"Starting in 3D printing" Topic

Hi all,
I'm very interested in getting into this. The thought of fiddling with the tech reminds me of the early days of PCs.

I'll want to do land-based Historical wargames & terrain. Periods of interest are Ancients, Napoleonics, WW2. Scales from 6mm to Bolt action. Initial research indicates that Warhammer style STL files are pervasive, and although I've found some Historicals & Terrain on Thingiverse, they're few and far between, and some of the quality is a bit clunky.

So could anyone recommend a decent site or two for me to browse, please. Esp for Naps and WW2

Re the kit, I'm pretty much sold on the Elegoo Mars or Saturn with the bigger screens for 1/56 scale stuff.
The Saturn has a self-levelling plate, but is that worth the extra?
I have also seen flexible steel plate add-ons recommended. Are these a good idea?
And which of the resins would give good detail but not break on first touch?
I know that the 3D community is a very supportive one, so hopefully I'll be able to find a few decent forums to join while I'm finding my feet. Or printing m feet, even.

Thanks for any advice you can give,

Wargaming3D, MyMinifactory (Eskice) and 3D Breed all make files. I switched to Sunlu ABS like. Good strength and price is ok. Also, chunky can be fixed easily. I run a Printing shop and advertise here. You can email me and I'd be happy to answer any questions you may have. I also suggest joining Facebook groups for your printers. Great resources! I own 6 Saturns. My last 2 are Saturn Ultra's. Levelling for resin isn't that big a deal vs FDM printers.

3D Breed has a Naps Kickstarter going on for 4 to 5 armies in 15mm. You might like that.

link

Thanks

John Leahy
johnleahy55atyahoodotcom

I was looking into this process as well. I have friends into this. Two have three machines and one has one in Alabama which is my area. My friends in Florida produce a massive amount. Their group, one has 12 and the other has 20. I have been getting hints from them.
Check Creality, Yeggi, Patreon.
A Mage Pro system was mentioned.
I checked 3D printing Historical Miniatures STL and got a lot of interesting sites.

YouTube is your friend. Sooo many videos discussing every aspect of the hobby. The 3D Printing DM has really good videos, of general interest: A rose, by any other name, would smell as sweet, and all that jazz. What applies to printing fantasy figures, applies to printing historical figures, as well.

There is a rubber-like resin (forget the brand name) which is nigh indestructible, and produces good results. Most folks are blending it with more brittle, less expensive resins, to make figures that are far less brittle. The ratios vary, so you will need to experiment to see what works best for you. The rubber-like resin is two to three times the cost of the more brittle resins, hence the mixing of the two types.

The flexible steel printing plate allows you to flex it, to remove the printed mini's from it, without scraping. Make sure you learn about the toxicity of the resin fumes, and the skin irritation factors (always wear neoprene gloves!). Stay safe, have fun, and enjoy your new hobby! Cheers!

I second myminifactory, hit the site and search for free .stl files.

There are a number of sites out there that have .stl files, you just need to search for your subject of interest + .stl

digitaltaxidermy.co.uk
lootstudios.com

There's also a number of creators on myminifactory that use Patreon for monthly subs. They usually have a pretty good welcome package and then a number of new .stls each month.

Other sites for STL's
wargaming3d.com
cults3d.com/en
thingiverse.com

You will end up buying both a resin and a FDM machine. Resin for figures and vehicles, filament for buildings. If you get a bigger resin machine, you may be able to do your buildings on it, if you don't mind the resin cost.

If you are starting, and are not really obsessive about your figures and authenticity, look at the Wargames Atlantic Digital 'club' for $10 USD a month you get random figures sets from a wide variety of periods. They are not bad, but frustratingly the 20th cent ones seem to have some really stupid failures in research, and weh4en I begged them to fix the issues, or do better, they made fun of me. But you end up with a lot of random bits that are great to play around with for cheap. You'll find all manner of figures from chunky and dwarf-like to anatomically correct. For what seems like the BEST in figure sets look at Studio Histoia who have done some amazing ACW and WW2 sets.

Resin? they are all brittle. But a very popular thing to do is use 80% standard resin, and 20% Tenacious. gives it bit of a flex. You just need ot be careful with the thin bits. There's a historical wargames 3d facebook ground that is useful. And you will find the free/cheap models are often wanting (the later free Windam Graves are great!) but you can pay a little more and get models that are (when your printer is tuned up) very close to high end plastic quality.

Harbor freight is your friend for many cheap tools, and nitrile gloves. Don't waste your time with eater washable resin, get a washer and bite the bullet for IPA. Then learn to let the used stuff sit and settle for reuse. It's all very fun, but THERE IS NO MAGIC BULLET !

Your first decision is Resin or FDM. Personally resin has no attraction whatsoever for me. It's costly takes more time and frankly often can produce not fit for purpose items. FDM has a massive advantage in that it's at least as useful as a DIY tool. The lines thing is only an issue if you stare at your figures from 6". As a wargamer I am only interested in viewing ranges from 3 to 6ft. At that distance detail is pointless you just can't see it.

You need to be very definite as to what you want out of a 3D printer before even looking at types.

I stick by my opinion that the best thing to do is draw up what you want and get it printed by a 3rd party. If its for you you will know without wasting money. It may also help you decide FDM vs Resin, and base size and volume.

It may also help your decision as FDM is no longer what it was. 2 material head printers mean soluble supports, not sure if resin has advanced that far yet. While I have yet to see it, the minimal lines which to me are a wild exaggeration are supposedly becoming even less on more modern FDM printers. I would look at this but my printer looks good for another few years at the moment so no rush.

You will have no trouble, there's *LOTS* of information out there.

Steve Jackson chronicled his entry into this area, and there is lots of useful stuff in this series: link

Lots of people selling STLs. They're everywhere. Many of them are excellent!

There is some flexible resin that will handle mistreatment. Breakage should not be a problem in this day and age if you cure everything properly.

I think the latest Mars 4 & 5 ultra have self-leveling.

I am about to do this myself. I promised myself I would finish a couple hours projects and then get a Mars 4 Ultra. I am soooooo close.

It's a whole new hobby and it's easier than ever to get into.

You're on the right track with choosing resin printing for your miniatures. Mars 4 is a nice machine to learn on and may suit all your needs. You can always upgrade when you're off the training wheels.

*The Saturn has a self-levelling plate, but is that worth the extra?
Yes – if you have the budget for it. Anything that makes printing easier is a good thing.

*I have also seen flexible steel plate add-ons recommended. Are these a good idea?
These are handy. I just buy a spare build plate and swap them after each print.

*And which of the resins would give good detail but not break on first touch?
I use Siraya Tech Fast Non-Brittle High Precision resin with added Siraya Tech Tenacious. This makes them more flexible/bendy and much better for wargaming without broken bayonets!