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Today I used a blowtorch for the first time. It did not go well.
The RepPresent has a small aluminium block which holds the print nozzle and the resistor which heats the nozzle up enough to melt the plastic being fed into it. Since the nozzle is made of brass it expands less than does the aluminium block when heated. So to make sure that the nozzle doesn't come loose when the block heats up, the build instructions say to heat the block up with a blowtorch and then tighten the nozzle with a wrench while everything is still hot.
I did this and ended up melting the block.
( Click to see an image of the devastation... )
In my defense, the instructions were frustratingly short on detail:
That's all it has to say about this particular step. No mention of the temperatures involved. No warnings about the possibility of destroying the heart of your machine.
It's a pretty weak defense on my part, though. I'd had some misgivings beforehand, but did I bother to follow up on them before ploughing ahead? Nooooo! Given that this was my first time using a blowtorch, did I think to perhaps experiment a bit first with less valuable scraps of material? Nooooo!
*sigh*
I don't have the tools necessary to build the block myself, but P may so I've sent him email. If that doesn't pan out then I'll just have to wait a week or so for a replacement to arrive.
The RepPresent has a small aluminium block which holds the print nozzle and the resistor which heats the nozzle up enough to melt the plastic being fed into it. Since the nozzle is made of brass it expands less than does the aluminium block when heated. So to make sure that the nozzle doesn't come loose when the block heats up, the build instructions say to heat the block up with a blowtorch and then tighten the nozzle with a wrench while everything is still hot.
I did this and ended up melting the block.
( Click to see an image of the devastation... )
In my defense, the instructions were frustratingly short on detail:
Use the blowtorch to heat the block. You need to heat the block enough for it to expand by at least the amount it will expand during printing.
That's all it has to say about this particular step. No mention of the temperatures involved. No warnings about the possibility of destroying the heart of your machine.
It's a pretty weak defense on my part, though. I'd had some misgivings beforehand, but did I bother to follow up on them before ploughing ahead? Nooooo! Given that this was my first time using a blowtorch, did I think to perhaps experiment a bit first with less valuable scraps of material? Nooooo!
*sigh*
I don't have the tools necessary to build the block myself, but P may so I've sent him email. If that doesn't pan out then I'll just have to wait a week or so for a replacement to arrive.
