After dumping a print the the alcohol bath, it is still a little slippery.
Does anyone know how long on average it will take for a part to fully dry and cure?
Would it help placing the part in sunlight so it gets some UV action?
During the alcohol bath, some of the IPA is absorbed into the part, leaving a slippery surface. I’ve found that most parts are fully dry after about 12 hours. Placing the part in the sun would speed up this process.
Would this effect painting?
Thanks!
cant wait for my printer!
Blowing (drying) the part with compressed air (after rinsing with alcohol) also speeds this process.
So it’s more evaporating the alcohol than post-curing the resin? Sticking it in front of a space heater on low should accelerate the process quite a bit as well.
There are two potential ‘unfinished’ feels to the resin if they have not been appropriately finished: one is a ‘wet’ feel which all parts will have after isopropanol washes. The other is a ‘tacky’ feel.
‘Wet’ feels are normal, and leaving your part to dry for about 12 hours rapidly improves this. Space heaters can indeed speed up the drying process, and we recommend heating your resin evenly, so don’t blast just one side!
A ‘tacky’ part that remains tacky and doesn’t improve after a day or so is also sometimes a sign that you didn’t wash long enough or that you need to replace your isopropanol. Just rewash your part in clean isopropanol. If your part has intricate hard-to-reach parts, agitation of the alcohol can help clean up those parts too.
I’d say it is a combination. It is very important to get as much non-cured resin off the parts as possible after it is out of the machine. I don’t yet have my Form 1, but I work with a 3DS Viper regularly. My process is to let as much resin as possible “drip” off the part when it is removed from the machine. I then break the supports off each part and drop it in an alcohol bath while I clean the rest of the parts. Next, I take a stiff paint brush and “scrub” the surface of the part with alcohol, regularly rinsing it and dipping it back in the alcohol bath. I use small syringes to squirt alcohol in/through small channels and spaces. After all seems well, I take a spray bottle (not squirt bottle, but either would work) filled with alcohol and thoroughly rinse the part. Out comes the compressed air nozzle to dry the part off. You usually get a slight haze if the surface is truly clean, as it is dried. If the part is tacky anywhere, I scrub it more with the stiff paintbrush and rinse again with the squirt bottle. Dry again with compressed air (which can be loud, so consider ear protection). The part then goes into the uv oven for 30 minutes to cure any leftover resin that wasn’t rinsed off through the aforementioned ritual. The process can be tedious for complex parts, but it is pretty quick for basic shapes.
Rob’s suggestion is very good. I would like to add that forceful rubbing of the ‘wet’ part will cause its surface to have a mat-like finish, while avoiding rubbing will lead to a glossier part finish. Both finishes have their merits…
I should add that once the part dries, its surface becomes resistant to rubbing.
I’ve heard that leaving these kind of parts exposed to sun light or any UV light will make them more brittle. Is there any truth to this?
What about using a water pick? Like what you would use on your teeth but instead of using water fill it with alcohol? I have an old one. I’ll see if it helps with the clean up at all.
Ready Go, after a few days outside in the sun, the resin is taking a yellow tint and becomes very hard. I’ve not seen it becoming brittle (yet?).
For some pict http://exploreideasdaily.wordpress.com/2013/06/08/first-steps-with-the-form-1-printer/
Cheers
Very interesting Damlen, thank you very much for posting your test results. I am still curious if the yellowish prints are more brittle. Smash them!! hehe 
Found this on thingiverse… seemed to come out better than your ball http://www.thingiverse.com/make:39880
@Ryan, indeed pictures like these are perfect to show the potential of form1.
This shape seems great if you can print it without internal supports.
I really think it’s only a matter of tuning the current software before we can stop worrying about print quality…