Split Decision | 4WD IDEA Split Angle Build

Spray filler ist the way. I got really glossy results by using a lacquer with some polishing at the end.
You might want to adress the seams between the printed parts first. I used some putty and a spatula first for those.

If the print is of good quality you can get away with not that much sanding and still get a high gloss

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After more time fine tuning the battery spacer fitment, i’ve been able to even further optimize the structure, cutting the overall pack height down by over 1.6mm, and the width by almost 4mm from the previous revision. I’ve also managed to strategically cut material, which, due to this part being 3d printed, will actually most likely make it stronger with the way wall perimeters work. If i can get a more accurate test fit once i actually do the enclosure, i might even be able to make this pack slimmer still. As is, the maximum pack height is 41mm, but that’s with the pack following the contour of the deck, so the top at the outer edges and the bottom at the middle. If i measure it in a more accurate method of instantaneous height, it’s actually closer to 35mm of maximum pack height. Pretty impressive, considering it’s effectively a 1.5 stack battery that would otherwise not be able to fit 5P. I think with some further optimization, i should be able to cut the pack height to 34, or maybe even 33mm. This shows some serious promise for fitting packs into tight configurations, or allowing for slimmer custom fitted enclosures that can contour more closely to the deck.



Meanwhile, for the mold - Any opinions on this as a fill primer? Amazon.com: Dupli-Color DAP1689 Sandable Primer Spray Paint - White - 12 oz. Aerosol Can

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It doesn’t look like a high build primer, or at least it doesn’t market itself as that from what I saw. But it definitely looks like it will do the job.

In my experience using spray on high build primers like that, you really still need to do 95% of the filling and sanding before applying that just to really get it shining at the end. And it doesn’t take a great deal of effort to just sand it right off, so be gentle.

@rosco probably has more experience with it than I do, perhaps he could chime in?

I think ill primarily just be sanding the mold down to get it flush before using the primer to fill in any leftover divots. I printed it with pretty thick walls so ive got a lot of extra material to work with haha. Once i get that done and primered, smoothed down, any recommendations for a final coating to get that glossy smooth finish?

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Get a good few coats of primer on and lightly wet sanded, thoroughly cleaned with soapy water and then go with your mold sealer/release

I like honey wax, but there are heaps of products out there

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I did a layer of lacquer from the rattle can and some wet sanding afterwards. Few layer of Carnauberax afterwards did the trick. released like a charm.

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I used to get 3dp surfboard fins made from various grades of PLA.

The printing ridges were hydrodynamically draggy.

Sanding them flatter proved very laborious.

Painting over them with epoxy was not a great option, for multiple reasons.

I found holding a razor blade in fingers at 89 degrees, scraping it along the ridges was the quickest way to flatten and smooth those ridges.

The guy that was designing and printing these fins could not make this method work for himself, but I found it far faster and yielded better results than sanding and we agreed to disagree.

I’d clear coat them and later polish that rattlecan clearcoat layer, on the best performers.

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I agree, sanding 3dp fucking sucks. Filling the grooves between layer lines first is the only way

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Never thought about scraping a 3dp. Thats actually a really good idea, will try that for sure. Could imagine it to work especially nice on seamlines and bigger layerlines.

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On the surfboard fins, sanding could potentially change the shape/thickness of the foil, which would add yet another variable, when we were trying to eliminate variables, and trial and error our way towards progress.

So I found scraping off the ridge crests, almost to the valley floors kept the Foil true to the intended design, and then I could better attempt to compare the feel when adjusting the other variables, such as flex and fin thickness and the NACA foil used. This was several years ago. I am not savvy with the 3dp process itself, or the improvements to it since.

Experiment a bit with the downward pressure used on the razor, the razor sharpness, and the angle the razor is held in your fingers. Rather than stopping and rocking the blade the opposite direction, lift it off the surface before the backstroke begins, or just try unidirectional strokes.

Also utility knife blade vs regular razor, vs double edged.

There’s pretty much no flat surface on a center surfboard fin so razor blade flex was important. Not sure how applicable any of this is to your process, I just thought I’d mention it.

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I’ve been lucky in that i have pretty minimal later lines to contend with, modern 3d printing techniques have come a long way haha. I think a couple passes of hand sanding mostly to knock down the seams and the very tops of the ridges, and then primer to fill any remaining valleys or divots before more sanding should be pretty sufficient here, if a bit labor intensive lol.

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I have used high solids, two part polyester sanding primers and they are pretty awesome for making very smooth surfaces. Not cheap though and need a proper spray gun setup with biggish spray nozzles. They can fill reasonable texture but sanded smoother parts obviously make better a starting point. I have used the prestec 2093 (
https://www.sherfab.com/2093_rapid_polish_surface_primer_dark_gray_1qt

Can sand and polish pretty smooth.


My experience with rattlecan sanding primers is that they are ok but don’t have the same ability to fill texture or build thickness that well. Way cheaper and easier though

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Two hours of hand sanding at 100 and 240 grit later - Next step is fill primer and then 400 grit to cut back any high spots and smooth it out even more.




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You’ve been doing absolute killer work :open_mouth:
I love it keep it up :+1::+1:

Thanks! Currently working on painting still, got a bunch of sanding and primering left :rofl:

Hopefully the next update will be the final result of all the prep before the final coat of paint and then buffing.

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What is the stud thread size?

10-24

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Yet another update to the hubs.

Currently waiting on chinese new years to be over so i can have a sample made and inspected before proceeding with the batch, so the timeline is looking a bit tight for esk8con. I’ll see what i can do, but given that i dont want to sell something untested, i cant make any guarantees on the timeline. Still have a whole box of rejects from the 53T pulleys i designed which I’d rather not repeat.

Pricing wise, im adding an addendum to the above. Because stooge has gone so far out of his way to piss me off, if you can show current ownership of a set of stooge trucks or hubs, i will knock off $10 from the total price of your order. #fuckstooge

And if stooge has any issue with that, he can refer to this and use it on himself. Amazon.com: Passion Natural Water-Based Lubricant - 55 Gallon : Health & Household

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Still a lot of work to do, but its getting there




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Because “good enough” isn’t good enough

I thought the final coat of paint was final, but there was still a TON of defects and surface imperfections visible. So, some 600 grit foam backed sandpaper and an hour of manual labor later, it’s now actually smooth to the touch. Heres hoping one more coat of paint and then a hit of 2000 grit is sufficient.

Development is noticeably slow because i fucked up my back and have been working on my car. No clue if ill be ready for esk8con :smiling_face_with_tear: Atleast the car looks nice though (15mm H&R spacers, extended wheel studs)



The new BRP hubs are still waiting for the factories to re open to i can get a sample made and inspected too.

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