How to finish printed objects

[dddprint]

I am cooking my prints in acetone vapour. The result is awesome: http://www.thingiverse.com/thing:191495
If you want to use a gas stove to boil the acetone then make sure there are no acetone vapours around (no stink) when you ignite the flame or you will make a HUGE fireball all around you. It's harmless but scarry.
The idea is:
1: boil some acetone to make vapour
2: let the vapours soak into the model
If you mix up the steps (soak acetone into the model and THEN boil it) you will get bubbly surface: http://www.thingiverse.com/make:54865 which is awesome too!

[Michiel950]

I know about using acetone, but I have not gotten in depth with it. I will check it out. Thanks.

[old man emu]

I am cooking my prints in acetone vapour.
If you want to use a gas stove to boil the acetone then make sure there are no acetone vapours around (no stink) when you ignite the flame or you will make a HUGE fireball all around you.

Whoa there, pardner! Let's look at the safety aspect of what you are doing.

Acetone's Flash Point is -18C. At any temperature above that there is sufficient acetone/oxygen mix to sustain fire. Since most of us are working with acetone in micro-environments where the ambient temperature is about +10C, there is always potential for a flash if the acetone/oxygen mixture comes into contact with an ignition source.

Therefore: always work with acetone in a well ventilated area and limit sources of ignition by grounding metal containers; using static free containers and by locating ignition sources (pilot lights, electrical relay switches and radio frequency transmitters [your cell phone])

Acetone's Boiling Point is 56.5C, so there is no need to use a gas stove to evaporate the acetone to create an acetone rich atmosphere.

My suggestion is to obtain an old glass fish tank that has a cover so it can be sealed. Then obtain a thermostat kit from an electronics show (Radio Shack?), and a 60W soldering iron.

Attach a metal crucible to the hot end of the soldering iron and place both into the tank, being sure that the power cord of the soldering iron come out of the tank. Fill the crucible with acetone. Place the temperature sensor from the thermostat kit into the acetone in the crucible and connect the sensor to the thermostat which should be outside the tank. Put your 3D printed object into the tank, and cover the tank to seal it. Then create a means for the thermostat to be able to cut the power to the soldering iron when the temperature of the acetone in the crucible gets to 60C. Switch on the power and monitor the tank until your printed object has reached the desired smoothness, and you can switch everything off; let it cool, then remove the object.

Old Man Emu