@@CSHUNT83 Seems like it was just yesterday! and now resin printers which was for all of us the holy grail of 3d printing, cost less than what it cost to source out parts to make a homemade Mendel's with those flimsy J head nozzles lmaoooo
Stefan, please be safe about this! Trimmer line is not engineered to be heated by the users to such high temperatures and, depending on the exact additives in the trimmer line and the type of Nylon it's made from, it can release some nasty stuff. Taulman did some testing on this a while back and found that his sample of trimmer line was releasing a mensurable amount of HCN (cyanide) - not enough to exceed critical concentrations, but depending on how exactly it's printed and which trimmer line you get, it could be significantly more.
It's always a good idea to have a descent extraction system. Even PLA. Quote = "PLA, may release toxic fumes known as VOCs (Volatile Organic Carbon). Not all VOCs are actually toxic, but some may be, especially for younger users". From = 3dprintingindustry.com/news/toxic-abs-pla-fumes-3dsafety-org-inquires-vocs-60796/
In the industry, nylon is placed in ovens at a temperature of 110 degrees Celsius, before being injected and, after injection, it is rehydrated in hot water or steam. It absorbs about 3% of its weight in water
@@SrFrozen A few hours should do the trick, usually polymers are dried for 3-4 hours at a temperature just under their Tg in a low vacuum oven. It very much depends on the involved polymers but nylon is very hydroscopic. For PEI (Ultem 1000/1000) it is recommended to dry at 140°C for 8 hours.
@@henria.277 Question1: Is there any "loosening" or positioning of the roll of filament before placing in the dehydrator? Some of these rolls seem wound EXTREMELY tight and compact and I would think a few hours wouldn't be enough time. Also... Question2: Would long-term storing polymer lines at 10% RH preclude the need for dehydrating the filament for printing? (but IF that's the case, then I would think one would need to hydrate the line before using it for weed trimming, right?) Our entire work area is about 10% RH 24/7.
Lol, it's his phrasing. English second language. "printing trimmer line" What are you printing? Trimmer line. "printing with trimmer line" What are you printing? Who cares, but we're using trimmer line to do it! :P
His next experiment is to print strimmer line with strimmer line just to see if he can make 3d printed strimmer line stronger then the original strimmer line.
@@snerttt I don't know I have a few spools of nylon filament 2.8mm more than a few years old. All my working printers are 1.75mm now this is old stock.
@@CNCKitchen Both PLA and ABS broke immediately. PC did the best out of the filaments I tested. I haven't tested filament alloys though, which might be closer in composition to real trimmer line.
@@AdityaMehendale That is from Stratasys filament being 1.75 mm. the original 1/8" 3mm id from plastic auto body repair welding rods. I printed mostly nylon on my first printer in 2009-10 because trimmerline was local and ona spool unlike the ABS 5 pound loose packs
@@tetnum Hmm.. I had no idea. I remember ABS trimmer-line prints from RepRap and Darwin/Mendel/Huxley days, and assumed this was the root of 1.75mm. Do you know why Stratasys chose for 1.75mm in the first place?
@@AdityaMehendale I can ask some of my friends who were working with Stratasys in the 90's. In all fairness I do not know why they used 1.75 mm. If I was guessing it was likely to do with how the print head moved and the filament path was shaped. small diameters are a way to deal with brittleness and plastics have come a long long way since then.
wasn't this what the first DIY 3D printers ever used since it was easy to source and came in standard diameters? I remember reading about it a long time ago.
Back than trimmer lines was not just used, the 2.85mm standard for filaments was introduced because there was trimmer lines of that diameter. I recall that when I started using 3d printer to make some stuff it was way easier to use that thing and deal with all its quirks than getting a specialized filament
The video title sure makes it sound that way. I pictured the same thing, and expected Stephan to be printing something to be used by a trimmer. So now, I think I could use trimmer line in a 3D printer to make accessories for the trimmer, like a blade.
From the title I genuinely thought he was going to print some line for the trimmer using TPU, since that was the first filament that came to mind regarding strength in terms of the filament not snapping like a twig when bent, like PLA does.
Hi Stefan! As someone who lives in Oregon, US, I have to say this: THANK YOU for pronouncing Oregon correctly! I've heard too many people incorrectly pronounce it as "Or-ee-gone" and as an Oregonian, it is very grating to hear. So again, a sincere thank you. 🙂
Europeans: Discover that trimmer line is printable. Russians: Decade of experience, google sheets with best brands, preferable colors, drying and printing recommendations. I suppose, next step will be inventing home-made filament made of PET bottles cut to stripes =D Nice video, though, just as always.
@@derektran9404 PETG is amazing stuff! I print it a bit slower than PLA, but it is WELL worth it for the final part being more heat-tolerant and tough! Building the MPCNC by V1 Engineering right now :) All printed parts in PETG!
@@blahyourmamafoo No PET, not PETG. Basically the raw soda bottle material without the glycol added. Much tougher and more heat resistant than regular PETG but I need to print hotter.
@@derektran9404 Ohhh! Right! Never personally bothered as PETG is very easy to print and more than enough for my needs! Would be interesting to try just straight PET filament though!
A great experiment and interesting test results. Seeing the flexibility of the trimmer line prints makes me think that this could be good for wearable prints.
@@louismenke8002 did you have some negative effects of it, or do you mean you just later found out it's probably not a good dea to breathe in a room with nylon being printed?
I really appreciate what you have done here. I cannot afford a 3D printer and I work in landscaping and have thought many times that it would work out great. Thanks for this video.
I had a model older than this one that I love. My sister has difficulty with tools that are too heavy and she actually loved mine and found it easy to use th-cam.com/users/postUgkx_rBCFuDW1zD6blTGhLkvAkxU657uR_lG . This is a newer model but was even lighter which she really appreciates. She enjoys it and I no longer have to go to her house to trim as she can handle it fine. Haven't used it enough to comment on the battery life but lithium batteries last longer than the old style. Being cordless makes it easy to trim the far edges of the property. The entire yard can be trimmed with one charged battery.
I tried it today. My benchy came out beautifuly with 1.6mm trimmer line. Just Set the dia in the slicer, 240C Nozzle, 100C bed and gluestick. Works like a charm 🌝
@@bruwin Lol, wow. Organ is understandable, especially if you're not very particular in your enunciation, but Or-EE-gone? That doesn't even fit into phonics. Then again, most people don't learn phonics in school like I did.
See, this is why I'm now more inclined to watch channels like yours instead of the ones I started with (Joel, Thomas, etc.). I love those others as well, but I'm shifting my interest to more variety and actual making and engineering and this is great for that. Love this out of the box thinking.
Tested on my printer at 270deg Celisus (hotend) and 70deg Celisus (bed).At my place this is 4 times cheaper than ABS filament and 12 times cheaper than Nylon filament.Printing results are exact as on video.Awesome thing.Thank you for this great video.
It would be kinda cool to see trimmer line companies start manufacturing filament on the side, I'd image it wouldn't take a lot of re-tooling for them to do so and they already have a good understanding of the material properties like the impact resistance. I don't know how re-melting the material effects that though.
Years back when I was first thinking about getting a 3D printer (finally got my first one a couple days ago), I was looking around at trimmer lines because it was so much cheaper than printing filament. Now 1000ft of PLA+ is about $30 CAD vs $40 for trimmer line.
Thank you for making this video. I tried it out for myself, and resulting prints looked as good as my previous best. I put an all metal heat break in my stock ender-3 extruder. I ran the first layer at 265C and the remainder at 260. Bed at 80 C, textured glass with PVA glue stick. I adjusted the slicer (prusa slicer) filament diameter setting to 1.65 mm and let the slicer deal with the slightly thin diameter. I bought a 5lb ( 2.27kg) bulk roll on amazon for just US$34 making this the least expensive filament I have ever used at just under $15/kg...of course there was the hassle of winding it on to an empty spool and drying it my oven, but worth it for the 50% discount compared to for-purpose nylon, and now cost is no reason to use another material when nylon would serve best for the part. Also, I can get any color I want, as long as I want blue! I'm actually finding this far easier to print than ABS.
"WHAT IS UP TH-cam" "today I'm going to show you how to make a prison 3D printer from a couple of CD drives, a hair dryer or stolen soldering iron, and a roll of weed wacker line from the prison yard shed"
You could also say one of my favorite German words -- Tschüss, Stefan! It's a little bit regional, but it can mean roughly the same as Italian "ciao". It's roughly pronounced "chewse", but there's an umlaut so there's not a perfect English pronunciation -- then again no German person I've ever met has ever criticized me for speaking their language, so close pronunciation is good enough.
I actually think of the Ronnie John's episode entitled "Chopper - Harden the f*ck up" "This, is Stefan. His name, is Stefan. Harden the f*ck up Stefan" LOL
I looked at 11:14 frame-by-frame (using . and ,) , and that's not 92% energy absorbed, that's a DNF! (did not fail) The little indicator clearly swings further on its own, due to the momentum from the swing. The hammer itself is stopped within the flexing distance of the sample, and bounces back off it immediately!
Short answer yes. Glue stick is great for bed adhesion. Did this about 6 years ago on a kossel mini because I finished the printer and didn’t want to wait for my pla shipment
someone else remembering the tests for a holographic writable memory where the scientists coincidentally stumbled upon Tesafilm reels which proved to be the best material for writing holographic memory?
I tried that last summer when shops had closed and still had little bit of a trimming left. I can tell with certainty that there's reason why Nylon is the usual trimmer line. Pla, petg and abs and none of them worked virtually at all. I was expecting that petg could've worked, but it didn't. Though there could've been better results if used trimmer would have speed control. Mine doesn't.
haha, i clicked on the video to say pretty much this. The topic is 10 years too late. Back in the day, 3d printer filament was a rarity, and people used trimmer line out of desperation... today, in 2020, i am more likely to resort to 3d printing filament to cut grass if run out of trimmer line! Okay, time to watch the video!
I think it’s great that you can pronounce Oregon properly! There’s Americans that don’t/can’t even say it right…. I’m born and raised in Oregon and still live here, so I can appreciate it when people say it like it’s supposed to, lol.
Nice to know about it's moisture, I was wondering this exact thing when I last went to a hardware store and saw that conveniently sized nylon string. I can get it on 2kg rolls for the same price per kilo as the cheapest ABS around here, and in a hurry no need to even wait shipping.
my first printer was a pure diy Mendel (threaded rod nightmare) and a very early J-head with a peek mount, i used trimmer line, fishing line and ABS feedstock
*IMPORTANT: Please make sure to only 3D print trimmer line in well-ventilated areas where you're not constantly present. As some of you pointed out, some materials that are not primarily intended for 3D printing can release TOXIC FUMES when heated!* More information: www.instructables.com/Is-3D-Printing-Safe-or-DIY-Testing-for-HCN-from-/
I can get Maxpower at 3lbs, 1.36kg for $21 American, here in the USA. And my wife has printed some small things on our cetus, without a heated bed, or enclosure or drying. But I am definitely looking forward to printing it with an enclosed heated bed printer. The trick is to find trimmer line that is pure nylon, without additives.
Me visiting my local hardware shop, store clerk "can I help you sir?" me yes please none of these brand's of trimmer line list's the recommended printing temperatures! store clerk????
@@michaelbujaki2462 I know, I did mention it will snap all good thank you. I just want to get more pla but it's hard to find pla that's not made in china want to get some prusament but if you include 3 rolls of pla + shipping to south africa it works out more than my rent. I still have some filament but using it sparingly.
@@werner1 you're right, you did mention that. I'm sorry I missed that. Have you looked at Spool 3D? Based in Canada they offer a wude array of filaments in a wide range of colours.
Posting before I watch but I can tell you... you can 100% trim with printer filament. Found that out by accident since both were red. So it does work. Seemed to last almost as long too.
My first 3d printer back before Prusa started up used trimmer line on a head mounted on a cnc router. It created nasty fumes, ventilation is a must. But, it works great!
That's what I did when I first got my 3d printer and didn't have any filament yet. worked great! I got a bunch of large spools that were being blown out for super cheap at like 75% off. I still have some and will almost certainly use it again if I need to print nylon. Only problem is it does tend to shrink quite a bit so adhesion is really important.
I set my 3D printer with Amazon cheap $50 "fruit dryer" oven located right above the printer. Regardless what I print my filament is always dry. I set dryer ON 2 hours prior printing and keep it ON all the time especially when printing 15 hour printing jobs. I print PETG mostly. I have no problem with quality of my 3D prints.
Growing up in a power equipment dealership, I can tell you that the trimmer line you used is the cheap stuff. Imagine what could be done with the better stuff! Incidentally, the 'better stuff' (Stihl line, for example) might even be cheaper to buy in the long run when purchased in a larger roll. Great job on the video. I can get this type of line for practically free... and now with good reason.
Genius. ❤️ I kinda makes sense that nylon trimmer line has the similar manufacturing process and tolerances as 3d filament probably due to tooling and such like.
I got my Amazon order yesterday and have been drying it for over 12 hours before I tested a sample. the 1.75 mm is not available in the US, so I purchased the .065 inch - 1.7 mm. The biggest problem I have had is getting it our of the doughnut and onto a filament spool, it loves to tangle. I have run a number of test prints and it does print. I printed the small gears for my OmniaDrop and they were warping on the bed. I'm now trying with a raft to see how that works. This is an interesting idea, thanks for bringing it to our attention.
Stephan thank you so much for posting! I immediately tried this and my parts are coming out better with trimmer line than pla! I’m shocked not just that this works but how well it prints. Stronger parts that print better for less money? Yes please.
This was actually an extremely common thing to do back when 3d printing was in it's early stages.
I did it and even with extended drying, it didn't give very good results.
It sure was lol I miss the days we had to experiment and yet today we have soooooo many fantastic ranges of Filaments that anything seems possible
@@CSHUNT83 Seems like it was just yesterday! and now resin printers which was for all of us the holy grail of 3d printing, cost less than what it cost to source out parts to make a homemade Mendel's with those flimsy J head nozzles lmaoooo
And this is why the filament diametre of 1.75mm was invented
@@durandile Very possible, Seeing how many of the extruder companies had this size tooling die already made for Trimline.
This guy is way more invested in material science than other 3D printing channels.
He used to work in a plastics factory.
Stefan, please be safe about this! Trimmer line is not engineered to be heated by the users to such high temperatures and, depending on the exact additives in the trimmer line and the type of Nylon it's made from, it can release some nasty stuff.
Taulman did some testing on this a while back and found that his sample of trimmer line was releasing a mensurable amount of HCN (cyanide) - not enough to exceed critical concentrations, but depending on how exactly it's printed and which trimmer line you get, it could be significantly more.
Link to Taulman's findings www.instructables.com/Is-3D-Printing-Safe-or-DIY-Testing-for-HCN-from-/
@@MadeWithLayers if you have an enclosure or well ventilated room, safety is no issue.
So ventilate well, would be good to mention clearly indeed. But when done, not a real issue.
Safety first!
It's always a good idea to have a descent extraction system. Even PLA. Quote = "PLA, may release toxic fumes known as VOCs (Volatile Organic Carbon). Not all VOCs are actually toxic, but some may be, especially for younger users". From = 3dprintingindustry.com/news/toxic-abs-pla-fumes-3dsafety-org-inquires-vocs-60796/
In the industry, nylon is placed in ovens at a temperature of 110 degrees Celsius, before being injected and, after injection, it is rehydrated in hot water or steam. It absorbs about 3% of its weight in water
For how long should they stay in the oven at 110°C? I bought some trimmer line and want to dry it before printing.
@@SrFrozen A few hours should do the trick, usually polymers are dried for 3-4 hours at a temperature just under their Tg in a low vacuum oven. It very much depends on the involved polymers but nylon is very hydroscopic. For PEI (Ultem 1000/1000) it is recommended to dry at 140°C for 8 hours.
@@henria.277 thanks a bunch!
@@henria.277
Question1: Is there any "loosening" or positioning of the roll of filament before placing in the dehydrator? Some of these rolls seem wound EXTREMELY tight and compact and I would think a few hours wouldn't be enough time.
Also...
Question2: Would long-term storing polymer lines at 10% RH preclude the need for dehydrating the filament for printing? (but IF that's the case, then I would think one would need to hydrate the line before using it for weed trimming, right?) Our entire work area is about 10% RH 24/7.
Hi Airton, the 3% water, if you could put some clarity, is it really adsorbed or absorbed ? does it get rid of the 3% when warmed again pls?
I first thought you were going to print a trimmer line for a trimmer. It seemed just to obvious I think
Lol, it's his phrasing. English second language.
"printing trimmer line"
What are you printing? Trimmer line.
"printing with trimmer line"
What are you printing? Who cares, but we're using trimmer line to do it! :P
lol yes, me too 😂
His next experiment is to print strimmer line with strimmer line just to see if he can make 3d printed strimmer line stronger then the original strimmer line.
I was also pretty confused... Add "with" and everything makes sense 😉
yeah, me, too. Before he even got to it I was thinking about printing spirals like the "print filament" videos from 3dmn.
6:02 I absolutely love the shiny and almost holographic look of the vase. 3d printing ridges look nice with shiny materials.
Dude...at 5:35 I was staring at my monitor with my mouth wide open...what a HUGE difference after the drying process!!!
Same, that result was beautiful.
Probably the best example i have seen to show the value of very dry filament.
The music was the cherry on top
@@Kineth1 Exactly...I reeeally have to finish my dry box after that result...
That was the sexiest filament flow I have ever seen.
So what I'm hearing is: If you go through a lot of trimmer line in the yard, buy a 1kg spool of 3d-printing nylon to save money! :P
It depends on the line you buy, it can be cheaper
But, maybe you will spent 5 timers more filament than trimmer line, in length per hour?
No way trimmer line is more expensive than nylon filament.
If you do for some reason, make sure the nylon is hydrated so that it isn’t as brittle, or else it’ll like snap instantly
@@riggsvsoliver and post it to TH-cam so we can watch :)
I do the opposite, I trim with 2.8mm filament its cheaper.
what material works best for weeds?
How? What filament are you buying?
@@snerttt I don't know I have a few spools of nylon filament 2.8mm more than a few years old. All my working printers are 1.75mm now this is old stock.
@@LeftyPencil Napalm.
@@LeftyPencil rolling paper
I did the exact opposite of this. Tried to use filament as string trimmer line.
Nice! And did it work?
@@CNCKitchen Both PLA and ABS broke immediately. PC did the best out of the filaments I tested. I haven't tested filament alloys though, which might be closer in composition to real trimmer line.
I thought ABS would do better...
tpu?
@@ariesleo7396 I think too soft depending on the shore hardness
This is how we did it a decade ago as there wasn't a whole lot of commercially available filament.
It is no coincidence that printers use 1.75mm. Where did this number originate? (Trimmer lines!)
@@AdityaMehendale That is from Stratasys filament being 1.75 mm. the original 1/8" 3mm id from plastic auto body repair welding rods. I printed mostly nylon on my first printer in 2009-10 because trimmerline was local and ona spool unlike the ABS 5 pound loose packs
@@tetnum Hmm.. I had no idea. I remember ABS trimmer-line prints from RepRap and Darwin/Mendel/Huxley days, and assumed this was the root of 1.75mm. Do you know why Stratasys chose for 1.75mm in the first place?
@@AdityaMehendale I can ask some of my friends who were working with Stratasys in the 90's. In all fairness I do not know why they used 1.75 mm. If I was guessing it was likely to do with how the print head moved and the filament path was shaped. small diameters are a way to deal with brittleness and plastics have come a long long way since then.
@@tetnum Thanks! Yes, please! This is one rabbit-hole I'm delighted to climb down :)
also nylon self ablates and lubricates, making it a good option for gear and friction bearing parts.
wasn't this what the first DIY 3D printers ever used since it was easy to source and came in standard diameters? I remember reading about it a long time ago.
Yes
Interesting to know, thanks
Yup, back in the day. Thought he was going to print out thicker trimmer line out of PLA here.
Back than trimmer lines was not just used, the 2.85mm standard for filaments was introduced because there was trimmer lines of that diameter. I recall that when I started using 3d printer to make some stuff it was way easier to use that thing and deal with all its quirks than getting a specialized filament
Kudos for pronouncing Oregon better than many Americans seem to be able to
Some of us actually make an effort to learn how to pronounce things.
Wait what?? I thought this was about printing line for the trimmer, not printing with trimmer line! That's crazy! And genius at the same time!
I thought the same thing and I was like there's no way that'll ever be sturdy enough...
The video title sure makes it sound that way. I pictured the same thing, and expected Stephan to be printing something to be used by a trimmer.
So now, I think I could use trimmer line in a 3D printer to make accessories for the trimmer, like a blade.
From the title I genuinely thought he was going to print some line for the trimmer using TPU, since that was the first filament that came to mind regarding strength in terms of the filament not snapping like a twig when bent, like PLA does.
You are making me feel old! Stimmer line is what we used to use back before it was easy to get hold of ABS filament.
Crazy like a fox!
I've been considering this for years, every time I fired up the Stihl in fact. Thanks for taking the leap.
Hi Stefan! As someone who lives in Oregon, US, I have to say this: THANK YOU for pronouncing Oregon correctly! I've heard too many people incorrectly pronounce it as "Or-ee-gone" and as an Oregonian, it is very grating to hear. So again, a sincere thank you. 🙂
Europeans: Discover that trimmer line is printable.
Russians: Decade of experience, google sheets with best brands, preferable colors, drying and printing recommendations.
I suppose, next step will be inventing home-made filament made of PET bottles cut to stripes =D
Nice video, though, just as always.
Funny enough, I'm about to print PET myself, though not from cut bottles though.
@@derektran9404 PETG is amazing stuff! I print it a bit slower than PLA, but it is WELL worth it for the final part being more heat-tolerant and tough! Building the MPCNC by V1 Engineering right now :) All printed parts in PETG!
@@blahyourmamafoo No PET, not PETG. Basically the raw soda bottle material without the glycol added. Much tougher and more heat resistant than regular PETG but I need to print hotter.
@@derektran9404 Ohhh! Right! Never personally bothered as PETG is very easy to print and more than enough for my needs! Would be interesting to try just straight PET filament though!
Haha very funny *stairs at every empty bottle I can see*
A great experiment and interesting test results. Seeing the flexibility of the trimmer line prints makes me think that this could be good for wearable prints.
You pronounce the name of my state better than people from the other 49 states. Absolutely amazing. So good.
I was looking for small amounts of Nylon filament to use to clean my nozzles, I think you just solved my problem!
Just be sure to do some research on the released gases, I used to print Trimmer line back in the day and some of the gases are really quite toxic
@@louismenke8002 did you have some negative effects of it, or do you mean you just later found out it's probably not a good dea to breathe in a room with nylon being printed?
@@cinialvespow1054 while u print someones can release HCN GAS HIDROGREN CYANIDE GAS
That's cancerogenic for your lungs
@@Lucas_sGarage Carcinogenic*
I really appreciate what you have done here. I cannot afford a 3D printer and I work in landscaping and have thought many times that it would work out great. Thanks for this video.
I had a model older than this one that I love. My sister has difficulty with tools that are too heavy and she actually loved mine and found it easy to use th-cam.com/users/postUgkx_rBCFuDW1zD6blTGhLkvAkxU657uR_lG . This is a newer model but was even lighter which she really appreciates. She enjoys it and I no longer have to go to her house to trim as she can handle it fine. Haven't used it enough to comment on the battery life but lithium batteries last longer than the old style. Being cordless makes it easy to trim the far edges of the property. The entire yard can be trimmed with one charged battery.
I tried it today. My benchy came out beautifuly with 1.6mm trimmer line. Just Set the dia in the slicer, 240C Nozzle, 100C bed and gluestick. Works like a charm 🌝
The most amazing part was when he pronounced "Oregon" correctly.
I wasn't aware that Oregon was difficult to pronounce. But then maybe he also grew up playing Oregon trail 😁
As an Oregonian, I can confirm that people often fail to pronounce it.
@@JustAGlitchFL You mean that even natural-born, English-speaking Americans fail to say it like ORE-ih-guhn?
@@RAndrewNeal It's pretty common to hear Or-EE-Gone. Few times I've heard a straight organ as well.
@@bruwin Lol, wow. Organ is understandable, especially if you're not very particular in your enunciation, but Or-EE-gone? That doesn't even fit into phonics. Then again, most people don't learn phonics in school like I did.
OMG the lumpy bumpy vase looks GORGEOUS!
Next video: "Can you Trim your Lawn with 3D printer Filament?"
Want. It needs to be known if a) the hardware store is ripping you off and b) if 3D filament manufacturers are ripping you off.
@@bluephreakr yes.
You can't. I've tested pla, petg and abs 😃
@@jothain try tpu or nylon - flexible filaments will by definition do better
Yes. Nylon filament though! Nothing else works. I tried PETG and ABS, neither works.
It always surprises me how clearly you speak despite your accent. You're easier to understand than some of my American professors.
See, this is why I'm now more inclined to watch channels like yours instead of the ones I started with (Joel, Thomas, etc.). I love those others as well, but I'm shifting my interest to more variety and actual making and engineering and this is great for that. Love this out of the box thinking.
Stefan is methodical and backs up his claims with evidence like (well, he is) a real engineer. Other channels just give opinions.
I love the detail he does in his investigations. He is very thorough and that is what makes him so special.
Tested on my printer at 270deg Celisus (hotend) and 70deg Celisus (bed).At my place this is 4 times cheaper than ABS filament and 12 times cheaper than Nylon filament.Printing results are exact as on video.Awesome thing.Thank you for this great video.
It would be kinda cool to see trimmer line companies start manufacturing filament on the side, I'd image it wouldn't take a lot of re-tooling for them to do so and they already have a good understanding of the material properties like the impact resistance. I don't know how re-melting the material effects that though.
In Argentina, reprap was a huge thing. It was really hard to get filaments from other countries, so we just used this
Years back when I was first thinking about getting a 3D printer (finally got my first one a couple days ago), I was looking around at trimmer lines because it was so much cheaper than printing filament. Now 1000ft of PLA+ is about $30 CAD vs $40 for trimmer line.
Yeah but you can't compare Natalie Portman to Chuck Norris
Thank you for making this video. I tried it out for myself, and resulting prints looked as good as my previous best. I put an all metal heat break in my stock ender-3 extruder. I ran the first layer at 265C and the remainder at 260. Bed at 80 C, textured glass with PVA glue stick. I adjusted the slicer (prusa slicer) filament diameter setting to 1.65 mm and let the slicer deal with the slightly thin diameter.
I bought a 5lb ( 2.27kg) bulk roll on amazon for just US$34 making this the least expensive filament I have ever used at just under $15/kg...of course there was the hassle of winding it on to an empty spool and drying it my oven, but worth it for the 50% discount compared to for-purpose nylon, and now cost is no reason to use another material when nylon would serve best for the part. Also, I can get any color I want, as long as I want blue!
I'm actually finding this far easier to print than ABS.
"WHAT IS UP TH-cam"
"today I'm going to show you how to make a prison 3D printer from a couple of CD drives, a hair dryer or stolen soldering iron, and a roll of weed wacker line from the prison yard shed"
You mean: "Gutentag everybody, my name is Stefan and welcome to CNC kitchen. Today I'm going... "
👌
Larry lawton stories be like:
@@cursedcliff7562 More like Joe from "TheAfterPrisonShow"
One more thing to buy at yard sales. The drying info seems like a must, considering it probably set for a while in a garage or shed.
Wasn’t trimmer line the original “filament” in the early days of the reprap movement? Also the basis for 2.85 or 3mm filament diameter?
Massive props for actually pulling this off
Every time he says, "I'm Stefan," I have the insistent urge to respond out loud, "Hello Shtefan!"
Guten tag Schtefan, ja?
Thank you for reminding me that Phteven is a thing.
You could also say one of my favorite German words -- Tschüss, Stefan!
It's a little bit regional, but it can mean roughly the same as Italian "ciao". It's roughly pronounced "chewse", but there's an umlaut so there's not a perfect English pronunciation -- then again no German person I've ever met has ever criticized me for speaking their language, so close pronunciation is good enough.
I actually think of the Ronnie John's episode entitled "Chopper - Harden the f*ck up"
"This, is Stefan. His name, is Stefan. Harden the f*ck up Stefan" LOL
I was cleaning my garage and saw trimmer line and I was just thinking about using it. This is absurdly well timed.
Anyone else notice that once trimmer line was seen as an option the price of it shot up? 😉
I just saw a spool of trimmer-line in our garage yesterday and told my dad it looked like filament. Amazing job!
I thought this was the first filament used in early prototypes (and is the reason we ended up with 1.75mm as a standard)?
Thank you very very much! I bought this trimmer line and followed your process with fantastic results. 100c bed plate temp seemed ideal.
I looked at 11:14 frame-by-frame (using . and ,) , and that's not 92% energy absorbed, that's a DNF! (did not fail)
The little indicator clearly swings further on its own, due to the momentum from the swing. The hammer itself is stopped within the flexing distance of the sample, and bounces back off it immediately!
You're right about that. I probably need to lower the inertia of the dial and increase damping.
Short answer yes. Glue stick is great for bed adhesion. Did this about 6 years ago on a kossel mini because I finished the printer and didn’t want to wait for my pla shipment
someone else remembering the tests for a holographic writable memory where the scientists coincidentally stumbled upon Tesafilm reels which proved to be the best material for writing holographic memory?
I like using trimmer line as cleaner filament. Bunch of wet nylon works great for steam cleaning nozzles
Hardware store: Okay, price rased
I can't believe you posted this. Just YESTERDAY I saw a trimmer line in my yard and thought, "I wonder if you could print with trimmer line."
Next video: Use filament as trimmer line.
I wondered this exact thing and I'm glad you took this on because of the thorough nature of your testing.
In Russia nylon Trimmer Line is cheaper than Nylon 3D Printer Filament.
and yes, they using it as Filament
Правильно будет ...cheaper than Nylon... Исправьте пожалуйста
@@jefish4981 псб
Периодически печатаю триммерной леской шестерни. Шикарно работают, даже высоконагруженные.
@@vladi_g не стираются?
I am legit impressed. I eye this stuff every time I walk by it in the hardware store.
I thought you were gonna try pla, petg, and abs as trimmer line!
I tried that last summer when shops had closed and still had little bit of a trimming left. I can tell with certainty that there's reason why Nylon is the usual trimmer line. Pla, petg and abs and none of them worked virtually at all. I was expecting that petg could've worked, but it didn't. Though there could've been better results if used trimmer would have speed control. Mine doesn't.
@@jothain interesting to know! I'm not surprised by your results at all though.
That blue vase looks wonderful
The title of this video should really have been: Can you print WITH trimmer line?
Not used whipper-snipper line for years.. Still got the last part of a spool sitting in one of my dry boxes..
Glad you also discovered it. :)
But can you use 3d print filament as trimmer line?
haha, i clicked on the video to say pretty much this. The topic is 10 years too late. Back in the day, 3d printer filament was a rarity, and people used trimmer line out of desperation... today, in 2020, i am more likely to resort to 3d printing filament to cut grass if run out of trimmer line!
Okay, time to watch the video!
No i make it and it doesn't work i take also nylon and it doesn't work
I think it’s great that you can pronounce Oregon properly! There’s Americans that don’t/can’t even say it right…. I’m born and raised in Oregon and still live here, so I can appreciate it when people say it like it’s supposed to, lol.
I'm now expecting to see a lot of trimmer line gone from the aisles of my hardware stores.
Nice to know about it's moisture, I was wondering this exact thing when I last went to a hardware store and saw that conveniently sized nylon string. I can get it on 2kg rolls for the same price per kilo as the cheapest ABS around here, and in a hurry no need to even wait shipping.
I’ve been wondering about strimmer line myself for a while. I’m just too much of a coward to try it. 😂
Great video Stefan!
my first printer was a pure diy Mendel (threaded rod nightmare) and a very early J-head with a peek mount, i used trimmer line, fishing line and ABS feedstock
How about trying Nylon Fishing Line?
@Kenny Eaton There are some brands making larger fishing line. e.g. JSHANMEI sells 500m rolls of 1.7mm (310lb) and 1.8mm (335lb) nylon fishing line.
I can't tell you HOW many times I have wondered if this would work! Thanks so much for this video!
*IMPORTANT: Please make sure to only 3D print trimmer line in well-ventilated areas where you're not constantly present. As some of you pointed out, some materials that are not primarily intended for 3D printing can release TOXIC FUMES when heated!*
More information: www.instructables.com/Is-3D-Printing-Safe-or-DIY-Testing-for-HCN-from-/
Hey! A shout-out to the state I live in! Awesome test Stefan! I might have to try this!
Did you see Thomas’s comment? It could be a pretty big issue if they release cyanide into the environment around the printer. 0.o
@@Deqster me too. go oregon
I can get Maxpower at 3lbs, 1.36kg for $21 American, here in the USA. And my wife has printed some small things on our cetus, without a heated bed, or enclosure or drying. But I am definitely looking forward to printing it with an enclosed heated bed printer. The trick is to find trimmer line that is pure nylon, without additives.
15 years ago or so this was all we had for filiment!
I used this stuff like 6 years ago before flexible materials were a big thing, and it worked pretty well
shoutout from Portland, Oregon, funny to see "oregon brand" in an international vid.
I'm from Newberg, so same
Alter! Super verrückt, schon mal gedacht aber cool das du es ausprobiert hast!
Me visiting my local hardware shop, store clerk "can I help you sir?" me yes please none of these brand's of trimmer line list's the recommended printing temperatures! store clerk????
Me: "Can you recommend an optimal temperature for drying trimmer line?"
Store clerk: 😳
@@i.i.iiii.i.i I wish they had a pla trimmer line option, but I supposes that will snap. Have a great day/evening!
@@werner1 PLA is strong and easy to print, but very brittle and too dangerous to use in a weed whacker.
@@michaelbujaki2462 I know, I did mention it will snap all good thank you. I just want to get more pla but it's hard to find pla that's not made in china want to get some prusament but if you include 3 rolls of pla + shipping to south africa it works out more than my rent. I still have some filament but using it sparingly.
@@werner1 you're right, you did mention that. I'm sorry I missed that.
Have you looked at Spool 3D? Based in Canada they offer a wude array of filaments in a wide range of colours.
I literally had to check that this wasn't posted on April 1st. This is awesome
Can you 3D print "with" trimmer line 😉
Wakarimasen Anjin San.
that Impact Strength is super useful, we can use that for parts that face high impact stress. we can try to transfer all impact stress to those parts.
Can you trim with filament to? :D
Posting before I watch but I can tell you... you can 100% trim with printer filament. Found that out by accident since both were red. So it does work. Seemed to last almost as long too.
Me: "What... man you crazy! You can't print with that!"
Stefan: "Hold my beer!"
Me: 🤯
Haha, I love your videos man!
Taht turned out better than I would have ever expected I really thought you were going to have to repjace your nozzle Amazing
Wooow the improvement after dessication is amazing!!!
My first 3d printer back before Prusa started up used trimmer line on a head mounted on a cnc router.
It created nasty fumes, ventilation is a must. But, it works great!
I've done this with drone parts before, surprisingly way more flexible than most other nylon parts
that vase looked amazing after dehydrating the line
That's what I did when I first got my 3d printer and didn't have any filament yet. worked great! I got a bunch of large spools that were being blown out for super cheap at like 75% off. I still have some and will almost certainly use it again if I need to print nylon. Only problem is it does tend to shrink quite a bit so adhesion is really important.
This is exactly what i was wondering yesterday, can't believe i stumbled upon it today. Thanks for the video
That's so cool. I like how the vase turned out.
Idk why but I've always explained filament as trimmer line, and I was so happy to see this video lol
I set my 3D printer with Amazon cheap $50 "fruit dryer" oven located right above the printer. Regardless what I print my filament is always dry. I set dryer ON 2 hours prior printing and keep it ON all the time especially when printing 15 hour printing jobs. I print PETG mostly. I have no problem with quality of my 3D prints.
Growing up in a power equipment dealership, I can tell you that the trimmer line you used is the cheap stuff. Imagine what could be done with the better stuff! Incidentally, the 'better stuff' (Stihl line, for example) might even be cheaper to buy in the long run when purchased in a larger roll. Great job on the video. I can get this type of line for practically free... and now with good reason.
Genius. ❤️
I kinda makes sense that nylon trimmer line has the similar manufacturing process and tolerances as 3d filament probably due to tooling and such like.
wow! dehydration worked so well!!
The sheen is so nice on the vase
5:41 ITS FREAKING BEAUTIFUL!!!!!
I've been wanting to try this myself since I got my printer. Now I don't need to. Thanks for the video!!!
I got my Amazon order yesterday and have been drying it for over 12 hours before I tested a sample. the 1.75 mm is not available in the US, so I purchased the .065 inch - 1.7 mm. The biggest problem I have had is getting it our of the doughnut and onto a filament spool, it loves to tangle. I have run a number of test prints and it does print. I printed the small gears for my OmniaDrop and they were warping on the bed. I'm now trying with a raft to see how that works. This is an interesting idea, thanks for bringing it to our attention.
Thanks for your promotion of the Raycon ear buds. I've ordered a pair based upon your recommendation... No pressure!
Wow that vase looked good. Thank for sharing.
impact test was impressive. i may have to use this to make bumpers for my hobby rcs
Stephan thank you so much for posting! I immediately tried this and my parts are coming out better with trimmer line than pla! I’m shocked not just that this works but how well it prints. Stronger parts that print better for less money? Yes please.