Colorfabb Bronzefill testing on the TAZ4

I figured there is not really a dedicated thread on the specialty filaments like Bronzefill and Copperfill yet so here goes.

I have done my first print using Colofabb Bronzefill and am loving this stuff! I used Cura with the default PLA Medium profile, and adjusted the following settings:

0.2 layer height
Nozzle temp: 205c
Bed temp: 60c (bed had leftover ABS/Acetone solution on it, just printed on that, and the print stuck really well)
retraction speed: 15
retraction distance: 0.5 (i read that too quick / too much retraction could cause the hobbed bolt to eat the filament so i took it easy on retraction for the first try)
outer shell speed 50 mm/s
inner shell speed 70 mm/s

Make sure to get your idler tension spot on! I chewed trough quite a bit of filament because i had the hobbed bolt either too loose or too tight (remember this material is very brittle.) For me, the ideal idler tension was 13mm distance from the adjustment knob to the idler

Still got small globs , any suggestions how to improve on those? Is it because of my moderate retraction settings?
It’s not a big deal with this material, since small imperfections can be crumbled off basically by hand or a knife.

Any suggestions how to further improve the prints? Overhangs didnt come out too great, but better than I expected.




Next step: I ordered a rock tumbler, which will help to easily bring out the Bronze-ness in the prints since right now it does not look really special (only feels special when holding) Will update once that has happened. :slight_smile: I hear that polishing the bronzefill by hand will not yield as great results as you will get using a rock tumbler. Might still give manual polishing a try until the tumbler is here…

As for the properties of this filament:

You should really try this out should you get the chance, because the prints from this material feel like nothing else!
This example print was at 30% infill and seriously it feels heavy like a 100% infill object, just awesome!! Also it has a completely different texture which feels much less “cheap” than PLA and ABS… Can’t wait to do some high quality antiques on this :slight_smile:

It is quite brittle, so probably not useful for functional or rotating parts. Also it’s expensive, I paid 50 euros (without shipping) for 750 grams on Colorfabb…

Warning:

I’m told to watch out with these specialty filaments since the TAZ uses a PTFE tube to transfer the filament trough and it can wear out more than normal PLA and easily clog the nozzle since there is more “buildup” back up the PTFE tube especially when using retraction.
I did not experience any of this , but please note I am using the upgraded Dual duct fan instead of the normal one, and I think that might make a difference (not sure if it does make a difference, just my assumption)

So all in all, right now I don’t want to print with anything else :smiley: Except for Copperfill which I will try out soon

Been doing some more printing with this. Not a single failed print since I started, no clogging problems or anything.

Increased speed and retraction speeds slightly again. And more infill. Still getting some small globs on the objects, not sure what’s that about.

0.2 Layers
Infill 50%
Retraction Speed: 20mm/s
Retraction Distance: 1.25
Speed: 80mm/s

I also ordered a rock tumbler to easily polish the objects with brass and steel nails later on, can’t wait for that to arrive. So far the objects are all still in it’s unrefined form.

Overhangs are still more of an issue than with ABS or PLA, the stuff is so heavy the string of filament will just drop down quickly when doing an overhang. But it’s easy to clean up so not that bad.





Until the rock tumbler arrives to properly shine the bronze objects, I tried the next best method:

for ~15minutes total

  1. Sand with rough sandpaper, then smoother sandpaper
  2. Use steel wool on the object
  3. Polish with brass polishing paste (I used a brand called “Mellerud” from the do it yourself shop)

The crappy photos don’t really do it justice, these things are already starting to look like real bronze, pretty cool.

If I’d do that method for longer I’m sure they would start shining a lot more.



Hi can i know what kind of nozzle did u use to print with the bronzefill? I am pretty new and working with the TAZ 3 and was wondering if the nozzle needs to be special as I know some filaments can be abrasive.