Help Cleaning 3D Prints

[Hat Guy]

I'm sure this must have been asked before, so my apologies, but I have some 3D printed models from Shapeways that I need to clean up for painting. One is slightly frosted and the other is quite "fuzzy". Any advice from the LAF Brains Trust?

[Cherno]

Jeweller's tools would be a safe bet, I suppose

[Damas]

What Scurv said, +1

[Hat Guy]

So a gentle rub with some nail polish remover? Or hours with a gentle emery board?

[Connectamabob]

Need to know what specific material we're talking about. Lots of folks here are assuming ABS (I suppose because that's the most common material for home 3D printers), but ShapeWays' ABS is expensive and very low detail, so few people use it, making it an unlikely assumption.

Acetone won't work on their most popular material (SLS Nylon, AKA "White Strong & Flexible"). For that stuff I'd suggest a scratch filling primer followed by sanding. Some people seal it first by soaking liquid CA into the surface (or something else that'll soak in and harden). Some of the "fuzzyness" can be removed first by scrubbing with a toothbrush.

[Hat Guy]

One is "White, strong and flexible" the other is "Frosted ultra-detail", if that helps. I've tried to get pictures, but my camera can't capture the fine detail too well.

Scurv, I may take you up on your offer of help.

[Connectamabob]

I've not tried Shapeway's "frosted (ultra) detail" material, but IIRC, it involves a wax support matrix that sometimes ends up leaving a thick residual coating on the parts. Supposedly it can be scrubbed off with the right solvent, but I cannot remember what solvent it was.

I remember when they debuted the material they had a lot of problems with misprints and the material not curing properly and suchlike. I've never been able to get a straight answer as to whether or not that stuff was ever really sorted out (and the disclaimers were still in place, last I checked), so I don't trust it. TBH, none of the materials they currently offer seem quite model grade to me. They all have resolution, cost, texture, or durability problems (usually a combo of these) that prevent them from being final materials. Even for casting masters they require a lot of work to be presentable.

There are machines/processes/materials that can produce final or casting grade results, but Shapeways doesn't offer them.

[YPU]

The big "trouble" with shape ways is that, last I heard from an insider, they outsource most of their printing jobs to other smaller 3d printing companies who use these smaller order to fill open spots in their schedules. (a silent printer cost money, rather then make it)
While is is a completely legitimate business practice, and quite useful as well since getting your stuff printed at these companies as a private individual is often near impossible with a small one of print, in the end it does add a large variable to the equation that you just can't account for yourself.