Solder Iron Support Removal?

Hey Forum, I’m not a big fan of that small chance support removal creates little indents, so I want to move to a more predictable support removal. I’m using Castable 1 and will move to Castable 2, is a Solder Iron with a sharp blade tip suggested?

If so, is there a specific model I should be looking for to do this?

absolutely, I’ve already printed very tiny part and it was impossible to remove the supports using the pliers. I adjusted a soldering tip to a very thin one and removing the supports worked very good.

Thanks for the reply, any suggestions on a specific soldering iron/hot knife? I’m trying to find something relatively small or thin like an xacto-knife, but maybe that’s not a thing. :frowning:

I’ve used a common soldering iron with temperature control. In the forum you can find a tool like this Quick support removal.

I’m surprised a hot-knife/soldering iron works since the resins are not thermoplastics. Fir giggles I did the old-school heat the tip of a junk screwdriver trick to see if I could mushroom the end of a gray resin support. Nothing happened, and I used my MAPP gas plumber’s torch to heat the screwdriver tip; so it was hot enough.

Using a soldering iron definetely works. Its true the material is not thermoplastics, it won’t melt but the heat makes it soft and you can cut through it with less resistance. :slight_smile:

Is it because of gray vs castable?

Possible, I never worked with castable. Yesterday I desupported clear at 350°C. Worked…