Support Removal

[JoeGKushner]

So if I was a street level super-villain, it would be the ox. I've had several successful prints that I've managed to break before removing the supports. 

 

In terms of advice for support removal, what's the best practices?

 

Some I've heard, and the first one helped a lot:

 

1. Put miniature in hot water for a few minutes prior to removal. I have a Keurig and use it to make tea these days with hot water so this works out great.

 

2. clipping the support base into sections and peeling from there, sort of like an orange.

[Glitterwolf]

1 hour ago, JoeGKushner said:

So if I was a street level super-villain, it would be the ox. I've had several successful prints that I've managed to break before removing the supports. 

 

In terms of advice for support removal, what's the best practices?

 

Some I've heard, and the first one helped a lot:

 

1. Put miniature in hot water for a few minutes prior to removal. I have a Keurig and use it to make tea these days with hot water so this works out great.

 

2. clipping the support base into sections and peeling from there, sort of like an orange.

 

NO!

Use hot water from the tap, don't use a cooker or boil it.

I've done that and it caused some of my prints to crack due to the heat.

 

Just normal hot water from the tap in a bowl.

Dunk the print in IPA/Methylated Alcohol for first cleaning.

 

Then in the hot water let it soak for a while.

 

Don't rip off supports, use a side cutter and or a sharp hobby knife.

Take your time.

If the supports start to harden ( bigger prints) dunk the model in hot water again for a little while and repeat.

[Rastl]

The best nippers I've found for support removal are dollar store cuticle scissors. Those things work and don't mind being dunked in water. And if they stop working as well they're cheap to replace.

[JoeGKushner]

Supports!

 

How do you make sure you're removing all of the supports?

 

You ever cure and prime a figure and realize you've still left supports on it?

 

I've broken off pieces of a miniature before because they looked like supports.

 

Now I try to make sure I've got a 'clean' picture of the model, unsupported, jpeg, and follow that and try to wait a little while before curing the model so I can go over the model again with fresh eyes.

[Corsair]

3 hours ago, JoeGKushner said:

Supports!

 

How do you make sure you're removing all of the supports?

 

You ever cure and prime a figure and realize you've still left supports on it?

 

I've broken off pieces of a miniature before because they looked like supports.

 

Now I try to make sure I've got a 'clean' picture of the model, unsupported, jpeg, and follow that and try to wait a little while before curing the model so I can go over the model again with fresh eyes.

Congrats, you will find out that is an ongoing challenge. Wish I had better news...

[cmorse]

4 hours ago, JoeGKushner said:

Supports!

 

How do you make sure you're removing all of the supports?

 

You ever cure and prime a figure and realize you've still left supports on it?

 

I've broken off pieces of a miniature before because they looked like supports.

 

Now I try to make sure I've got a 'clean' picture of the model, unsupported, jpeg, and follow that and try to wait a little while before curing the model so I can go over the model again with fresh eyes.

 

Much like mold line and other surface defects adding a layer of grey primer is the best way to find the ones that aren't obvious. Don't view it as a problem, it's just part of the process. 

[TaleSpinner]

Support scars = mold lines

Some things really do not change.

[JoeGKushner]

34 minutes ago, TaleSpinner said:

Support scars = mold lines

Some things really do not change.

 

Yeah but on a fresh cast, mold lines are minimal. Good casters also put the mold lines in places where it's not going to ruin the model if it's handled improperly. 

Mind you I've seen a few where it's on the face or in an otherwise "WTF" moment but supports? Man, you can get there EVERYWHERE. And in a wide variety of types too, next to fragile bits like clothing or fingers. 

[Glitterwolf]

5 hours ago, JoeGKushner said:

 

Yeah but on a fresh cast, mold lines are minimal. Good casters also put the mold lines in places where it's not going to ruin the model if it's handled improperly. 

Mind you I've seen a few where it's on the face or in an otherwise "WTF" moment but supports? Man, you can get there EVERYWHERE. And in a wide variety of types too, next to fragile bits like clothing or fingers. 

 

Use thin supports on parts like fingers.

And use the hot water method, supports will go soft and leave less marks, use a sharp knife and/or cutter.

I've painted over it and it doesn't show.

[TaleSpinner]

Also, mini orientation goes a long way to reducing support marks.  I could teach a whole class on nothing but supporting minis.  So many of the presupported figs out there are supported to give speed, not quality.

[Glitterwolf]

5 minutes ago, TaleSpinner said:

Also, mini orientation goes a long way to reducing support marks.  I could teach a whole class on nothing but supporting minis.  So many of the presupported figs out there are supported to give speed, not quality.

 

I've said it before.

I no longer use presupported minis.

It's better to invest time to learn to do it yourself.

[Illithar]

I used the hot water method for a while, but I stopped. Not that it's bad, it isn't, but my butterfingers were more prone to breaking already delicate parts now made more delicate by the softening from the hot water. It does make support removal significantly easier though.