Reply To: Help please!

[blinky465 17208xp 3]

The layer lines are a pain in FDM, especially on large, plain surfaces.

I’ve found the best way to deal with them is to prime the model with a car filler primer, as this helps smooth the surface. But then you usually need to give up your afternoon to sanding, to knock it back so it only remains in gaps between layers.

If you print with ABS (which is more difficult and less forgiving than PLA) you can use acetone vapour (literally stand the model over a bath of acetone) and it will ever-so-slightly melt the surface, creating a smoother appearance and hiding a lot of the layer  lines.

Both techniques do result in a loss of “crispness” of detail though. I’ve found cleaning up FDM prints to be a lot of work, if you want a nice, clean finish. If you’re happy to live with layer lines (or your model is super-busy so they get lost on the surface) then FDM printing terrain is great fun!

Even at arms length, layer lines are usually visible because drybrushing picks them out and makes them pop!