I've had a wiha ball head allen key screwdriver since 2008 and it's outlasted every single one supplied with printers. Sometimes a little more $ really is worth it on ... daily drivers lol
I bought an extra set, and cut of the elbow. Then printed handles. Once I buy a mini screwdriver, I will print an adapter. I really like straight he's wrenches.
I have some Snap-On T-Handle hex drivers and they're awesome, very pricey but I had them from a past job. Might make a thingiverse holder for it when my Ender 3 v2 comes in.
Probably not as useful nowadays and especially not when for specific workflows. Some nozzle come with non stick coatings and if there's a (solvent dipping) smoothing process there's usually no string left after smoothing is done.
Hey, Micheal. Pretty much all covered there, but I will add that I have a infrared thermometer gun just to keep check on motor temps etc and to confirm thermistors are accurate. Cheers.
@ 20:43 I've always found credit cards good for removing skirts, too, and the fancier the card (ie gold, platinum, black titanium) and the higher the credit limit, the more easily it removes the skirts. I have friends who met their current GF's that way. :P
Digital kitchen scales are handy to use to weigh how much filament you have left on the spool. Weigh an empty spool and subtract. Good to know after slicing if you have to swap out filament or not (especially for overnight prints)
I kinda thought this was all common sense stuff and mostly the kind of tools every guy has laying around with or without a 3d printer. Myself personally I dont want to see too much content like this, but I do agree that a video here and there like this is great as everyone has a different skill level.
You forgot to include a "magic smoke" re-filler. You know, when you overvolt the stepper motors that the magic smoke gets released, and only way to fix them is to refill them ;P
@@donutninja13 TIL that IBM made a magic smoke refill kit. I am now very sad that I did not employee purchase a bunch while I worked there. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Magic_smoke
I would also recommend a pair or two of tweezers in your tool kit. They help pull wisps of filament off your print when you are starting, or pull some of the oozing filament out of the nozzle when you're starting or doing a filament layer change. They are also necessary for soldering, and I use mine instead of a pick to pop out wires from JST connectors.
I have a collection of plastic putty knives/scrapers; Great for removing prints from glass print beds/painter's tape. get one started on the edge and tap it under the print lightly with a small hammer or rubber handle of a screwdriver. They're also great when applying painter's tape to a print bed. Painter's tape is also great for securing loose ends of filament spools; marking off areas to be drilled/cut, etc. it can also be wrapped over sharper scrapers and tools to prevent damaging surfaces. Even if you don't use it as a print surface anymore, having a roll of blue painter's tape is a must. Same goes for kapton tape; good for securing wires on hotends/heatbeds and shielding components on mainboards.
> acupuncture needles And for the ignorant people reading this: it is not about releasing any mental of physical stress buildup during your 3d printing hobby (although it would probably work for that too) - but rather to clean any clogs from your nozzles.
Most removable screwdriver bits (@2:45) are 6.5mm, which is the same size as the small stock Creality nozzles (@3:38). So if you don't have anything else handy, a bit driver will do a fine job of nozzle removal and installation.
unfortunatly bit drivers go imperial and are 1/4"=6,35mm.. with the tolerances and slop may be 6.4mm.. maybe the lesser quality drivers have closer to 6.5mm
On the topic of sanding and finishing. I've found that emery boards (also called nail files) come in 80/100/180/240 grit. They are great for sanding small parts and sanding tight spaces. Plus they are cheap costing around $9 for 50. I keep a 100/180 near the printer for removing those minor imperfections that occasionally show up in a print.
This is exactly what happened to me. I bought an Ender 3 to give me something to do during lockdown. Now I have three shelves crammed with filaments and I'm tripping over all the new tools, cables, and boxes of spares and upgrades!
Me too! I couldn't go anywhere for my vacation time in June so I bought an Ender 5 with the money. "Suffering" through the same hazards as you, upgrades, tools, filaments, boxes! Just now starting to figure out how to organize it all.
@@-robo-patience /ˈpeɪʃ(ə)ns/ Learn to pronounce noun 1. the capacity to accept or tolerate delay, problems, or suffering without becoming annoyed or anxious. "you can find bargains if you have the patience to sift through the rubbish". lol
Wire -- with Teflon insulation! Particularly for the heavier wire, such as runs to bed heaters or internally between the psu and the controller board -- insulation on "normal" wire deforms or melts at fairly low temperatures, where Teflon insulation keeps going. A little more expensive, but a lot more safe!
The one tool I use, at least almost every second print, is a bamboo skewer. It is great removing any filament 'dags' that may attach themselves to the print nozzle, especially on first layers when you can't easliy reach in.
You missed the brass wire brush for cleaning schmuck off the nozzle. Just buy a pack of the ones that are roughly tooth brush size, pretty cheap at most hardware stores.
@@elvinhaak I used to buy nozzles quite often. I switched to a hardened steel nozzle about a year and a half ago, haven't purchased a nozzle since. I don't even know the amount of money and time I wasted on brass nozzles, I am certain that it was at least 5x the amount I paid for a single hardened steel nozzle. Lets not forget the time and filament wasted discovering that the old brass nozzle was worn out. Perhaps this would be different if I only printed standard PLA or PETG
@@ianide2480 Yes, it can be really worth it in some cases. I regulary swap nozzles if there are some problems and also because I change size of the nozzle between i.e. .2, .4 and .8 mm. I have hardenend nozzles but also bronze and bronze are 'one way' after some prints many times with a swap. A bag of 20 costs about 3 -5 $. And mostly I print PETG and some PLA. But sometimes with fillers and it is easy to swap the nozzle when switching size and materials. Cleaning the brazz ones with a brass wire brush kills them real fast.
Multimeters: cheap one has good enough accuracy, easily. The biggest differences are build quality, being able to actually measure large voltages and currents (=proper safety measures to protect board) and but by far the most annoying is that cheap meters take longer to show you the value. This seems stupidly small detail, the difference is around 2000ms vs 200ms.. who cares about 2 seconds? Well, when you are measuring something that requires you to be careful not to short the probes, it is not in a recess but in a difficult to hold place.. you damn well care about 2 extra seconds you have to take your eyes off the probes.. This is the moment slip-ups happen the easiest, so you want to have fast measurements. Most features in expensive stuff and even accuracy are close enough with cheap meters. It is just about the speed and then about protection. So, do not measure anyhing above 220V, over 4 amps and over 1kW with a cheap meter. More expensive do show better accuracy at very small values but for nanovolt/amp/watt and milliohm range, you need something MUCH more expensive than what a field measurement kit can do at reasonable prices. But, do buy better probe leads!! The cheap leads are crap. Get medium range probes+leads, something that a professional would use as their everyday stuff.. get something like that, gold plated and rugged.
And about these: be aware of the safety-labels and the real ones before measuring on the life wirering. If you have a multimeter that is weak, it might blow up in your hands.
@@elvinhaak most common way to blow up a meter I've seen is measuring voltage with the probes inserted on the current configuration, instant short-circuit. A cheap meter will likely not warn you of the probes being inserted wrong, but a more expensive one usually beeps when the probes are on the wrong places relative to what you've turned the dial. Also in my case, my meter has a 10A socket for current but the up to 400mA range is on the same socket as the high impedance (voltage for example), so you gotta be careful not to have the dial the wrong way around as well.
Another great video! Some other tools I'd recommend... Forceps/Hemostats - works as small needle-nose pliers, tiny vice-grips, tweezers. Strait and curved are great. very useful for holding wires/parts when soldering, either for placement or because the parts get too hot to hold. Easily one of my most used tools. Edit: Just thought of another... Drop something down a deep hole or slot? Consider Alligator Forceps. Phillips screw holder/starter - Indispensable when you need to start a stainless-steel (non-magnetic) or any screw in a place your fingers can't reach. A telescopic magnetic pick-up/retrieving tool. The flexible ones can be useful too, but sometimes they flex too much allowing the magnet to swing and grab things you don't want it too. Acid brushes - A thousand and one uses. Trim the bristles short with scissors and you have a long handle mini scrub-brush. Use to paint on acetone to solvent weld PLA. I like the brushes used for gun cleaning. Like an upgraded toothbrush stiffer bristles on one end of the handle and a single row of short stiff bristles on the other. I also like nut-driver over socket/ratchet most of the time. Thanks for the great content. Going to get a deburing tool. Don't have one yet.
I recommend to have a ceramic screwdriver for working on the mainboard, as it won´t cause shorts, an dalso a printed small sponge enclosure to keep it stopping the dust right before the extruder. Helps to avoid clogs! Cheers and thanks for the video! PD: Deez Nutz (sorry... I´m seemingly 5 y old... :P )
Excellent video, Michael! Wish I had seen this years ago when I first started 3D Printing. Regardless, well assembled video full of golden nuggets. You rock!
A desktop (mini) vice. A tap and die set. Sure a screw will make do, but not as clean. Did he mention scissors? I have three sizes. And don't forget the hemostats. I have two sizes. I want to get a 3D pen for attaching and/or repairing prints.
Great video, bookmarking for countless threads of “I am waiting for my 3D printer to arrive, what tools or spare parts should I get? Re: screwdrivers and torque - that hole in the handle ... is there not only for hanging it. Stick another screwdriver or anything with metal rod through it and use as a lever.
Heh, I thought I was the only one that used wooden blocks for levelling printers. One of my printers is a Core-XY which has seperate stepper motors driving the dual z-axis lead screws. Sometimes pulling a print off the heated bed causes one of the lead screws to shift, wooden blocks to the rescue. It's become less of a problem since I put a magnetic sheet on the bed.
Hi, How about a " Electric Surge Protector / Power Strip " OR a " UPS : Uninterrupted Power Supply : " To Protect The Electronics Of The Printers . After all, It is a Computer that controls everything !!!!! Great ! Content ! Keep It Coming !!!!!!! +1 . Thanks :)
Digital scale for measuring filament left on roll. Weigh a empty roll then subtract that from the roll your checking. I have one that is 1g to 5000g. Works well. Can even be used to check over extrusion or if your slicer is estimating filament correctly.
The greatest tool to have on hand at all times is: Patience Some things need to be carefully looked at and planned, rushing can lead to all sorts of disasters, have patience, make a plan and check you have all you need before beginning work.
I've found that a nice sharp chisel really helps clean up a rough surface . It lets you remove blobs without gouging. I also find a small set of files helps with different faces or curves.
If you use a nut on the adjustment screws as a jam nut it will keep the adjustment knob from backing out and seriously extending the bed level longevity
Great video. I use everything you mention and new people will need it all. As far as a dial indicator i prefer a non digital and since creality uses a metal hotend cover i just glued magnets to the back of the indicator. When i level i just stick it to the metal cover and i get a level bed within a thousands of a inch pretty fast.
For a metal rod that's around the size of filament, a bicycle spoke can be gotten in a 1.8mm diameter which is almost exactly the 1.75mm diameter of filament. I grind a point roughly the angle of the inside of the nozzle and that can clear almost everything out of the nozzle. You can usually get a spare/scrap spoke from any bike shop.
A couple of tools that I have added to my "kit" are some small brass and steel brushes and a set of small metric taps, theas make cleaning up holes for screws easy and you thread the hole at the same tine!
Great video as always. I would also recomend heat sensor fire alarms. I have heat sensor fire alarms in each of my printer cabinets and above those not in cabinets. These are wirelessly linked to the house fire alarm so if things get too hot out in the studio (garage) we instantly know about it in the house which is essential, especially with the printers running through the night. A touch more expensive than standard stand alone smoke alarms, but worth the little extra for peice of mind. No different to setting up any other stand alone battery smoke alarm and available from numerous places online, you typicallyhave a kit with 1 optical alarm (smoke alarm) and 1 heat alarm.
Waxed nylon string is neat, I use it for all cable management jobs and a spool will last years plus it eliminates the chances of the cable ties snagging on things or scratching you on a poorly cut tail.
@@magnuswf "The two primary functions of the power line filter are: Preventing high frequency signals generated within the device from reaching the input power line. Preventing high frequency signals on AC power distribution system (disturbance) from entering into equipment." For example: smile.amazon.com/dp/B0002D017M/ref=cm_sw_em_r_mt_dp_LNcwFb9EFERRC
@@magnuswf a UPS is a "power bank", some UPS have Line Conditioners (or equivalent) built in. Eg. UPS+Conditioner. Its' a good idea to know what you have, and consider buying one if you don't.
If you are looking to buy a new part or upgrade, look for kits htat might include some other common parts. I was going to upgrade my bed springs, and i found a kit for $1-2 more that included silicone hot end covers, and some extra PTFE tubing.
I have an skr mini e3 1.2 and when I build the firmware it says STM32F103RC_btt_512K FAILED 00:00:00.355 ======================== 1 failed, 0 succeeded in 00:00:00.355 ======================== any one have a solution????
Your videos are awesome, I have a new ( still in the box, gotta wait until Christmas day) Creality 6 SE and I have been watching all of your vids so that I stand a better chance at getting this new hobby figured out. Thank you so much and keep up the good work
A few good quality machinist squares come in handy to square up your printer. Because we all know sometimes things don't come out of the factory the way they're supposed to be. For the ultimate in high quality modifications, I recommend a Sherline lathe and mill for the desktop.
I tend to cut into my parts too much with the deburring tool when working with PLA. I have a bearing scraper with a triangular shape blade that does great on leftover supports, holes, and edges. It is hard to remove parts with a raft unless I wait for the bed to cool down for 15 minutes. I put a flathead against the raft and hit it once with a thwack-printed hammer and it pops off with ease.
I see you're using Diggers IPA. At ~$55/litre from Bunnings ($27.50/500ml) it's highway robbery. You can usually get IPA from specialist solvent suppliers for much less, e.g.: Sydney Solvents has 5L bottles of 100% IPA $29.30. I'm cheap, though, and tend to use methylated spirits (95% ethanol) for about $2-$3/litre.
When I was using a glass bed, I found that vision miner’s nanopolymer adhesive was a wonder product. I kept a small spritzer with some of that diluted with isopropyl alcohol and would spray the bed as needed, then spread it with a 4” paint brush
My Friend. I have enjoyed your profound knowledge. I have a request. Can you perform and demonstrate a upgrade on the Cr-10 S5 Adding a e3d Titan aqua Using a e3d Super Volcano Connecting Mosfet. Soldering wires Printing off additional mounts & arms I have a general idea how to do it. But I rather shadow your knowledge. Thanks Friend
Normally, yes, but they can also be used to prevent prints from sticking altogether too well. For example, PETG can stick to a glass print surface so well that it is impossible to remove without tearing chunks out of the glass. This can be avoided by adding an interface layer of glue stick (or Magigoo or similar product).
@@mikemike7001 I use regular Elmer's brand glue stick and a damp paper towel to apply and smooth a super thin layer. I can get two or three prints from one application. Ironically, I use a utility blade (in a 3D printed handle) and it leaves the glue intact LOL.
Hihi He said "nuts" Naaaa. Cheers mate for all the valuable videos and the good pieces of advice! Thousands of people around the world appreciate this a lot!
dont buy cheap nozzles particularly from china, their quality is questionable and not worth saved money, I've seen drilled holes which were not straight or even not drilled all the way through
I encourage you to follow CNC Kitchen's example and implement RU-vid "JOIN" financial support capability. For various reasons, I prefer this to Patreon
Thin body filler or body putty. Not regular Bondo. This quickly fills in all of the ridges and surface imperfections and sands extremely quickly. Paint and primer that is plastic compatible. Filler primer: Not any other kind of primer but specifically filler primer. Again it goes on back and allows you to sand away minor in perfections. *Multi tool/Dremel
Dump the open flame for heat shrink. Get a small hot air blower like: www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07ZJK1VQS/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o02_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1. Not expensive, much safer, and better results! Also useful for removing stringing and can be used to soften/glaze surfaces if you are careful.
Forget cheap pliers and especially adjustable wrenches. Get one set of Knipex Pliers Wrench and be done. The 125mm or 150mm size is perfect for use on 3D printers - smooth parallel jaws that get more secure as you squeeze them to turn or hold the piece in question. Replaces many of the tools shown which makes their slightly higher price totally worth it.
A guide for the men of the world Allen key- Allen wrench Rattle gun- impact (impact driver) Spanner wrench- crescent wrench Socket set-rachet wrench set Side cutters- dikes
Hey guys, live in Australia and have an ender3, working well but I feel like the nozzle is kinda crappy, it doesn’t look like it’s actually round ahaha. Does anyone know of somewhere to get some good quality mk8 nozzles?
Important Tip - 6-Point Socket Set .. much less likely to slip or round off nuts/tips .. and no, I didn't go read all 250+ comments to see if anyone else mentioned this tip .. apologies if it was already covered ..
I actually would recommend everyone to get a 2 decimal place caliper, if you want it cheap go for regular Vernier calipers they're pretty good and you get quick at reading them, but 0.01 increments are really needed in printing when measuring, .1mm can be too big for measuring extrusions, it's definitely better to have overkill measuring than not, and regular calipers are pretty cheap, keep in mind part tolerances when designing vary by .02mm, and it makes a huge difference
Old video, but I'll add mine anyways: Liquid electrical tape. I had to splice the wires for my heater cartridge, but it was a short span, and the shrink tubing shrank when I soldered the wires, before I could slide it over the splice.
You can make a little mount to hold a wire brush on the side of the bed, and put a purge/scrub line in the start of every print. Cleans the nozzle and the ooze.
I'd like to apologize for my trolling on another video. I am deeply sorry. I have mental illness and was having a really bad day. That is still no excuse. I find your videos amongst the best I've watched trying to learn about 3d printing.
I find it peculiar that nobody suggests a torque wrench. It's a precision machine tool, every bolt should be installed to an exact amount of force, not whatever force can be applied to a mini L hex key.
Just a fyi…That is a digital indicator, dial indicators are mechanical and have a dial like a speedometer. Very informative video though I enjoy your channel. Thanks.
Grab some rare earth magnets and super glue them to the back side of your dial indicator and you can quickly attach it to your hotend guard to level the bed to within .001 thousands of a inch. No more silly paper or feeler gauges and you know it's perfect everytime.
Please people be very careful with deburring tools althought Michael touched it in the video and said it wasnt very sharp to the touch they can be extremely sharp ! I worked in machining for many years and know how sharp they can be save your digits be careful !
Don’t bother with the Creality tool box if you’re buying it for the Allen keys, I’ve had two become damaged and unusable and I’m not even half way done with assembly
Interesting fact… On the Creality Ender 3 v2, the nozzle is the perfect size for a hex tool driver(the part holding the bit) to change the nozzle. I don’t know about other printers or nozzles
I prefer a set of T-handle hex as you get the benefit of being able to spin a weighted flywheel essentially while also the fine adjustment/torque input of a decent lever arm!
3D Printing is a bottomless pit of money spending. When you just get a printer... you need spares... But then you need a spare printer, in case the original one fails.. Lol. It never ends
If your printer is still, it is dying. This is _not_ an exaggeration. To expand the life of rollers, just take them off. That way there is no mechanical stress on them. Good opportunity to oil them up also to improve their longevity over time.
Not sure if it counts as a tool but having cameras and wifi enabled switches on my printers allows me to keep an eye on them when I'm out and shut them off if a failure occurs. A Raspberry Pi with Octoprint can do this too but is a bit more expensive!
