OFFICIAL Post NFA 3D Printing Thread (Page 2 of 6)
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Originally Posted By D_Man: I will warn that it's going to be a bit of a learning curve for anyone wanting to just jump into printing 2A stuff. These are not quite appliance level things, you will need to read and learn, do some testing and trial and error prints to dial in your machine and the filament. In the 3D2A space, it's usually recommended that you test and learn on little trinkets and calibration prints first before you get into real functional parts. And for cans, the better filaments to use like PA6-CF/GF, PPA-CF, and other nylon types all have important considerations for needing a printer that can heat to at least 300C at the nozzle, and you need equipment to toughly dry the spool of nylon BEFORE you print, or else you'll just get a mess. Nylon is very hydroscopic, and if "wet" filament goes through the extruder in a printer, it comes out as a foam because the water flash boils. The main take away in all this, if you want to get into 3D printing to make your own cans and gun frames, understand it's going to be a new hobby and require work on your part to dial things in. It's not a "buy this, download this file, press a button and you're done" kind of thing.  This is the type of post I am looking for and I think helpful to so many. I'd hope it doesn't go the way of ham radio, however. |
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Originally Posted By stgdz: As a 3d printer guy myself I kinda wonder why outside of a 22lr red bull can. Wouldn't it just be easier and more practical for a metal tube and the inserts? Or does that leave a paper trail? It’s easily available, and a known size. If I was designing a printed silencer to go inside a commercial tube, I would have chosen a CF tube from AliExpress. But, if you call out something like that as part of a silencer design, eventually the ATF will consider the raw tube itself a silencer part and regulate it 
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Originally Posted By Global_Cooling: For .22cal PLA Plus is fine. And it's easier to print for a beginner. As a side note my Elegoo Centauri Carbon can hold 35 FTN.5 .22cal on the print bed but the slicer (Elegoo) keeps crashing 😂 PLA does work, but I’ve had it turn in to a sad banana inside a car in like March, not even July. I started using ABS-GF and have moved to PET-GF. |
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Originally Posted By D_Man: I will warn that it's going to be a bit of a learning curve for anyone wanting to just jump into printing 2A stuff. These are not quite appliance level things, you will need to read and learn, do some testing and trial and error prints to dial in your machine and the filament. In the 3D2A space, it's usually recommended that you test and learn on little trinkets and calibration prints first before you get into real functional parts. And for cans, the better filaments to use like PA6-CF/GF, PPA-CF, and other nylon types all have important considerations for needing a printer that can heat to at least 300C at the nozzle, and you need equipment to toughly dry the spool of nylon BEFORE you print, or else you'll just get a mess. Nylon is very hydroscopic, and if "wet" filament goes through the extruder in a printer, it comes out as a foam because the water flash boils. The main take away in all this, if you want to get into 3D printing to make your own cans and gun frames, understand it's going to be a new hobby and require work on your part to dial things in. It's not a "buy this, download this file, press a button and you're done" kind of thing. Currently printing Sunlu PA6-CF with the following: 5% RH 100 degree bed 50 degree chamber (a little cool but that was after a 30 minute heat soak) 275 degrees at the nozzle (looked best on a calibration print) .6 mm nozzle |
"Fully-loaded, safety off. This here is a recipe for unpleasantness." - Malcom Reynolds
"He's a precision-guided asshole who only deploys on deserving targets." - Grok
"He's a precision-guided asshole who only deploys on deserving targets." - Grok
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Originally Posted By VacaDuck: That's why I have been reading as much as I can and always starting with small stuff like calibration prints and such. Currently printing Sunlu PA6-CF with the following: 5% RH 100 degree bed 50 degree chamber (a little cool but that was after a 30 minute heat soak) 275 degrees at the nozzle (looked best on a calibration print) .6 mm nozzle |
| Same temp I printed the failed attempt at. I'll see if a wack with both sides of a maul causes any issues. Pretty much the only way I can think of to test it without shooting with the current one printing out. |
"Fully-loaded, safety off. This here is a recipe for unpleasantness." - Malcom Reynolds
"He's a precision-guided asshole who only deploys on deserving targets." - Grok
"He's a precision-guided asshole who only deploys on deserving targets." - Grok
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Originally Posted By VacaDuck: That's why I have been reading as much as I can and always starting with small stuff like calibration prints and such. Currently printing Sunlu PA6-CF with the following: 5% RH 100 degree bed 50 degree chamber (a little cool but that was after a 30 minute heat soak) 275 degrees at the nozzle (looked best on a calibration print) .6 mm nozzle 300 nozzle minimum Hotter chamber if possible. Throw a blanket over the printer. |
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Originally Posted By Blob: 300 nozzle minimum Hotter chamber if possible. Throw a blanket over the printer. |
"Fully-loaded, safety off. This here is a recipe for unpleasantness." - Malcom Reynolds
"He's a precision-guided asshole who only deploys on deserving targets." - Grok
"He's a precision-guided asshole who only deploys on deserving targets." - Grok
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Originally Posted By VacaDuck: Halfway done with a FTN.5 Flow. Bambu Lab P2S. PA6-CF fiber 0.6 Hot End https://www.ar15.com/media/mediaFiles/102931/3710-3810718.jpg @VacaDuck which caliber are your printing. |
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Originally Posted By Hking: They are the easiest and most user friendly to use out of the box, and do a pretty damn good job, but they are not the best out there. There are also some concerns about how they are locking down firmware on devices, potentially not allowing 3rd party slicers/control, and how they handle data. Originally Posted By Hking: Originally Posted By Toasted: Is Bambu the best? They are the easiest and most user friendly to use out of the box, and do a pretty damn good job, but they are not the best out there. There are also some concerns about how they are locking down firmware on devices, potentially not allowing 3rd party slicers/control, and how they handle data. |
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For glue, I've been using this and have gotten very good results: https://visionminer.com/products/nano-polymer-adhesive I'm running a P1S with an original AMS that has a Sunlu dryer on it. I also have an external dryer. I'm expecting to to the main drying in the external, transferring it to the AMS and think the Sunlu dryer should be able to maintain for the print...it has worked well with other filaments so far. Before I start, I'm waiting to get more clarification. Since I'm not buying from an FFL, I won't be going with a 4473...does that matter? That's the question I'm not finding an answer to. As for the comment about the ruling only applying to the Northern District of TX, GOA, etc, my impression is that since DOJ didn't appeal, the ruling becomes applicable nationally. |
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Originally Posted By OldSchlPunk: For glue, I've been using this and have gotten very good results: https://visionminer.com/products/nano-polymer-adhesive I'm running a P1S with an original AMS that has a Sunlu dryer on it. I also have an external dryer. I'm expecting to to the main drying in the external, transferring it to the AMS and think the Sunlu dryer should be able to maintain for the print...it has worked well with other filaments so far. Before I start, I'm waiting to get more clarification. Since I'm not buying from an FFL, I won't be going with a 4473...does that matter? That's the question I'm not finding an answer to. As for the comment about the ruling only applying to the Northern District of TX, GOA, etc, my impression is that since DOJ didn't appeal, the ruling becomes applicable nationally. It wouldn’t have been a 4473 anyway, it would be a Form 1 via eforms. PA6-CF needs to be dried at 90c and it still takes 6-12 hrs. |
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Originally Posted By Monsterbishi: Put that inside a plywood enclosure to keep the heat in and that little printer will do a lot more than you think it can - we have one setup for ABS that's still going fine with many, many hours on it. I might try that. That also might lead to the wife complaining about the box, which will be a perfect time for me to discuss giving this old Ender 3 to her sister, and maybe upgrading. 
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ive been going all night and have 16.5 hrs left... lol |
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Got my 22LR silencer done overnight. Started my 9mm silencer. Also waiting on my thread adapters to arrive today. Attached File |
I ain’t in no ways tired of winning yet!
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Originally Posted By panthermark: I might try that. That also might lead to the wife complaining about the box, which will be a perfect time for me to discuss giving this old Ender 3 to her sister, and maybe upgrading. Originally Posted By panthermark: Originally Posted By Monsterbishi: Put that inside a plywood enclosure to keep the heat in and that little printer will do a lot more than you think it can - we have one setup for ABS that's still going fine with many, many hours on it. I might try that. That also might lead to the wife complaining about the box, which will be a perfect time for me to discuss giving this old Ender 3 to her sister, and maybe upgrading. Slap a Raspberry Pi with Klipper on it as well, for the sake of convenience, if nothing else. |
| Realized this morning we no longer have a toaster oven put aside for project stuff, so I am currently printing an annealing tray for my AMS HT so I can anneal the suppressor I printed overnight. |
"Fully-loaded, safety off. This here is a recipe for unpleasantness." - Malcom Reynolds
"He's a precision-guided asshole who only deploys on deserving targets." - Grok
"He's a precision-guided asshole who only deploys on deserving targets." - Grok
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Originally Posted By VacaDuck: Realized this morning we no longer have a toaster oven put aside for project stuff, so I am currently printing an annealing tray for my AMS HT so I can anneal the suppressor I printed overnight. I found earlier today that Sunlu has the E2 dryer that can do 110C max, but its $300. I've got an older S4, it only does 70C max. |
I ain’t in no ways tired of winning yet!
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Originally Posted By HillaryClinton: I found earlier today that Sunlu has the E2 dryer that can do 110C max, but its $300. I've got an older S4, it only does 70C max. |
"Fully-loaded, safety off. This here is a recipe for unpleasantness." - Malcom Reynolds
"He's a precision-guided asshole who only deploys on deserving targets." - Grok
"He's a precision-guided asshole who only deploys on deserving targets." - Grok
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I am thinking of building a 1.5" aluminum or titanium 22lr suppressor with a high flow printed monocore insert for my AR22's. When it clogs up, throw monocore away and print another insert. No cleaning. Use HUB for the adapter end and not sure about the end cap yet. Probably 3d print that too. I have a ender 3 that was just for shits and giggles and have about $1500 to buy a new printer. Havent decided what model. |
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Originally Posted By Vne: Shit! Where do you find the files for these things? Could I download it now and save it for the day I buy a 3d printer? Originally Posted By Vne: Originally Posted By VacaDuck: Failed with a little over an hour to go. Broke free of the plate. Need to add some external supports to the print. All a part of the learning process. https://www.ar15.com/media/mediaFiles/102931/3711-3810763.jpg Shit! Where do you find the files for these things? Could I download it now and save it for the day I buy a 3d printer? I can't give you a direct link without getting the mods angry with me. guncadindex dot com Then when you find what you want it will have a link to the odd sea otherwise known as odysee dot com. |
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Originally Posted By HillaryClinton: I found earlier today that Sunlu has the E2 dryer that can do 110C max, but its $300. I've got an older S4, it only does 70C max. Originally Posted By HillaryClinton: Originally Posted By VacaDuck: Realized this morning we no longer have a toaster oven put aside for project stuff, so I am currently printing an annealing tray for my AMS HT so I can anneal the suppressor I printed overnight. I found earlier today that Sunlu has the E2 dryer that can do 110C max, but its $300. I've got an older S4, it only does 70C max. I’m tight on space, but I annealed one while the other was printing Attached File |
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Originally Posted By Sputnik556: I don’t know squat but I’m about to pull the trigger on a P1S, what kind of filament should I buy? Spend the extra on a X2D because having that extra extruder is well worth it to print support materials. You can have 2 different matterials that don't stick to each other like PLA+ and PETG. Then you can have a 0 support interface which really helps on models that require support. For the money the X2D is the best printer out right now. I've even somewhat been known as a Bambu hater, but honestly my P1S I haven't had to do much of anything to it, because it just works. It's just missing a few things my QIDI Plus 4 has, but my QIDI wasn't nearly as hands off as my P1S. |
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Originally Posted By D_Man: I will warn that it's going to be a bit of a learning curve for anyone wanting to just jump into printing 2A stuff. These are not quite appliance level things, you will need to read and learn, do some testing and trial and error prints to dial in your machine and the filament. In the 3D2A space, it's usually recommended that you test and learn on little trinkets and calibration prints first before you get into real functional parts. And for cans, the better filaments to use like PA6-CF/GF, PPA-CF, and other nylon types all have important considerations for needing a printer that can heat to at least 300C at the nozzle, and you need equipment to toughly dry the spool of nylon BEFORE you print, or else you'll just get a mess. Nylon is very hydroscopic, and if "wet" filament goes through the extruder in a printer, it comes out as a foam because the water flash boils. The main take away in all this, if you want to get into 3D printing to make your own cans and gun frames, understand it's going to be a new hobby and require work on your part to dial things in. It's not a "buy this, download this file, press a button and you're done" kind of thing. 
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Originally Posted By VacaDuck: That's why I have been reading as much as I can and always starting with small stuff like calibration prints and such. Currently printing Sunlu PA6-CF with the following: 5% RH 100 degree bed 50 degree chamber (a little cool but that was after a 30 minute heat soak) 275 degrees at the nozzle (looked best on a calibration print) .6 mm nozzle Originally Posted By VacaDuck: Originally Posted By D_Man: I will warn that it's going to be a bit of a learning curve for anyone wanting to just jump into printing 2A stuff. These are not quite appliance level things, you will need to read and learn, do some testing and trial and error prints to dial in your machine and the filament. In the 3D2A space, it's usually recommended that you test and learn on little trinkets and calibration prints first before you get into real functional parts. And for cans, the better filaments to use like PA6-CF/GF, PPA-CF, and other nylon types all have important considerations for needing a printer that can heat to at least 300C at the nozzle, and you need equipment to toughly dry the spool of nylon BEFORE you print, or else you'll just get a mess. Nylon is very hydroscopic, and if "wet" filament goes through the extruder in a printer, it comes out as a foam because the water flash boils. The main take away in all this, if you want to get into 3D printing to make your own cans and gun frames, understand it's going to be a new hobby and require work on your part to dial things in. It's not a "buy this, download this file, press a button and you're done" kind of thing. Currently printing Sunlu PA6-CF with the following: 5% RH 100 degree bed 50 degree chamber (a little cool but that was after a 30 minute heat soak) 275 degrees at the nozzle (looked best on a calibration print) .6 mm nozzle Search for 300BlkFDE profile settings. He's like the wizard for printing with PA6-CF. I'm about to create a profile that emulates his Bambu settings to my QIDI Plus 4. Oh, and print nylon has hot as you can. On my Qidi I can go up to 320 on the nozzle and it has a heated chamber which really does help and the main reason my Bambu P1S isn't my engineering filament machine anymore. That heated chamber makes a huge difference. |
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I got some Polymaker PA6-CF I bought on sale a long time ago in the dehydrator right now at 70C which is as hot as it will go, but will leave it there for 24 hours then put it in my Sunlu S2 dryer to feed into my QIDI Plus 4. Will be the first time I've ever printed PA6-CF, so I'll be running tuning tests in OrcaSlicer first before I attempt a FTN 22LR suppressor. |
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I haven't done too much with PA6-CF, but one of the prints I did try (a folding brace) didn't work out too well. Much more brittle than one I printed in PLA+, and yes I dried it properly. My understanding is that even after printing PA6-CF going to absorb moisture which will change the mechanical properties after printing. According to Claude this is less of an issue with PA12-CF. Anyone else have this kind of issue? Whats the consensus on PA12-CF? |
"Government is not the solution to our problem; government is the problem." - Ronald Reagan
"Everything I want to do is illegal." - Joel Salatin
"Everything I want to do is illegal." - Joel Salatin
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Originally Posted By shaggy: I haven't done too much with PA6-CF, but one of the prints I did try (a folding brace) didn't work out too well. Much more brittle than one I printed in PLA+, and yes I dried it properly. My understanding is that even after printing PA6-CF going to absorb moisture which will change the mechanical properties after printing. According to Claude this is less of an issue with PA12-CF. Anyone else have this kind of issue? Whats the consensus on PA12-CF? But to you're point of the PA6 being brittle, fresh off the printer it will be yes, but the magic with PA6 and really all nylons, is they re-absorb water after printing over time (or you can force it, look up moisture conditioning). Once that happens, the nylon becomes more supple and pliable, able to take more flex without breaking. This is one of the things that makes it "strong" for gun parts, it can give a little bit without snapping. But you need to let it reabsorb moisture first to get that effect. |
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Originally Posted By memsu: I got some Polymaker PA6-CF I bought on sale a long time ago in the dehydrator right now at 70C which is as hot as it will go, but will leave it there for 24 hours then put it in my Sunlu S2 dryer to feed into my QIDI Plus 4. Will be the first time I've ever printed PA6-CF, so I'll be running tuning tests in OrcaSlicer first before I attempt a FTN 22LR suppressor. Turn your cooling fans off when printing PA6-CF. I have a switch I can turn mine off completely, but there is also a setting in my slicer to turn them off or set them to a lower speed. Head fans should still run like normal. |
I ain’t in no ways tired of winning yet!
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Originally Posted By 2W0X1: What is everyone using for threaded adapters? I use these for the FTN.5 .22cal and they fit perfectly  
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I bought these work fine. 4ea in a pack $15.00. Failed To Load Product Data |
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Originally Posted By Global_Cooling: I use these for the FTN.5 .22cal and they fit perfectly www.amazon.com/dp/B0BXRHDPHT Originally Posted By Global_Cooling: Originally Posted By 2W0X1: What is everyone using for threaded adapters? I use these for the FTN.5 .22cal and they fit perfectly www.amazon.com/dp/B0BXRHDPHT lol Attached File |
Got my thread adapters in today.  I'll try to get to the range and do some testing tomorrow. Attached File ETA: It fits on the MkIII and the RDS clears it, but you can see some of the can at the bottom of the sight picture. Attached File |
I ain’t in no ways tired of winning yet!
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Originally Posted By HillaryClinton: Got my thread adapters in today. I'll try to get to the range and do some testing tomorrow. https://www.ar15.com/media/mediaFiles/435954/1272_jpg-3811591.JPG ETA: It fits on the MkIII and the RDS clears it, but you can see some of the can at the bottom of the sight picture. https://www.ar15.com/media/mediaFiles/435954/1273_jpg-3811599.JPG Girth Attached File |
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Originally Posted By D_Man: For the most part correct, 12 absorbs less moisture than 6, one of the reasons it's a bit easier to print because it's less sensitive to needing thorough drying first. But to you're point of the PA6 being brittle, fresh off the printer it will be yes, but the magic with PA6 and really all nylons, is they re-absorb water after printing over time (or you can force it, look up moisture conditioning). Once that happens, the nylon becomes more supple and pliable, able to take more flex without breaking. This is one of the things that makes it "strong" for gun parts, it can give a little bit without snapping. But you need to let it reabsorb moisture first to get that effect. Thanks - that makes sense now. I printed brace with PA6-CF, attached it to a pistol chassis, and it cracked within about 10 mins of coming out of the printer. |
"Government is not the solution to our problem; government is the problem." - Ronald Reagan
"Everything I want to do is illegal." - Joel Salatin
"Everything I want to do is illegal." - Joel Salatin
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Originally Posted By VacaDuck: If this is your first printer, pick up a couple spools of pla to learn with stuff of maker world. Best to start with tools and upgrades then move on to fun stuff or useful items. Do not jump straight into carbon fiber filament. Will you be picking up an AMS unit? PA6-CF is very hydroscopic and needs to be dried. Bambu AMS break down: AMS (original) - No Drying Capability AMS 2 Pro - Dryer rated to max temp of 65C AMS HT- Dryer rated to max temp of 85C AMS 2 Pro will take a long time to dry PA6-CF. Higher temp of the AMS HT will cut that time down by a lot. Note- AMS 2 Pro with hold and.feed.from 4 spools of filament. The AMS HT only holds and feed one spool only. And to be honest, the P1S will do the job but you would be better off getting the X2D. Much more capable machine. At the least, if you cant swing the X2D, go with the P2S. If you already have AMS (original) - No Drying Capability There is an add-on from SunLu that works well. |
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Originally Posted By 2W0X1: https://www.ar15.com/media/mediaFiles/144839/IMG_5706_jpeg-3811543.JPG Can confirm that that Uxcell aluminum tubing fits dead air mask baffles perfectly. |
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Originally Posted By stewfish: Meanwhile, Prusa has models specifically made to stay 100% offline, with encryption. Critical Infrastructure they call it, no wifi, no cloud, no CCP snooping, no nothing. Originally Posted By stewfish: Originally Posted By Hking: Originally Posted By Toasted: Is Bambu the best? They are the easiest and most user friendly to use out of the box, and do a pretty damn good job, but they are not the best out there. There are also some concerns about how they are locking down firmware on devices, potentially not allowing 3rd party slicers/control, and how they handle data. Are the Bambu better than the Prusa as far as quality is concerned and is the security difference enough to choose Prusa, or something else over Bambu for 2A stuff? Ease of use or type of compatible files something to consider? |
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Originally Posted By Alien: I'm not doing shit with mine until I get it fixed.  https://www.ar15.com/media/mediaFiles/23358/1000024281_jpg-3810785.JPG Edit: I got off light as i only needed to order a $15 fan assembly. I have a spare hot end though it's the original one and not the upgraded one that I got for preordering my printer when I purchased it nearly 2 years ago. I'll see how the original one works. |
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Originally Posted By panthermark: LOL I have an old Ender 3 that i got 5 years ago. I just recently broke it out again. In 5 years I think I've printed a total of 3 dogs and 1 cat. I need to give it this thing a workout. https://i.imgur.com/g1pn1LX.jpeg Been months since I printed anything. Ender 3 original that's over 6 years old, BTT Touch screan and motherboard, hi precision rollers, solid mount bed kit, dual Z axis kit, BL touch, glass bed, MicroSwiss all metal hot-end plus some cheap brass nozzles for PLA and come high end nozels for CF. This is what it is capable of doing: Printed it a few years ago, these pics are straight off the printer with zero cleanup and I have posted these pics a few times.    No I have not built a gun with it, if I would actually assemble it and fire i'd probably cry if it cracked after spending all that time getting to that point in quality. This is a pic from a couple of years ago, I've since upgraded to a Rasberry-Pi 4B 8 gig running Octoprint that replaced that old dell laptop also running Octoprint then I robbed the Pi to use as a PiHole.  Thinking about going with a Pi 4B 1G since the 8g version was overkill since I was not running a web cam. |