How to Paint 3D Printed Miniatures – Prime, Clean, Prepare 2023

When priming and painting 3D-printed miniatures, ensure the model has been thoroughly cleaned and is defect-free. Once finished, prime the part’s surface with a few light coats. Then, for exquisite-looking miniatures, use high-quality acrylic paints with the appropriate brush size or an airbrush. Learn How to paint 3D-printed miniatures take Some time.

Learning how to paint 3D miniatures properly does take some practice. Many individuals are unaware of some strategies that professionals utilize, therefore We wrote this article to demonstrate them for you. If you want to print a 3d miniature then how to 3D print a miniature.

How to Paint 3D Printed Miniatures

Continue reading for more information on how to paint your 3D-printed miniatures to a high standard after reading this article.

Wash & Clean 3D Printed Miniatures

A fantastic option to expand your collection of miniatures is through 3D printing. However, 3D-printed products typically have supports, brims, rafts, and stringing because they aren’t flawless immediately off the print bed. As a result, before placing the miniature on your table or mantel, you must take out these extra objects.

Here’s how to clean up your 3D miniatures

• Clean up the miniatures.
• Take away the supports and rafts.
• The undesirable protrusions and strings should be clipped, trimmed, and tweezed
• Sand away any lingering blemishes.
• Post-processing procedures can be used to smooth the miniature.

It’s advisable to wash 3D-printed minis you purchased from a marketplace with soap and water as soon as they come for safety reasons. It’s best to ask the vendor here for further instructions because you might also need to cure the prints.

Prepare 3D printed model for painting

Examining whether your miniature requires any cleaning is one of the first things you should do after removing it from the 3D printer’s construction platform.

Before painting, your printed model should be smooth and free of imperfections. This entails removing the support structures and sanding the support nubs on SLA 3D printers. Start with coarse sandpaper of about 100 grit and work your way up to at least 200 grit to remove the nubs. This will prevent your painted model from having scratches on it.

The next step is priming your miniature. Make sure your model is free of sanding dust before applying your primer to guarantee a beautiful paint job.

The primary stage that follows is the painting itself. For the best results, use acrylic paints and brushes, like the majority of specialists do when painting 3D-printed miniatures.

Prepare 3D printed miniatures for priming

The ideal method for priming 3D printed miniatures is applying several thin layers of the primer, as opposed to a single thick coat. Make sure the primer doesn’t build up and that the coverage is even. For the greatest results, you can also use a sandable spray primer that enables you to sand down obvious layer lines.

The best results can be obtained by using a primer before painting 3D printed miniature as opposed to not using one. Actually, priming gets the print’s surface ready so that the paint will stick to it much better.

The ability to create custom models and miniatures are one of the best aspects of 3D printing. But you’ll need a nice primer if you want to paint them.

Key Points:

• It is recommended to keep a distance of 8 to 12 inches from the model while using a spray primer so that the coats can be thin and don’t build up too much at once.
• In order for the primer to coat the entire model uniformly, it is also advisable to rotate the 3D-printed miniature as you spray it. You should be fine if you use fast strokes at a reasonable distance.

Some people lift and rotate the miniature with a stick or some kind of string so that it may be sprayed with primer more easily.

Depending on the primer you’re using, let the tiny dry after the first application for anywhere between 30 and an hour. After that, sand the model as necessary with sandpaper of about 200 grit before progressively moving up to finer sandpaper. If you want to take some guide on How to

• Divide your parts before printing
• Use different Sizes of Brushes for 3D printing Miniatures
• Use High-quality paints
• 3D printed for a wet palette for miniature painting

Divide your parts before printing

Simply separating your prints into numerous pieces so they can be put together later is a really helpful trick that works wonderfully for folks trying to build high-quality miniatures.

You may then paint each portion that has been divided out separately, which will undoubtedly make things much simpler for you. When a miniature has several intricate pieces and you want to paint it precisely, you utilize this method.

Use different sizes of brushes for 3D printing miniatures

You should also be aware of the significance of selecting the proper brush for the task. For each component of a miniature, professionals often have a unique brush. For instance, a figure’s base is likely that be quickly painted without much attention to the details.

Use high-quality paints for 3D printing miniatures

It should go without saying, that utilizing high-quality acrylic paints may help you create miniatures that look fantastic. This isn’t absolute, though, as you may also use inexpensive acrylics to achieve good effects. During painting, if your hands will full of paint then you can easily remove it, How to remove printer ink from your hands.

You should be able to create the most attractive miniatures by using these acrylics since they were made specifically for miniatures. The paints are also non-flammable and non-toxic.

3D printed for a wet palette for miniature painting

One of the best purchases you can make to make painting 3D-printed miniatures much simpler is definitely a wet palette.

In contrast to a dry palette, a wet palette is constructed of an absorbent material that, as soon as your paints are placed on it, actively hydrates them. This eliminates the need for constant water and paint mixing when applying paint to your miniatures by allowing you to keep your paints wet for a prolonged amount of time utilizing the paint palette with a lid.

You may store your hobby brushes and stored paints in its integrated storage, which also includes 50 sheets of hydro paper and 2 wet palette sponges made of hydro foam. There is no reason you shouldn’t purchase one for yourself since this is a fantastic time-saver and many pros use one to work on figures. If you want to buy the Best 3D Printer For Miniatures. In this article, You can get complete knowledge about 3D Printer for Miniatures.

FAQS – Frequently asked questions about how to paint 3d printed miniatures

1. What kind of paint do you use to paint 3D prints?

It should come as no surprise that paints designed for plastics frequently wind up performing the best for 3D-printed objects. Paints that work on 3D-printed plastics typically come in a wide variety (in terms of color and application) from Rust-Oleum or Krylon. To protect yourself, wear gloves and a mask while painting in a well-ventilated location.

2. Can you paint 3D-printed objects with acrylic paint?

Mammoth resin, normal resin, grey resin, and high-detail resin all work well with polyamide (SLS), standard model paints (such as Revell), and high-detail resin. Water-based and acrylic paints can both be used, however, they might need multiple coats.

3. Can you paint PLA without primer?

We discovered that acrylics had good adherence without pre-priming, while PLA and PETG were by far the easiest 3D printing materials to coat.

4. Can 3D-printed objects be sanded and painted?

Depending on the layer height, lines and patterns from the printing process are typically evident before painting PLA 3D prints or ABS projects. Medium, fine, and extra-fine sandpaper can be used to remove these lines from 3D printers.

Final Verdict

The painting of PLA 3Dprinted miniatures works nicely with inexpensive paints for hd prints. The most important element is a good, sturdy undercoat. I advise using a metal primer paint that prevents rust for this. Although rust-prevention metal primers only come in 500mL tins and can be a little more expensive than the same amount of regular acrylic house paint, 500mL will be plenty to prime many models because they are relatively thin and go a long way.

Miniature 3D printing can initially appear intimidating. It kind of is, but the outcomes are worthwhile regardless of the work you put in. Anyone may start a 3D printing hobby and succeed with the current selection of printers, designs, and guidelines like the one above.