Probably going to dry the filament and reprint it but overall it turned out pretty good. Printed on a Bambu A-1 mini
this post was submitted on 24 Dec 2025
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Frankly, a few dozen passes with 120-220 grit, (with the grain) followed by a quick acetone wipe down (picks up any particulate) and then a couple light coats of gloss varnish (spray; 8-10" away, just enough to begin saturating the surface) varnish before waiting 24hrs+ (ie. gas off) to box it up... is the pro move here. 🫶🏼🤓
I try and avoid sanding plastic as much as possible even if it's PLA
I've never tried it but this method looks interesting. I wonder if it would work with clear primer instead of paint.
https://www.instructables.com/Easy-Way-to-Smooth-PLA-No-Sanding-No-Chemicals/
FWIW, that's essentially just gap-filling with more steps and increased procedural risk; the varnish (polyurethane) is already a component of the spray paint, and the steps as described leave an incredible amount of room for failure on multiple points. It's reinventing the wheel and boxing it up as a lifehack. 🤌🏼🫣
Trim, sand*, clean, paint*, seal*, bring joy. Simple as.
*as needed
Just do it outside then.
Or just do it in the garage. Not to devalue your point (because you aren't wrong either, the dust isn't probably healthy), but honestly thinking back over all the shady things that have gone down in my garage over the years, sanding a bit of PLA wouldn't even nick the surface.
Lmao I recently spilled a liter of hydrochloric acid in my garage.
I get that but creating microplastics to get a smooth finish on an Xbox controller faceplate doesn't seem like a good move to me.
Uh... That's where you're drawing the line? That very specific, all but arbitrary point along a path already littered with ethical failures? Really? 😅 I mean, you do you. 🙇🏼♂️🥲
One of these days, your perspective might change a little, heh —but try not to get dragged down by the myriad crimes against humanity inherent in plastics, et al industries... 🤷🏼♂️
Change what you can, working from yourself outward. Use PPE, sand your plastic gadgets, do a good job, bring joy into the world with your efforts. ✊🏼🫶🏼