What is Reddit's opinion of
32 Blades Steel Feeler Gauge Dual Marked Metric and Imperial Measuring Tool?
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76 reviews of this product found across Reddit:
FYI all, these are called feeler gauges. Machinists and car mechanics use them all the time, they come in thicknesses down to like .0015” (made of metal, obviously). 3D printing one is an interesting idea though, especially since it gives you an idea of what your particular printer will do given the settings you printed this at.
Yea it shouldn't touch at all. I can't tell from this photo but I'm going to bet the bed isn't perfectly level....and it NEEDS to be for this print
Make sure you don't use the same paper over and over for the leveling. Level it loose.
Did the test print have elephant foot? Cause that answers the situation
I had an issue with pimples mid print which was a temp issue with the filament
This print is critical for perfect everything, it's annoying but a great challenge.
Side tip: 8$ on amazon get a gap gauge it's a literal life changer amazon link
You can't. Feeler gauges are cheap. If you don't set your valve clearance correctly you can have a lot of performance issues and/or fuck up your motor.
That's what I use. You can find the same thing at pretty much any auto store or tool store near you also if you need it today. If you go to the about section of this sub you'll see the frequent asked questions and wiki with pretty much everything you'll need to know about mp5s
I recommend you invest in a set of feeler gauges. Something like these.
They make a world of difference during bed leveling. Having a solid, repeatable tool that you can use over and over is very helpful.
I have identified the thickness that gives me the best results for my first layer and I just pull it out every time I want to do a bed level. Nozzle height is dead on every time.
And a set of feeler gauges like these!
You should either have spark, or not. Meaning that if it will fire at all, let's assume that your spark is OK.
If you have a compression tester, what does that show, for compression? If you don't, my next step would likely be to remove the valve cover, and check the valve clearances, compared to whatever the specs are for this engine (Briggs & Stratton model 123456, something like that, not just Porter Cable 8hp, for instance). You will need a set of flat feeler gauges to check/set clearances (one example https://www.amazon.com/Hotop-Blades-Feeler-Imperial-Measuring/dp/B06XHXJG31 )
Agreed on checking the valves. But I'd say it's the clearances being too-large (like 0.010") rather than too small (like 0.002") that would defeat the compression release, and make the cord hard to pull. But regardless, OP, check the valve clearances. You will need a set of flat feeler gauges, ~$5 at an auto parts store, or available from Amazon. One example: https://www.amazon.com/Hotop-Blades-Feeler-Imperial-Measuring/dp/B06XHXJG31
Paper is very inconsistent, at least for me it was. Some are too thick, some are too thin. A feeler gauge is a thin piece of metal that will always be the perfect thickness. You can get something like this: https://www.amazon.com/Hotop-Blades-Feeler-Imperial-Measuring/dp/B06XHXJG31 and tram your bed using this, setting the z offset also.
I think every guitar play should learn how to set up their own guitar(s). You're going to need to keep re-doing it anyway. $20-40 seems pretty cheap unless you're not including any fretwork. I'm curious though why you think filing the nut is something one wouldn't be able to do. If it's because nut files are expensive, get a set of these and file notches in them to turn them into little saws. Spending time learning to do this stuff I find pretty valuable, but it takes some practice. But learning to do it, along with fretwork, will allow you to make almost anything feel really nice and be very playable.
Since you mentioned using a sheet of paper to help level your bed, then adjusting it during the first layer, I was wondering if /u/WallPaperRuse would be willing to test something for me? I have an Ender 6 and I noticed something peculiar about 6 months ago, and I'm wondering if its built into marlin itself or just something creality added into the firmware themselves.
So, I find that if I level the nozzle directly to the bed with ZERO gap, measure with BLtouch, then start the print, the printer will be offset by my layer height, therefore giving me a perfect level without actually having to fool with depth gauges/piece of paper/etc. Just to restate this, when I level my bed, I eyeball it and raise my bed with the leveling knobs until the nozzle TOUCHES the bed.
I first noticed this because when I'd level the bed with feeler gauges until it's ABSOLUTELY perfect, then when I started the print it'd always be way too high off the bed, and I'd have to adjust the z-offset during the first layer as you said. Then I realized I was always changing the z-offset by about 0.1 to about 0.12, and I was like "wait...isn't that my layer height?" So then I tried my method and I started getting perfect first layers almost every time.
Just wondering if anyone else found this to be the case for them? It kind of goes against the common procedure for leveling the bed and took me a while to figure out.
Might be because your bed isn't level.
I use a metal gage to level mine.
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B06XHXJG31/ref=cm_sw_r_apan_i_GM8A7287XGW2ZK0VKZKK
This helped me alot. I believe its more accurate than paper, since the paper can get squished if that makes sense. And its able to go thinner that paper or card stock so it gives it an extra way to ensure its close but not too close. Also everything is relied on your initial layer thickness too, the lower the number, the better the adhesion i find. Just some simple tips, good luck!
Looks like your z offset has not been set correctly, causing your nozzle to be too far above the build plate, then too far above your model, so when the filament comes out it isn't squished down but instead it kinda flops around like a hot plastic noodle.
You need to set you z offset every time you do a bed leveling. On the q5 i find myself needing to do a bed leveling quite often since the printer is really light and easy to knock around by accident - not really the printer's fault tbh.
I would highly recommend getting a set of feeler gauges to do this. They are super cheap from Harbor Freight, or Amazon, or an auto parts store or hardware store, they're really easy to find and they are really cheap but absolutely invaluable.
I find the ideal gauge to use (for the q5 in particular) is 0.15mm and to set the z offset low enough so you are juuuuust feeling resistance on the feeler gauge when you move it around under the nozzle; not so much that you cannot move the feeler gauge though.
I have seen people say to just use a piece of paper as a feeler but ugh that is just stupid when feeler gauges are SO cheap
Yea here ya go, feeler gauge.
If it is a new printer, you can do the following:
- Ensure a square gantry (literally get a square and ensure that the gantry (the bar that the Nozzle and Hot-End move on is at a 90° angle to the side rails.
- Ensure your bed is wiped with Isopropyl alcohol (the 91% you get at the drug store will do fine) this gets oil (usually from your fingers) off your bed.
- If you are having trouble leveling with the paper trick, you can get a feeler gauge. Drop the bed below the nozzle then slowly bring each point up a bit until it the 0.200 mm strip just barely slides through.
The Feeler Gauge has oil in it so be sure to wipe the bed after using it.
Some models are just tricky with bed adhesion when you first start out. You can also try adding a 'raft' in your slicer. This is something I recommend to people just starting out. However, once you get the hang of printing better, using rafts should be more of an as needed.
Level the bed then level it again use feeler gauges to get it don't use paper you will waste an absorbent amount of time
Stainless Steel Feeler Gauge Dual Marked Metric and Imperial Gap Measuring Tool (0.04-0.88 mm, 32 Blades) https://www.amazon.com/dp/B06XHXJG31/ref=cm_sw_r_apan_glt_fabc_7K9ZRQ9GQNWCDQ2E113J?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1
Get a spark plug gap tool, the metal should be thin enough to get between the buffer and detent. If it is too wide, use a dremel to narrow down blade width.
I'd consider trying to use bailing wire which is thin and dense, bend it to a hook, see if you can push the detent down with it.
Good luck!
Like this...
https://www.amazon.com/Hotop-Blades-Feeler-Imperial-Measuring/dp/B06XHXJG31/ref=sr_1_36
OP, it looks like your first layer is having trouble sticking to the bed. Two things cause this, a surface that fails to stick properly to the extruded plastic and an unleveled bed.
To level your bed, use the manual adjustment screws from under the bed. When going through the routines built into your ender to level the bed, you can use a piece of paper or a credit card to make sure your nozzle is the same height from the bed on each of the five points. Just slip it under the nozzle. A credit card may be too thick for a standard 0.2mm layer height so you might want to tighten up the bed just a little bit so that when you push the credit card between the nozzle and the bed, you can see the bed barely push down against the springs below. Card stock might also work (business card etc).
I had problems with prints not sticking after I bent the original bed, so an invaluable upgrade is to buy a pack of IKEA mirrors, they come in a four pack of squares, and you need a cheap glass cutter you can get online. It's a $15-20 upgrade, but it makes printing so much easier. If you do use the mirror, use a glue stick on the glass to make sure the prints stick.
Another useful tool if you want to adjust layer heights is something like this: https://www.amazon.com/Hotop-Blades-Feeler-Imperial-Measuring/dp/B06XHXJG31/ref=mp_s_a_1_3?crid=34PC8N2GD9WRD&keywords=thickness+gauge&qid=1640070928&sprefix=thickness+%2Caps%2C221&sr=8-3o So you can level your bed to an exact layer height.
Should the end say .004" - .02"?
Something like this work?
Stainless Steel Feeler Gauge Dual Marked Metric and Imperial Gap Measuring Tool (0.04-0.88 mm, 32 Blades) https://www.amazon.com/dp/B06XHXJG31/ref=cm_sw_r_apan_glt_fabc_PWPV45153WT7WXP26854?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1
Depending on how you did it, "tightening" a valve may have just added a new "uncontrolled" variable to the situation, and it now may not run at all :) Valve clearances need to be set to very accurate gaps, like to between 0.004" and 0.006", as one example (not necessarily the specs for your engine). That gap is about the thickness of a typical sheet of paper.
With the gap too-small, the valve won't close fully when the engine heats up. You'll lose power, you might burn a valve seat, and/or it may not run at all. With the valve too-large, you will restrict airflow through the engine, and will sacrifice power.
That is what the flat feeler gauges are used for, like these: https://www.amazon.com/Hotop-Blades-Feeler-Imperial-Measuring/dp/B06XHXJG31/
They include a whole bunch of thin pieces of steel of very accurate thicknesses, usually in 0.001" increments. You use this to feel how large the gap is, to adjust it accurately.
And the clearances need to be set with the engine rotated to the correct position, and the piston at the proper height. You need to look up the proper procedure for setting your Kawasaki engine, as well as the valve clearance specs for it. This isn't the sort of adjustment where you can just kind of wing it, it needs to be set precisely. A torque wrench is often suggested, for properly tightening the bolts afterwards.
>metal fan dealies
Do you mean a feeler gauge set? If you do, you can get them from most hardware stores or on Amazon. More premium and trade orientated places like McmasterCarr tend to sell better ones.
For PEI, you can get them from MatterHackers or PrintedSolid. You can order them on Aliexpress through Energetic3D or FilamentOne, there are really countless options.
A set of feeler guages is probably helpful, especially at first. But they're cheap and readily available at auto shops/walmart etc. And a capo can be helpful for the truss rod.
Feeler gauge is this: Stainless Steel Feeler Gauge Dual Marked Metric and Imperial Gap Measuring Tool (0.04-0.88 mm, 32 Blades) https://www.amazon.com/dp/B06XHXJG31/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_glt_fabc_XJP75V5PJABTVGTVTT9Z?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1
This is just an example. Get whatever you think appropriate.
Agree with n00bsen, if you auto home and you’re too low that will drag and destroy the bed lightly loosen the home switch and raise it a bit to get the nozzle off the bed.
Invest in a set of feeler gauges get a precise nozzle to bed distance.
As others have said, start small and grow into the hobby. I don't know where you are, but in the US garage sales and other resale markets are great places to get a lot of gear for super super cheap vs buying new. I wouldn't discount the AIO like grainfather. Sure their new options with "connected" brewing are stupid but I have a Mk 1 grainfather with NO connectivity and it works great after 6 years. The cheaper options from RoboBrew, Anvil, etc are not bad choices for less expense as well. I wouldn't discount immersion chillers either. Yes counterflow is nice, I love mine, but I've brewed with plenty of immersion chillers in my time and they're just as good. Kegerators - again, garage sales - somewhere, someone is willing to get rid of or sell for cheap, a decent kegerator, hell I have a spare in Colorado I'd sell for $100. But I'm not shipping it.
I've been brewing for 10-12 years with a gap in between for many years. Only a couple of years ago did I invest in a stir plate and flask. Now I recently moved to a remote, rural area so just going to get grains etc is an hour+ drive and I invested in a lot of dry yeast, bulk grains, and a grain mill. Don't forget a set of feeler gauges for setting your gap. There's no reason to run out and buy everything immediately. Learn, grow into it, and share.
In your slicer depending at the layer height the initial layer is (for example) .02 initial layer, using this gauge you have an exact measurement
The paper method is flawed because it's not exact, gets worn down and is inconsistent. Gap gauge is perfect everytime. My print quality got better, my prints stick better and it's faster using this. I highly recommend
The thing with paper is that it varies in thickness by different brands. Id suggest getting a "feller gauge" I use these everytime I level my bed and they never fail me. https://www.amazon.com/dp/B06XHXJG31/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_dxiBFbGQG3K18
The bed should be about .1mm away from the nozzle.
For now, keep messing with it, and increase the friction gradually until you get the right squish factor.
Paper is amateur hour time wasting IMHO. Buy a set of metric feeler gauges and marvel at the perfect first layers every single time. Set the gap to the first layer height you set in your slicer. Then you should need no more than one or two baby steps further down for perfect adhesion and thickness. You should only have to set the nozzle offset once if you have a good quality bed probe unless you change nozzles or hotends.
Watch out for feeler gauges that are advertised as SAE and metric, but then only have SAE thicknesses with the metric equivalent on them.
Feeler gauges for setting spark plug gaps, amongst other things. https://www.amazon.co.uk/Blades-Feeler-Marked-Imperial-Measuring/dp/B06XHXJG31
To reduce green tint, you can cut a circle of minus green and put it between your optic and glass lens, or on your lens. Alternatively, here are some tips from u/ coherent-rambling and Zak (specifically referring to LH351D and LH351C, but applicable to others) for de-doming an LED:
Instead of minus-green, you can also slice the dome off with a razor blade 0.9mm above the MCPCB and wipe out all the green. This also makes for a tighter focus, but a shaved LH351D is still more floody than an SST-20.
The best way is disassemble a 0.9mm feeler gauge and use the manufacturer's pre-punched hole (that the bolt went through) to surround the LED, and a single-edge razor blade with a slicing/sliding motion. The feeler gauge rests on the PCB, not the LED itself. You may need to grind the gauge down if you want to do it on a lumpy board (narrower, not thinner). For that matter, you could do the slicing on a temporary 20mm board or even a thin copper plate, if you get your reflow process down. The LED does need to be mounted to get the height right, but you can always reflow it again later.
Most knife blades are thick enough to risk pulling the dome off even if very sharp. A fresh utility blade can work, but a double-edge shaving blade is too flexible. Scalpel blade should also work.
Please reply with additional tips or corrections.
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https://www.hkpro.com/forum/hk-reference-library/56875-bolt-assembly-bolt-gap-instructions.html
Initial tools you'll need:
- feeler gauge ($6.99 on Amazon but you can probably find cheaper)
Checking the bolt gap starts with a properly cleaned gun:
- Remove the magazine, clear the weapon and make sure the chamber is empty!!! Ride the bolt forward.
- Move the selector to fire, and pull the trigger. This ensures the bolt head is as far forward as possible.
- Turn the weapon upside down to see the bolt head and bolt carrier through the magwell.
- Insert a feeler gauge, increasing in thickness until there's a firm drag on the gauge.
For almost all MP5s, the optimum bolt gap is between 0.10"-0.18" (.254mm-.457mm). PTR Industries warns that you should contact customer support if your bolt gap drops drastically over the span of its lifetime.
Yeah, check the gap lol
Use feeler gauges instead of those round gappers you find at parts stores.
This is the one I have. Works very well.
>be sure to use stainless steel anti seize, like copper.
NGK specifically recommends NOT using anti-seize with their plugs. NGK plugs already have a special plating so you don't need it. Anti-seize can also alter torque when installing. [source]
>I like the coin style ones.
I personally find that the coin-style ones aren't good enough if you want correctly gap your plugs, but that's more of a personal preference thing I guess. If you're comfortable using them, I can't knock ya for it haha. I find the blade style gappers to be easier to use and more accurate.
Feeler gauges, e.g. https://www.amazon.com/dp/B06XHXJG31/
It is a learning experience. Good news is getting into it now is a lot easier than a few years ago. The firmware for the CR-10s is far better than it was even just a couple of years ago. Getting acceptable prints is easy, good prints challenging, excellent prints hard. Step 0 to having the CR-10 work right is making sure every single thing is square on it. You'll want a square (the tool in this case) that's flat so you can get the spots with tight spaces square. The woodworking kind with the lip doesn't do well in a couple of places. The way I did mine was once I build everything I went through and loosened all the frame screws except for the ones on the underside of the vertical pieces. From there I squared one side of the base, then the other. Then I squared the part where the bed mounts. That was tricky. Next was squaring the vertical parts to the base. After that the top of the frame. The last getting the gantry level on both side. That was pretty easy. It's always a best bet to move it by turning the screws at the motor. I took a nice metal ruler I have and pressed it up against the gantry so it was flat and then flat against the base. I adjusted the screws until both sides of the gantry were exactly the same height.
Now that you're happy it's squared check it again with a second set of eyes. Then again. Maybe even once more. No amount of leveling or other calibration will fix a printer that is not squared properly.
Brand new glass plates will be nearly perfectly level. Leveling doesn't become a problem until the glass starts sagging or you decide to try out a bed sticker. One thing that I found to help a lot is to have the bed and the nozzle hot when doing the leveling. For the nozzle temp you want it to be below the temp at which it starts dripping filament. For the hotbed use the actual temp you'll be printing with. Leave them both at that temp for a good while. How long is something you'll get the feel for. Maybe 15 - 30 minutes. This lets everything expand to where they will when printing.
IMHO the piece of paper method for bed to nozzle spacing is amateur hour nonsense. Just don't even bother. Get yourself a feeler gauge. I like the ones with the 45 degree bend in them, but I had to get mine off aliX to get the round metric sizes ie 0.1 0.12 0.2 etc. The bent ones on Amazon are all SAE, but sold as SAE and metric. They're metric insofar as they list the metric equivalent of the english size of the blade. The ones without the bend work fine because you can take the tool apart. When using it remember it is a feeler gauge not a shove in between gauge. You don't want to compress your bed springs or move your gantry even a little bit. You gently try to feel it between the nozzle and the bed. Same thing goes for the piece of paper method if you decide to disregard my advice on the feeler gauge. Bear in mind feeler gauges are covered in oil so you will want to clean just the blade you are using with 99% rubbing alcohol before using it and then after you're finished clean the bed really well too. Don't clean the entire tool or it will rust up and become unusable in a very short matter of time. Oil is not good for bed adhesion.
People will tell you to have your first layer a little lower than the setting in your slicer so that it mooshes into the bed... That's not how to fix a bed adhesion problem. Clean your bed. Level your bed. Check your temperatures. The most you might need to adjust after using the gauge should be +/- a few dozen mils (1000th of a millimeter). Another benefit to making sure you have the latest Marlin (the firmware the printer uses) is that it has a feature called baby stepping. This allows you to adjust the print head zeroing on the fly. To start my prints I use a skirt printed at a low speed and with the baby stepping I'll tweak the offset just a little bit. Mooshing the first layer down seems to give me more strings in the later parts of the print, but I might be imagining that. Too high and it won't stick to the bed. If you are making large adjustments when that happens go through and redo the entire leveling process. Not the corners though. You should only need to do them once and you can do that cold.
The default settings in Cura are pretty much perfect for the CR-10s. The one thing I tweaked was the setting "Maximum Retraction Count." That is quite a bit conservative at 90 to start with so models with lots of retractions became a stringy mess once that count was exceeded.
Another thing that wasn't obvious to me was the impact of having the actual correct filament diameter. My spools say 1.75mm. Turns out they are 1.7mm. Realizing that was the last thing to getting the last little bit of strings out of my prints. Granted I am still pretty new at this so I'm mostly certain instead of 100% that this made a difference, but it can't hurt so might as well err on the side of caution. To adjust you want to make two easy changes. Both are in Cura under manage printer -> machine settings. Under the nozzle where it has your size, probably 0.4mm you'll want to change it to the actual value you measure using a pair of calipers. Chances are it will be 1.7, but it might be more. Take the time to check. Then in the part where you have G code for the start and finish of your print you want to add
M200 D<your measured value goes here>;for example M200 D1.75 M200 D0; this is a must or it will be on volumetric extrusion and nothing will work right
Every single bit of 3D printing is common sense. It is just so much common sense in one place it is overwhelming. Take the time to get it as good as you possibly can with the mechanical setup, squaring and etc, and then the rest will be enjoyable. Skip the honestly tedious and mechanical setup steps and you're going to hate 3D printing.
Great guide and thanks!
I just wanted to add, for someone like me who is not as condifent at eyeballing the neck relief, you can measure this with feeler gauges. I bought this set of feeler gauges usually less than $10 and used the truss rod method in this video. That video is specifically for a strat, but it's exactly the same for a tele. The desired neck relief is based on your fretboard radius, which is usually 9.5" for most models these days; that translates to a neck relief of .010" (.25mm) which is what he's using in that video.
So, with all the strings in tune, place the capo on the first fret and finger the sixth string (low e) on the 17th fret, which on a tele is where the neck first joins the body. Then insert the feeler gauge at the 7th fret, and if the string is too high, the truss rod needs to be tightened; or if it's too low, it should be loosened.
Also I wanted to pass along -- one thing I learned when doing this a few times. Some of the vintage or CS model guitars have a vintage-style neck with no truss-rod adjustment at the headstock. For these, you actually need to loosen the 4 neck bolts (video starts at 3:45) and push/pull the neck to expose the truss rod screw at the heel. It's a bitch because you've got to put it all back together before you can see if you've adjusted correctly. I've done the heel-adjustment once, and it was honestly kind of scary -- would probably not attempt that myself again and instead take it to a pro.
quite literally a feeler gauge, that's all it is.
https://www.amazon.de/dp/B06XHXJG31?ref\_=cm\_sw\_r\_apan\_dp\_RB585E75H1430CD3FN0C
To reduce green tint, you can cut a circle ofminus green and put it between your optic and glass lens, or on your lens. Alternatively, here are some tips from u/ coherent-rambling and Zak (specifically referring to LH351D and LH351C, but applicable to others) for de-doming an LED: Instead of minus-green, you can also slice the dome off with a razor blade 0.9mm above the MCPCB and wipe out all the green. This also makes for a tighter focus, but a shaved LH351D is still more floody than an SST-20. The best way is disassemble a 0.9mmfeeler gauge and use the manufacturer's pre-punched hole (that the bolt went through) to surround the LED, and a single-edge razor blade with a slicing/sliding motion. The feeler gauge rests on the PCB, not the LED itself. You may need to grind the gauge down if you want to do it on a lumpy board (narrower, not thinner). For that matter, you could do the slicing on a temporary 20mm board or even a thin copper plate, if you get your reflow process down. The LED does need to be mounted to get the height right, but you can always reflow it again later. Most knife blades are thick enough to risk pulling the dome off even if very sharp. A fresh utility blade can work, but a double-edge shaving blade is too flexible. Scalpel blade should also work. Please reply with additional tips or corrections.
Whoo boy, sorry for the wall of text but I want to offer up my two cents/advice from the past several years of my own journey, for what it's worth.
On the topic of Mods:
To echo similar sentiments as some of the other comments (like what u/EveningMoose said.) Dial it in as best as you can when it's stock first and get used to your machine. Enjoy it for what it is, warts and all. A lot of people seem to get in to the mindset of "I must mod the crap out of my machine." I was guilty of the same thing when I started out and let me tell you in no uncertain terms, that was a mistake for a newbie, lmao*.*
It made things much harder than it needed to be for me at the beginning. Once issues started cropping up, without any kind of long term experience with my machine it felt like I was playing whack-a-mole with troubleshooting problems, you know? I couldn't pin-point the underlying cause of my printing woes, and so I had to go back and undo all the modifications I had made anyways just to even get back to a decent printing baseline. Plenty of time and filament/money wasted.
It's worth mentioning that if you see a mod that's printable, verify that it's something that would actually give you net benefit. If you're printing/cooling just fine for the sake of your own projects, there's no need to do something crazy like the Hero Me. Some mods can be downright harmful to your printer/print quality.
Now granted, there are mods that are absolutely worth doing sooner than later that are pretty easy to do (like getting the upgraded bed springs/leveling nuts/Capricorn tubing like what was included in that link u/modi123_1 posted), but most other things that you see pop up (BLTouch/CRTouch, linear rails, direct drive conversions, etc.) aren't really unnecessary at the beginning of your journey, if at all. While it can absolutely be argued that Creailty's firmware images are hot garbage, the hardware itself I have found to be generally solid enough for anyone that's starting out.
On the topic of going for any kind of ABL (Automatic Bed Leveling) setup like with using a BLTouch... If you do that right away it will only serve as a crutch instead of going through the motions and learning how to properly level/tram your bed, and knowing how to identify problems with your build surface. It's honestly better to develop that manual sense of "Huh, no this doesn't look like it's going right" instead of relying wholly on any "automagic" system.
General Advice:
- Especially since it's a used machine, verify that your frame is squared before starting to print. This point alone will save you SO much hassle and wasted time.
- Get spare parts for anything that would be considered "consumable", especially if you think you're going to be going hard at this for a while. (Replacement POM wheels, replacement X/Y belts, capricorn tubing, nozzles, etc.) You don't need to have your own Micro Center's worth of stock mind you, but parts that are continuously moving and/or heating up/cooling down will break/wear out eventually. Having spares on hand will help save you time and frustration.
- Remember that a lot of people wind up using the terms "leveling" and "tramming" interchangeably. While tramming is more accurate to say, it means the same thing in the context of adjusting your bed. It means that you're adjusting it to be perpendicular to your nozzle, and NOT to be parallel with your work surface.
- While the paper trick works for bed leveling/tramming, I would highly recommend you get at least a cheap set of feeler gauges.
- Get a set of calipers that are at least accurate to two decimal points. They're not expensive, and absolutely worth having. These are the ones I use.
- Experiment and learn how to properly adjust the eccentric nuts you'll find for your X/Y/Z axes. As a note: if anything's wobbly, it's way too loose. Too tight and you'll risk wearing grooves in your wheels though and need those aforementioned replacements. (That "wheel dust" you'll end up seeing is actually the POM wheels wearing down, btw.)
- Repeat it with me: "Maintenance. Maintenance. Maintenance." Keep your dang machine clean and lead screw (that Z-rod) lubricated.
- For lubricant, get a halfway decent PTFE lubricant to use on anything that has metal on metal interaction. Super Lube or DuPont's Dry Film Lubricant are solid go to's. (I've started seeing PlanetSafe's lubricant pop up, but I can't verify whether it works better or not.)
- PLA filament is the most user friendly to work with. Start with this stuff! PETG is a little better for heat-resistant applications, but there are high-temp PLAs out there now (HTPLA) that once treated, can be used for higher temp applications.
- I will also always use this as an opportunity to plug Protopasta, who happens to be my favorite filament company, but go with what works for you! Cheap filament doesn't necessarily == bad.
- Also, keep your filament as dry/moisture free as possible. Once you crack open that sealed bag it's on a timer for how long it'll be good to print with before it needs to be dried out again. Most filaments are hydroscopic (some more so than others like TPU-based filaments) and so depending on where you live, and what the relative humidity is, you may want to eventually invest in a filament dryer box. (Here's an example of one.)
- If you decide to mod, be sure it's to improve your own experience, not because it "looks cool." :P
​
Anyways, that's my piece to say, and I truly hope you find that helpful! Feel free to DM me if you ever have any questions. I'm more than happy to help!
Well, I am an American. Although I learned the setup measurements from a Canadian. I don't have strong opinions about what measurement units you use. (I keep this conversion chart handy.) What I feel strongly about is that you measure at all. A surprising number of people do not. I will add this, though. I have had conversations with people online who are struggling with their setup and when I ask what their neck relief is they say "it's .3 millimeters." I ask how they're measuring that and basically they're just splitting millimeters with their eyeballs on a ruler. I don't think that's accurate enough. Wow, I just looked at you can get metric feeler gauges. I should get this dual marked one. Final thought on neck relief: I've been told that the truss rod doesn't do much past the fret where the neck meets the body. That is why I hold the string down there. But I think it doesn't matter much, as long as you're consistent in how you do it.
Anyway, I do realize that different players will want different values for those measurements. But I will venture to say that most players will want lower action than their manufacturers recommend.
To reduce green tint, you can cut a circle of minus green and put it between your optic and glass lens, or on your lens. Alternatively, here are some tips from u/ coherent-rambling and Zak (specifically referring to LH351D and LH351C, but applicable to others) for de-doming an LED:
Instead of minus-green, you can also slice the dome off with a razor blade 0.9mm above the MCPCB and wipe out all the green. This also makes for a tighter focus, but a shaved LH351D is still more floody than an SST-20.
The best way is disassemble a 0.9mm feeler gauge and use the manufacturer's pre-punched hole (that the bolt went through) to surround the LED, and a single-edge razor blade with a slicing/sliding motion. The feeler gauge rests on the PCB, not the LED itself. You may need to grind the gauge down if you want to do it on a lumpy board (narrower, not thinner). For that matter, you could do the slicing on a temporary 20mm board or even a thin copper plate, if you get your reflow process down. The LED does need to be mounted to get the height right, but you can always reflow it again later.
Most knife blades are thick enough to risk pulling the dome off even if very sharp. A fresh utility blade can work, but a double-edge shaving blade is too flexible. Scalpel blade should also work.
Please reply with additional tips or corrections.
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Whoa, there. I'm not an expert, but I do know a few things. Here's my advice.
Forget about your fret buzz for a minute. First things first. Measure your neck relief. Capo the first fret, hold the B string down at the fret where the neck meets the body. Measure the gap between the bottom of the string and the top of the fret wire at the 7th fret. Consult your manufacturer, but I say it should be be 12 thousandths of an inch. If it is more than 12, your neck is too bent and you need to tighten the truss rod. If it is less than 12, your neck is too straight and you need to loosen the truss rod. (In 1/8-1/4 turns, measuring after each turn.)
How do you measure a gap in thousandths of an inch? A lot of people will tell you to use a business card, a credit card, or just do it "by feel." Do not listen to these people. Get yourself a set of feeler gauges, $7 shipped with Amazon prime or available at literally any hardware store. The trick is to find the gauge that will just barely fit between the string and the fret wire. If it can go in without lifting it, you're good. if it always lifts the string no matter how you try, it's too big.
When your neck relief is correct, then measure the string heights. With a ruler like this one. No capo, no fretting. Just measure the distance between the top of the 12th fret and the bottom of the B string. It should be 6/64ths of an inch. (Although I like to set mine to 5 if I can get away with it.) Measure the G string and set it to 3-4/64ths. Now split the difference between the A and D strings so they all slope smoothly down from the B string to the G string. You make these adjustments using the bridge saddles, of course. If you are raising them, you should loosen the string tension first.
After you have done both of these things, then play every fret on every string and check for buzzes. No buzz? No problem. You got buzz? You could try raising the string a smidge, but I say you should probably take it in because there's something else wrong with it.
This is so high tech. Back when I was doing amateur guitar setups myself, I just used a feeler guage. I think it cost me like $4 at the auto parts store. I can't recall, but I think I got the idea from Dan Erlewine's book about electric guitar setup.
IMO proper leveling tools are the only real 'upgrades' I bother with. Namely a set of feeler gauges(I use the .05mm and .04mm ones) and a dial gauge then print a dial gauge holder. Finally here is a how to for using these tools for leveling. Good Luck and welcome to the addiction... I mean hobby!
To reduce green tint, you can cut a circle of minus green and put it between your optic and glass lens, or on your lens. Alternatively, here are some tips from u/ coherent-rambling and Zak (specifically referring to LH351D and LH351C, but applicable to others) for de-doming an LED:
Instead of minus-green, you can also slice the dome off with a razor blade 0.9mm above the MCPCB and wipe out all the green. This also makes for a tighter focus, but a shaved LH351D is still more floody than an SST-20.
The best way is disassemble a 0.9mm feeler gauge and use the manufacturer's pre-punched hole (that the bolt went through) to surround the LED, and a single-edge razor blade with a slicing/sliding motion. The feeler gauge rests on the PCB, not the LED itself. You may need to grind the gauge down if you want to do it on a lumpy board (narrower, not thinner). For that matter, you could do the slicing on a temporary 20mm board or even a thin copper plate, if you get your reflow process down. The LED does need to be mounted to get the height right, but you can always reflow it again later.
Most knife blades are thick enough to risk pulling the dome off even if very sharp. A fresh utility blade can work, but a double-edge shaving blade is too flexible. Scalpel blade should also work.
Please reply with additional tips or corrections.
^(I AM A BOT. PM WITH SUGGESTIONS AND CONTRIBUTIONS. SEE MY) ^(WIKI) ^(FOR USE.)
I got a cheap set on Amazon, and I use the 0.10mm feeler. But the exact size of the feeler gauge doesn’t matter, so long as you the same one.
Your nozzle is to close to the bed. Re-level your bed, adjust your z position. I bought a feeler Gauge which helped me alot.
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B06XHXJG31?ref=ppx_pop_mob_ap_share
Are you using an ABS juice to coat the glass the print sits on? If not, give that a go. It is just scrap ABS and acetone. A few ounces of acetone and maybe 6" of ABS. Still runny but enough ABS that you cannot see through the mixture. Give the bed a few coats with drying in-between. Re-apply a coat or two after each print. If it gets lumpy, or every few prints, scrape it off with a razor blade and re-apply.
Make sure the bed is level and at the appriopriate distance to the nozzle. Feeler guages for spark plugs work well for this. I use .06mm with just the tiniest hang pulling it under the nozzle. https://www.amazon.com/Hotop-Blades-Feeler-Imperial-Measuring/dp/B06XHXJG31/
I use 230 for the nozzle and 110 for the bed with ABS and it works well.
Print some bed tests. Write down the settings and results. Once you get that coming out perfect every time, print a taller test piece. A lot less frustrating! I use this. https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:40482
Keep and eye on it until you get the process worked out.
ABS takes a lot of trial and error in the beginning. But once you get it dialed in, life is good.
Couldn’t you use a feeler gauge? Very thin pieces of metal in various thickness that you can stack to measure the gap. They have them on Amazon.
This feeler Guage has made it so my bed is always perfect. Use the .2mm Guage until the nozzle barely snags the metal https://www.amazon.com/dp/B06XHXJG31/ref=cm_sw_r_apan_glt_i_424EVY88GBS03X0EPVAF?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1
What I've found works for me is levelling cold, to 0.09mm, using feeler gauges. If you don't care about having every hundredths of a millimetre under .1, You can get a good enough feeler gauge for like $7 so it's not a big expense and at this point I feel pretty good recommending it. (I spent more like $15 to get one with more very thin gauges, so I could explore the range a bit more. But 0.08 and 0.1 are pretty darned close to 0.09 and 0.1 so if the few extra dollars are important, I think the cheaper one would be okay.)
This is with an Ender 3 V2. The manual says you want to level to about 0.1mm, and I imagine that has a lot to do with thermal expansion of nozzle and print bed. For me, 0.09mm seems to be a pretty sweet spot. If I level lower (I didn't try 0.08, but I did try 0.06), I have problems with not enough material on the first layer, and that's definitely worse.
Some people really recommend levelling hot, but I find that gives me very inconsistent results, possibly not just due to nozzle and bed plate expansion, but also to using metal feeler gauges, which also expand with heat. So I just measure cool and find the best height through experimentation, and I'm getting some really smooth - and grippy! - brims now.
First I am assuming you have a Stock V3. Glass bed and what not.
I'm a bit old school. I run Hair Spray. Clean the glass of Tape residue. Warm the glass to 50/60degrees, Apply hair spray from can. ((I use Aquanet Maximum unscented.)) {Others say you can spray it on a paper towel with a little water and apply it that way for less wastage and air pollution... but I haven't tried it yet.} The hair spray can last 2-3 months before needing a cleaning and reapplication.
This should help with adhesion.
If you've tried bed leveling, what are you using? Your best option is to get a Feeler Gauge (https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B06XHXJG31/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1) to run bed leveling(Typically .04mm gauge is used, but check your slicer settings). Once you get it as close as you can, run a bed leveling program. (Any will work for this point.) Most of the print beds are warped to some degree, and locating where the bed is low is the best option. Then put Aluminum foil sheets under the low spots. ((Myself I have around 20 sheets dead center due to my print bed being a bowl shape)).
That SHOULD help with everything, Hopefully soon more people will reply with better advice.
Buy a metal filler gauge set! It’s better and more consistent than the paper. This is the one I bought: Stainless Steel Feeler Gauge Dual... https://www.amazon.com/dp/B06XHXJG31?ref=ppx_pop_mob_ap_share
Looks like a tiny groove forming. Not surprising on a magnum revolver. Nothing I would worry about structurally.
I would pick up a set of feeler gauges like these https://www.amazon.com/Hotop-Blades-Feeler-Imperial-Measuring/dp/B06XHXJG31 and check the gap when you get it. Cheap enough to have on hand and there is no way to tell the gap by eye unless you have decades of machining or smithing under your belt. Your looking at .004-.008" (~.1-.2mm) of range
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B06XHXJG31/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1
Not sure what to do with the other ones besides the 0.2mm, but this is where I got mine.
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B06XHXJG31/ I have a different set but for this set the thickness I use for leveling is the brass feeler .010" or .254mm you can go thinner if needed.
I had this exact same issue with the exact same printer a few months ago, and I ended up getting one of these to fix it: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B06XHXJG31?ref=ppx_yo2_dt_b_product_details&th=1
The problem I ended up with is that the bl touch wasn't auto leveling right. Like others have said, the bl touch is really good, but you still have to level the bed manually. In addition, paper thickness was not the same as my prints, so the first layer quite often got squished and, in some cases, ended up smeared like yours. My suggestion is to do as follows:
- Set the plate at a decent height so that it will miss cables and other crap when running.
- Use the bl touch to set home.
- Use the metal measuring tool to set the z-offset. The trick here is to check what z scale you are printing at and choose the size that's just above that i.e. I usually print at .12, so I grabbed the .13 metal measuring tool and set the offset so that the .13 was just barely scraping the print head.
- Run this leveler: https://www.chepclub.com/bed-level.html. you'll want the CHEP_M25_bed_level.gcode file. This'll run 1 time in each corner, check the center, then run 1 more time in each corner. You'll use your metal measuring tool to check each corner. I'd recommend running it at least 3 times, if not more, until you've got a feel for how much you have to adjust it. Eventually you should get to the point where each spot feels a little resistance with the metal tool.
- Enjoy! At this stage you should have everything leveled properly and get a good print.
| Item | Current | Lowest | Reviews |
|---|---|---|---|
| Stainless Steel Feeler Gauge Dual Marked Metric a… | - | - | 4.5/5.0 |
^Item&nbsp;Info | Bot&nbsp;Info | Trigger
The biggest thing I'm seeing here is poor first layer adhesion. If you have followed the bed leveling, gone through measuring and checking that gap via the paper method, and you are still having poor layer adhesion then try this.
Layer Height - Verify in your slicer that your layer height is between 25% and 75% of your nozzle's diameter. If your nozzle is stock, then it is most likely a 0.4mm nozzle. A layer height of .2mm is a good starting point for decent prints, but don't go higher than .3mm or lower than .1mm. I use Cura and when I started I just used the default profile and let it run. As you get some experience you will find yourself making tweaks or setting up custom profiles.
Glue Sticks - Very cheap and a great solution for all my prints. Since using them it's rare that a print fails initially. I would seriously try this first since they are cheap and they ended up being the solution. I scrape some of the residue off and reapply new glue before every print.
Remeasure before every print - Yeah, this is a pain to do, but the one time I didn't the nozzle scratched my bed. On another occasion the nozzle was a tad too high. It may not seem like much, but consider that your bed may move the slightest when you pull your print off. I have binder clips holding my glass bed down, but still I remeasure before starting a big print or if it's been sitting for a couple days. If you are using paper to check the nozzle distance, consider a cheap set of feeler gauges, or if you have a Harbor Freight near you.
Build Plate Adhesion - Skirts work good for prints that you don't really care about or are just testing with. Brims for prints with larger footprints. Especially if you are seeing warping on the edge. Rafts for prints with a nearly perfect underside, or for small or delicate parts with small footprints.
Other solutions to consider:
- Glass Bed - I have an E5Plus and it came with the glass bed. People with other printers swear by them. I haven't used a magnetic bed like what you got, but a glass bed is something to think about.
- BL Touch - While it's not necessary, especially if you are just starting, it is a nice thing to have.
Other considerations:
Filament: If you are using the PLA it came with, I found that it was kinda crappy, brittle and snapped easily. I heard a lot of popping when I used it. Most likely some moisture. When I bought PLA from Amazon I read up more on storing filament and how an airtight container works wonders. So I picked up some of these to store all my filament. But still, I used that sample spool to do a ton of test prints but found that glue sticks fixed almost all the bed adhesion problems.
Desiccant packets: Filaments come with their own silica desiccant packets, but it never hurts to use more. I picked up a box of these and tossed them in the storage bin with my filaments. So far no issues with filaments that have been in there. However, I did had some issues with one spool of PLA I left on my printer for a few weeks.
Filament dryer: Only if you start to print using Nylon, TPU or other filaments that are more hydrophilic. PLA in a sealed bin with desiccant packets seems to work fine for now. But I started printing with CF Nylon and following a suggestion on a video I picked up a dryer.
do all companies that make/sell them use the same stuff? https://www.amazon.com/dp/B06XHXJG31?psc=1&ref=ppx_yo2_dt_b_product_details this is the one I got.
Stratified recommends between 0.025" - 0.026". As long as you can get it right around .026 you should be fine.
I'd highly recommend using a blade-style gapping tool instead of the round coin ones you find at parts stores. These are much more accurate. And a screw-down gapper comes in handy so you don't have to keep banging the plugs and trying over and over again. I was able to gap all 4 plugs in about 20 minutes the first time I tried it - it's best to use a blade that's roughly 0.002" smaller than what you're goal is, since the spark plug ground strap will 'snap back' a bit once you loosen the tool. Those are actually the 2 exact tools I used. They're cheap and worth it.
I use the 0.13mm (0.005) part of this gauge
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B06XHXJG31?psc=1&ref=ppx_yo2_dt_b_product_details
On a budget - garage stainless steel feeler gauges might be an economical and covert option?
https://www.amazon.de/Klingen-Edelstahl-F%C3%BChlerlehre-Imperial-Messger%C3%A4t/dp/B06XHXJG31/
If you have a Harbor Freight near you it was less than $5.
Here's one on Amazon for just a couple of dollars more. https://www.amazon.com/dp/B06XHXJG31/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_fabc_RE3bGbADWS4DF
I’m just using a generic feeler gauge: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B06XHXJG31/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_NciJFbFDB5NBY
maybe this might do the trick: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B06XHXJG31/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_5w.1DbDHBEYY3
I'm afraid that is a poor method, you cant easily eyeball the differences we are looking at. there are two things to measure, if the plate is flat, and if the head is moving in Z as the X axis travels. The cheapest method I can think of is to get a quality steel ruler, something at least 2mm thick. Lay it on edge on the bed and try to get a feeler gauge of .075mm under it (link to feeler gauges at the bottom). If it wont fit your bed is flat enough. second thing to check is if the nozzle drops while traveling in X. assuming your bed is flat you can use the feeler gauges to measure the distance from the hot end to the bed with a fair degree of accuracy. figure out which one it is and we can go from there. (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JvZPZoIIdAQ)
You can't really permanently damage anything, but you do need a few basic tools to do the job right. A set of feeler gauges, a phillips head screw driver, the correct size allen wrenches, a small metal ruler capable of measuring millimeters/64ths of an inch and an accurate non-clip-on tuner are all you need. A notched straight edge and fret rocker are really nice, too. I suggest getting the Ibanez guitar multi-tool, which is like a Swiss Army knife for guitar techs and only costs about $20.
Here are some handy links.
https://www.premierguitar.com/articles/DIY_How_to_Set_Up_a_Fender_Stratocaster
https://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_nkw=ibanez+multi+tool
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