try to secure a few feet of someone's ABS that dissolves so I will have some ABS juice to help with the issue of not sticking to the bed.
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Re: ABS not dissolving very well in Acetone

Postby dave3d » Tue Dec 10, 2013 4:41 pm

All my sticking problems with ABS were solved by using Kapton tape and ABS juice with the bed at 110 deg C.
A single coat of juice with a small paint brush is enough. Anything more and it sticks too well. You can't get it off.
I have got different coloured juices made up but someone on the reprap forum said they use just one juice made up from clear ABS. Have not tried it yet.
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Re: ABS not dissolving very well in Acetone

Postby jammer » Thu Dec 12, 2013 7:09 am

Thanks Dave. I searched the web and found the secret for putting on Kapton tape without wrinkles or bubbles and now have one of my glass beds covered with it. I am not sure any of my ABS dissolved since the acetone is crystal clear after a week and there is a blue sludge on the bottom of the jar. It only gets a little cloudy if I shake it pretty hard. If I can't get my hands on a few feet of pure ABS then I might have to go buy some ABS cement and dilute it with Acetone. I will try those temps as well.
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Re: ABS not dissolving very well in Acetone

Postby dave3d » Thu Dec 12, 2013 1:20 pm

The ABS will reach a saturation point in the acetone. It won't all dissolve. I still have a gooey deposit at the bottom.
I just shake it up and paint it onto the hot bed.

There are a couple of methods listed for applying Kapton tape. I use window cleaner spray and smooth it out with a credit card. I use 50mm wide tape. The wider stuff is a lot more expensive.
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Re: ABS not dissolving very well in Acetone

Postby zoominbc » Mon Dec 16, 2013 5:58 am

I find that hair spray is a much more convenient solution than ABS juice. It's simple to apply straight on the glass. Specifically I have good success with "Garnier Fructis Style Hold & Flex Ultimate Control Spray". Bed temperatures are 100 degrees C. I also found that it's important to use a wide brim and make sure the bed is level for max adhesion.
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Re: ABS not dissolving very well in Acetone

Postby DonaldJ » Mon Dec 16, 2013 9:50 am

Ditto on the hairspray, but I prefer AquaNet Extra Super Hold.

Works very well with PLA, too. I use a heatbed temp of 50c and, after printing, put the glass in the freezer for a few minutes. The parts practically slide off.

No more funky bottom surfaces with the damn blue tape, and acetone use is minimized.
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