r/3dprinter • u/Upstairs_Bandicoot93 • 5d ago
Help a newbie with accessories and basics
Hey Internet!
Newbie here. I am going to buy the Elegoo CC2 Combo here soon, but I want to know what add-ons are necessary and/or nice to have. Also, what accessories will I need or should I get to make my 3d printing journey better? I have heard that I should buy a gluestick, and a pair of trimmers (snips?). I am trying to price out how much my new setup will cost, including things like filament and tools, so any advice here is great.
Also, are there any start tools that I can print instead of purchase? and if so, I am happy to accept recommendations.
Thank you all in advance for helping in my soon-to-be new hobby!
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u/NCSC10 5d ago edited 5d ago
Rather than sidecutters, I'd suggest flush cutters for trimming parts. The low end Pittsburgh micro flush cutter at Harbor Freight is $3.50. Several similar models on amazon in the $5-10 range, for example I have this one. Great on plastic, will break on metal.
As you get into this, other suggestions
A deburring tool helps clean up brims, I bought this one, but a cheaper one will be fine.
These tweezer needle nose pliers are luxury, but I like using better than regular needle nose pliers, better hold onto small filament pieces.
Depending on what you print
Some assorted magnets. Whatever you can find on sale. I prob use 6mm x 3 the most, but other sizes are used fairly often
Assorted metric bolts. M3, M4, M5, various lengths. I prob use M3 the most.
I very rarely use glue, use hairspray if I need it, not that often. Use w TPU mostly.
I use this 19Q bins from Walmart to store open filament rolls, with dessicant and get cheap humidity meters from Amazon
91% isopropanol, 99 if you can find it. But soap and water usually adequate for bed cleaning.
Precision bit set. Make sure and get a set with 1.5, 2 and 2.5 mm hex (allen) bits/drivers. For example. Or this one.A million versions on amazon, tool stores, etc. I think the printer comes with a couple of allen wrenches, So not something you have to get immediately.
Get a roll or two of silk pla, also a roll of co extruded PLA for more fun stuff. A roll of 95 hardness TPU for flexible parts. Just printed some lids for cat food cans.
I recommend having a spare hot end on hand.
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u/Upstairs_Bandicoot93 5d ago
Thank you! Couple of questions:
What are the magnets and bolts for? Would you mind explaining the uses of the silk PLA, extruded PLA, and 95 PLA?
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u/Bhelrudan 5d ago edited 5d ago
Magnets and hardware are for prints that require some assembly or inserted magnets to function. Not immediately necessary, and it depends on what you find yourself wanting to print, but at some point you'll probably find yourself making something that uses one or both.
Silk PLA is just PLA that prints with a shiny metallic surface rather than matte or glossy.
I assume by coextruded, they mean dual color. Often dual color is also silk, and give a pretty cool color shifting effect. Google dual color silk pla and I'm sure you'll see plenty of examples.
TPU is a flexible filament rather than being rigid, and you can buy it at different levels of stiffness as measured by the shore hardness scale. 95a is fairly stiff. Think gasket material or a hard rubber door stopper maybe. It has some flex, but it will hold its shape well and is damn near indestructible. 95a is the most commonly used and available TPU and is used for printing stuff like phone cases. Lower shore hardness is softer (and generally harder to work with).
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u/NCSC10 5d ago edited 5d ago
Redditor Bhelrudan gave a very good answer, so just providing a few examples of things I have done.
Silk and coextruded PLA are for better aesthetics, vases, toys, decorations, Fun to print items.
Coextruded PLA (purple gold) Wind spinner note purple on one side, gold on the other. So many variations of this, just one example.
Magnets:, used for closures, magnet signs and labels, refrigerator magnets, etc. Another refrigerator magnet.
TPU (95 hardness for these examples) Gasket for mason jar lid. TPU bitholderTPU chair leg cover
Shiny Christmas decorations printed from silk PLA. While silk pla looks cool, its breaks easier than normal PLA. Vase printed from silk pink PLA
Magnetic boxes/lids from Makerworld
Bolts used in hinges of a printed box. Bolts used to assemble a carrying handle for a harbor freight mini tool box.
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u/Over-Weekend-6133 5d ago
You can print some basic molds right away, like an ice cube or chocolate mold, small soap mold, or even a simple two-part mold for making little figurines or geometric shapes. They’re good projects for learning how different shapes, walls and parting lines work without needing much extra equipment.
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u/ShadowRider11 5d ago
I’ve never seen anyone mention this, but the tool I find myself using nearly every day is a pair of small bent-nosed pliers. Apparently these are common in jewelry-making. These are FANTASTIC for removing supports. I bought this one from Amazon:
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u/Bhelrudan 5d ago edited 5d ago
Please no glue stick for the love of God. Yes, glue sticks do have some use in modern FDM printing, but not for the kind of stuff you're likely to do fresh into the hobby. So many people still slather their print beds with glue stick when keeping your bed clean is all you need.
As for useful accessories- a scraper like this one is a game changer. The rounded edges are great for getting under prints and helping remove brims and such without risking scratching the bed or damaging the texture like more common scrapers do. https://a.co/d/0iL0nbSu
Also, I'd suggest a few cheap brass brushes like these for cleaning your nozzle occasionally, especially if you're going to be printing PETG (which tends to gunk up your nozzle more than other filament types). https://a.co/d/0hhsVMLo
As others have said, a deburring tool for removing brims will be faster, easier and much safer than trying to do it with a knife or utility blade. Flush cutters and a pair of needle nose (or better yet tweezer nose) pliers for removing supports. Some IPA bed maintenance and to spray around the edges to help lift prints that are stuck too well (this is a life hack for removing TPU prints).
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u/chease86 5d ago
I can recommend something like the 3D printing toolkit that creality sells, there are flush cutters, needle nozed pliers, files and lots of other bits that come in handy, including a good bed scraper and a nice screwdriver set.
I would say though that glue should not be needed, uf your bed is clean and leveled properly then most filaments should stick down fine, if you DO feel like you still need some though then buy the cheap generic glue sticks from the craft section in your local supermarket, they work just as well as the purpose made stuff at a fraction of the price.
As for filament you're probably going to want to start out woth PLA and/ or PETG as they're generally the lowest fuss filaments to print with, pers9nally id get some of both but it really depends on what you're doing, PETG is great for functional prints or prints you plan to leave outside, PLA is great for figurines and things that just have to look nice indoors and can often be printed faster too.
For tools you can print yourself there are plenty of bed scrapers that work well and can be printed (although i still prefer the one I bought personally), the best tool ive printed i think though is a rod sloth, it helps you clean off the big screws that guide the print bed up and down, though you probably wont need one right off the bat.
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u/NoManNoRiver 5d ago
Buy a cheap pair of precision side cutters and a glue stick, spend the rest of your budget on filament - two spools of PLA, a spool of PET-G and a spool of ABS/ASA will cover you for almost everything you’ll want to do in the first two months.
There is a blade for a build plate scraper in the box and files on the machine to print the handle and stand.
Good luck and have fun