sculpture – Zandoria Studios

June 5, 2022June 5, 2022

3Dprinting for Artists

When I started using 3Dprinting, I saw it as a potential market for selling files that users could print themselves. Over the last couple of years, I have watched the field explode with artists thinking the same thing–all jumping in with their latest Kickstarter or Patreon, seeing this technology as a “gold rush”. There are now thousands of Patreons offering 3dprintable miniatures now!

There are so many STL files being released each month, that you could never print them all (much less paint them…). Many patrons just collect the files, with a fear of missing out driving them. Artist’s are joining this churn trying to offer more and more files/month at lower and lower prices. Most of the files make it onto Telegram or other pirate sites, which drives the value of the STL files even lower. It is a frustrating rush to the bottom…

But what about using the 3Dprinter as the means of production? Not selling a merchant license for other people to sell their prints of your work, but producing your own miniatures and figurines?

There are a number of advantages to this. When you are doing the printing, you remain in control of the quality of your work. Your intellectual property can not be shared or pirated, if you are only selling physical items. 3Dprinting allows for details as fine as a human hair, and geometries that would be impossible for recasters to duplicate.

Another advantage is that there are a LOT more customers who might like your art, than there are hobbyists using 3dprinters themselves.

example of real bronze patina on 3dprinted resin

Using a 3Dprinter to reproduce your work is more efficient than mold-making and casting, and will allow you to offer multiple sizes of the same sculpture.

The learning curve is not that difficult, if you are already sculpting digitally, consider adding a 3dprinter to your studio!

February 20, 2015February 21, 2015

DIY –3D Printing in Bronze!

So I broke down and purchased my own 3D printer, when I discovered some amazing new materials that are 80% powdered metal. They are Bronzefill and Copperfill, created by a company called ColorFabb in the Netherlands. This is like creating cold-cast bronze, but directly printing it instead of casting it in a mold.

My first print using Copperfill turned out great. The material cools a little slower than regular PLA, so it doesn’t warp at all. I did increase the temperature on my extruder to 215C instead of the default 208C. I’m using the Printrbot Simple Metal, which I am very pleased with (that’s an affiliate link, so if you are in the market…). Below are the steps I used to finish my print:

Print your part. I’m using my design, YodaBuddha
Clean up the print using needle files, sandpaper, and even a soldering iron! This last tip is a great way to weld different parts together! Use steel wool to buff the surface and expose the metal particles.
Apply traditional cold patina (I’m using Mahogany from Sculpt Nouveau) with a brush or spray bottle. You may want to warm up the print with a hair dryer before applying. Let it sit for 10 minutes and then reapply until you get the darkness you want.
When the print is dark enough, use the steel wool to gently buff the raised areas to bring out the metallic luster.
Seal the print with clear wax. I used floor wax!