Simon,
I use Plasticweld for all my plastic sticking, works well on PLA I find. Not overly bovvered abaht the 'elf 'n safety aspects as long as you use it sensibly. I've dealt with (and probabaly inhaled) far worse in my former life as a chemist.
SimonWood wrote: ↑Tue Feb 20, 2024 10:02 am
I had understood this technique (which I've heard called 'acetone smoothing') was to improve the finish - i.e. an alternative to sanding and filling to get a smooth (even shiny) surface. Does it also strengthen the print?
Yes, I believe that's what it is known as. I did try it a couple of times in my early 3d printing days but with no real success so I haven't bothered subsequently. You can also use Limone apparently, but that didn't really work for me either.
IF it worked, I imagine that it would strengthen the print to some extent. In theory it works by softening the outer filament layers of the print and allowing those layers to flow slightly, in which case they would stick to adjacent layers, and once hardened that should give a more cohesive and thus stronger outter skin.
Going back to dunking a print in acetone, personally I'd be concerned about it seeping into minute gaps in the layers , getting trapped and then slowly attacking internal structures, leading to eventual deformation from within? With small items like rail chairs with minimal or no infill, that probably isn't too big a risk, though.