It might be easier to print with one neutral color spool, and paint the tokens?
this post was submitted on 06 Dec 2024
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Haven't thought about it. But that might be a better idea. Do you need a special paint for PLA?
I'm a big fan of using model paint, like you'd go buy for, well, models or your Warhammer stuff.
Small bottles, literally any color you could ever possibly want, and it's easy to work with because it's designed to be used on tiny little plastic things anyway.
Nah you're fine. People use PLA prints for Warhammer terrain and paint them like anything else - spray primer and acrylics, usually, but oils can get you really cool results if you've got more patience.
For tokens, just spray paint is fine. But you'll want some clear coat to seal it, so the paint doesn't chip off while they're being handled a bunch.
I've used spray paint in the past, on PLA prints, and it turned out fine.
But I've not researched the topic. Might be that I got lucky :)
I actually have a good amount of experience with this exact type of thing.
Fanciest, nicest, easiest, most expensive method will be to buy filament in desired colors.
Slightly cheaper option, print them all in one color (preferably white), get cans of spray paint in whatever colors you need plus a clear topcoat (I'd recommend matte or satin for game pieces), paint and top coat them
Cheapest option, get one can of white spray paint and a variety pack of cheapo craft acrylic paint (you can probably find a 10 pack for $5), base coat white, use a sponge brush with the acrylic paint (you'll need a few layers), then finish with top coat. Most time consuming and outcome will depend on how many layers you feel like doing.
If I didn't already have a rainbow of different filament colors for this exact scenario, I would go with the third option. You can layer them up until you're satisfied with the quality, and white base coat is always good to have.
The answer to your question is going to be in calculating how much is not much.
Depending how many tokens you need, each of those little loops of filament might not be sufficient. Those appear to be 5 meters of each color which works out to just about 40 grams of material. What you're looking at is designed for use in those 3D extrusion pens, not a printer, so depending on your printer you'll probably also have to transfer these little scraps of filament... one at a time... to empty spools in order to get it to feed. And I know for a fact on my printer the entire filament path from the spool holder to the print head is the better part of a meter to begin with (it's about 29 inches, all told) which would also be a pain in the butt.
Stick one of your objects in your slicer and slice it, and part of the output down there in the bottom right corner should be the estimated amount of material, in grams, you will need for each one. Or if you want to think of it that way, PLA is 1.24 grams per cubic centimeter.
If you are using a low infill percentage and either don't need many tokens, or you're okay with them all being a hodgepodge of colors, you may still be able to get away with this. But you should definitely verify that first.
You can buy filament multipacks that are four quarter kilo spools rather than one full kilo spool pretty easily, which might be a better bet. Something like this, although a lot of brands do something similar.
Edit: Fuck it, I did the math.
Using the files provided in your link, and I adjusted the infill to 100% because the author's recommended setting of 96% makes no sense -- it's near enough to 100% to make very little difference, and such a high ratio would print like trash with most infill patterns anyway.
- Berry: 1.84g per unit, 21 units possible per 40 grams (I was a little conservative to account for purge lines, etc.)
- Fish: 1.56g per unit, 24 units possible per 40g
- Grub: 1.21g per unit, 32 units possible per 40g
- Mouse: 1.52g per unit, 25 units possible per 40g
- Wheat: 1.62g per unit, 24 units possible per 40g
I will leave other infill ratios as an exercise for the reader. Also, this does not account for any attempts at multi-color printing which will inherently produce some waste material.
So, how many of these do you need? Is this like, a 100 each kind of thing? Or just 10 or 15?
Paints will run you into the rabbit hole of finishing processes with layer lines. Also most paints are formulated for adhesion to steel. This has to do with the anticipated rate of expansion due to temperature. ABS is typically used for plastic automotive parts like trim and bumper covers, mirrors, door handles, etc., because it has the closest temperature expansion properties to steel.
In automotive painting, ABS can accept most of the same finishing processes as panel work, while any other types of plastics require an adhesion promoter layer. The most common adhesion promoter in the USA is called bulldog. It can be bought in spray cans but as of 15+ plus years ago when I owned my auto body shop, the spray cans are terrible at inconsistent spattering and useless unless you know some very special techniques that involve pro paint spraying equipment.
With PLA, you will likely have success painting with model paints. Most of these never fully cure like an automotive class 2k catalyzed hard surface finish. The soft state of these enamel paints creates its own unique issues. Any kind of higher end paint is likely to have adhesion issues due to handling and temperature fluctuations where the PLA moves differently than the overlying shell and the tension eventually breaks the mechanical bond of the coating. It is an option though. High level finishing with layer lines is a very intensive process to do at a high level. I actually prefer a similar process in total using ABS and polishing, but that is a whole different can of worms. A little vibrating pen sander makes a big difference when it comes to sanding. I used to tell people automotive paint and body repairs are 99.999% sanding and prep. It is impossible to really convey the amount of sanding required for perfection, but this is where real perfection happens and there are no shortcuts.
Alternatively, if you get a bunch of filaments, and you do a lot of prototyping, just use the oddball colors for iterative work on designs. This is what I do. Filament colors is likely both the most cost and time effective option if you are okay with the look of layer lines.
Samples.
Order each color as 10-20g sample.
Sometimes even free.
Check your print OP, see how many meters you need and samples may cover it.
Or print first layers in eg black or clear and then just the tops with a filament change for your desired colors (if that works)
On AliExpress you can buy 30 colors pla for 7€ as a set for 3d printing pens.