Mic 6 tooling plate

[jimc]

maybe i was just unlucky but the first plate i got was from them and it was only 12x12 but was warped pretty bad. its as though they stored the full sheet leaning against the wall for a year. when i got it i had to put it in a press and bend it the opposite direction to flex it back so it was flat again. again, maybe i was just unlucky and got a bum scrap piece laying in the corner or something. no idea. since then i have always got mine from mcmaster and always sent everyone there. mcmaster is far from cheap but the plates have always been dead flat. from kam's review his plate was flat.

[Kameamalu]

Thanks Insta.
I'm totally just a regular noob who found a good deal. Haha!! Make sure you look under the "custom size" tab to get the 8"x10" size. That way you don't have to pay for any extra material.

Jimc
I have been following your posts for a while. I actually wanted to go through you to get the Mic6 machined and blasted, but I am not allowed to send pm's yet.
The plate was totally cut with a bandsaw and was pretty rough. The flatness was pretty dead on, so maybe I'm the lucky one Lol. I ordered another plate at 7.95" x 9.95". We'll see how accurate they are on custom sizes as well as see if it comes without any issues.

Thanks again to the guys on this forum. Sure helped me to get my M2 running like a well oiled machine.

[jimc]

hey no sweat. i really dont make anything on it. i just do for the guys here on the forum to help everyone out. i usually charge 10 bucks for my part just to cover some blast media, wear and tear on the saw blade and a sanding disc to debur the edges, etc. i can say i dont use a band saw though and the plates when they come from mcmaster arent either. they arrive to me cut perfectly square and smooth. i cut them to size here on a big table saw with a non-ferrous blade in it.

[PcS]

I will add to this that I never bead blasted my plate just sanded it a little and it has been flaw less . I might bead blast one side for comparison.

[jimc]

Bead blast at 40-50psi then rub down with a red scotchbrite really well to knock the profile down. The hairspray goes into the pores and really locks into the plate.

[Matt_Sharkey]

Ive been using the smooth side since i hardly ever fiddle with adhesives, but i have started getting into glue, works pretty well.

now I'm not a perfect person, I've run my hot end into the plate a couple times, ran a knife too hard on it, etc. any recommended way to buff out scratches? I was just going to start on 600 grit and progress up to 2000.

or I'll just switch to the sandblasted side and hairspray it....

[jimc]

Matt it depends how deep they are. 600 on aluminum wont work out much. A fairly deep knife scratch or gouge would probably require a start at about 150-220 grit. Work the scratch completely out then just start refining the scratches finer and finer. I always use the blased side. Never could get glue stick to work on anything. Hairspray alaways seems to work with almost every plastic type for me. Garnier fructise #5. One super wet heavy coat, let dry then a med mist coat. In between prints just a quick touch up mist is all thats needed. After about 10-15 prints, wash in hot water and start again.

[PcS]

I would not worry shout them. Any sanding you do unless you do it to the whole plate will leave low spots. Some may argue not enough to worry about....but you did buy mic 6 to get that ultra flat surface.

[jsc]

Any scratches will just help you with bed adhesion. Sand your model, not the plate.

[Jules]

WooHoo! Plate has arrived! Beautiful bead job Jim! Gives the ol' gal a fresh new look!
(Gonna order up some of the ePC too.....stuff is like a rock!) Many thanks!