Here is a little tip I use when gluing projects such as the Phlatprinter or the e-QSC balsa plane in which Titebond or other white water soluble glue is used to glue the parts together.

I bought an inexpensive package of assorted brushes from Michaels Craft store. I use the flat shaped brushes to brush on the glue rather than just squeezing it from the bottle onto the part to be glued.

I put down a small piece of visqueen or drop cloth or even a manilla folder will do. I squeeze some glue onto this and then dab my brush into the glue before applying to the parts.

This lets me get into those small areas where the glue is needed without excess glue needing to be squeezed out when the two parts are brought together.

I keep paper towels and a water spritzer handy to quickly clean the brush between periods where I am not using it. Place the brush over the paper towel and spritz the water on the brush and towel and then wipe it clean so it does not harden.

This saves on glue and the glue dries faster because there is thin coat instead of a glob of glue that needs to dry. Also, the parts fit better because heavier glue adds a small amount of depth between the parts.

This also reduces the tendency for the parts to slip out of position when set aside to dry without clamping.

 

Here is another tip for those building the Phlatprinter .

When you get to the step in which you insert the ACME thread rod into the bearings you may find the fit is too tight for the rod to go into the bearing.

If so, take some 400 grit wet/dry sandpaper and polish the rod with it. It will remove the microscopic burrs and let the rod slip into the bearing easily.

Inside the anti-backlash nut is a small 1/8" diameter dowel. This is there to keep the spring from flying off prior to inserting your Acme rod. It should push out as you screw in the rod. If you are having trouble getting the rod to start, you might want to push the dowel in a bit.

If for some reason you need to take it apart, be sure to put the little dowel back in place.

 

Thanks for these tips.

Tom

 

I've got the same kind of spring and ring on the anti-backlash nut for the 1/2-10 5-start rod on my 4X4, but I was afraid the end of the screw might try to dig into the (Delrin ?) nut. The dowel on my anti-backlash nut is about 3/8" diameter, but it provided the same protection for shipping the nut.
There is a LOT of friction when getting it started by hand, so I pushed the ring down to compress the spring, which lets the "ears" on the anti-backlash nut spring open, reducing drag. After I got the rod fully through the nut, I let the ring and spring go back to their intended position, and things got tight again, with no visible damage to the threads. :geek:

 

Okay, so your Phlatprinter is on the way or has arrived.

Decision time... Do I paint it or build it stock?

If I do paint it, should I build it first or paint as I go?

Do I have the patience to paint as I go?

These are questions only you can answer.

For me, I have decided to paint as I go. Yes, it will take more time, but I am in no hurry. Phlatboyz has made the task so much easier than when I built my first one. Now everything is grouped into steps. The gantry parts are separated from the I-Beam parts and cabinet parts etc.

Painting as you go means preparing your parts first. This is time consuming but necessary if you don't want to get paint on the hardware which becomes an integral part of the machine.

Because the tolerances are very tight, any paint that would be left on the tabs would prevent them from going into their corresponding slots, so this necessitates masking the tabs or sanding them afterwards.

I chose to mask the tabs, and here is a little tip I have used to make the process work for me.

 

Nice video larry. Are you doing anything to protect the slots when painting?

 

Good question... No I am not. The reason being that the paint soaks into the edges and does not build up like it does on the hardened surface of the MDF so there is no problem fitting the parts even if you do get paint there.

Oh and by the way, you may need to paint the ends of the tabs that show up on the face of another part with a small brush after you assemble the parts.

 

Thank you for the tips on painting.

I am going to paint my 3.
I am using hammertone paint on it.
I'll post pictures when I get started.

 

My Pivot Arms were very tight and I discovered that the spray paint didn't help matters either.

I used a Dremel sanding wheel to remove the paint from the inside tracks for the pivot arms which helped but did not completely alleviate the problem.

I ended up taking the pivot arms off and applied a liberal amount of lithium grease to the inside of the arms and the tracks which the bearings traverse.

Now everything is smooth as silk, well as smooth as one might want anyway.

 

Interesting tip on the rubbing alcohol. I will have to try it

 

The non skid material covering the rollers combined with the spring tension will do a number on balsa!

To keep the rollers from digging into the balsa, use a foam carrier under the balsa being cut.

Probably not a good idea to cover your top rollers with the non slip material provided as an option for this very reason.

I have ordered some 1/32" Neoprene strips http://www.grainger.com/Grainger/Rubber-Strip-1DXF5 (on backorder currently) and an extra set of rollers to use on my Phlatprinter for cutting this type of material and other harder surface materials such as phonelic or acrylics. Attached files

 

Shaun, you want to cut the thread in the wood or in the stepper? Also, why would you not use the nuts and bolts?