I’m a proud new owner of the Taz 5! Printing my first Taz 5 print as I write this. I love the nice tool bag that came with the printer, but I don’t feel like I know what they’re really meant for. I’m familiar with how to use these tools, but not necessarily in the context of 3D printing. I figured since they were included in the tool bag, they must be used in ways I haven’t thought of.
Here are the contents of my tool bag:
Hex driver set - used to assemble print head and level bed.
Pliers - used to cut plastic filament. What else?
Metal ruler - used to measure/level bed. Anything else?
Metal rod with rubber covering sharp end. - ???
X-acto knife - I assume used for pruning/touch-ups?
Tiny metal brush - ???
Sharp Knife with blue handle - ???
Tweezers - picking small parts off the print bed?
Hex driver set. Once the TAZ is assembled, you really only need (mostly) the 2.5mm for bed leveling and changing the extruder. This is the nicest Allen key set that I have. I got a bag of very cheap 25 mm keys for this purpose, and leave complete set in my printer tool drawer.
Pliers. Don’t use them much, mainly for removing internal support material. I use diagonal cutters for filament.
Metal ruler. Stays in tool drawer. I have a little “jig” made with a soda straw that I use for extruder calibration.
Metal rod with rubber covering sharp end. I use it as needed to pick ground-in filament out of the hobbed bolt on the extruder.
X-acto knife. Yes, for touching up parts.
Tiny metal brush. Also for cleaning debris off and around the hobbed bolt.
Sharp Knife with blue handle. The infamous “clam knife”! Stays in drawer. Everyone comes up with their own unique tool for getting parts off the bed; I use a French Chef’s knife.
Tweezers. I use these for nipping “splooge” and hangy-threads from the hot end, usually between when the print head does the initial home and when is actually starts printing.
I’ve had my TAZ almost exactly a year now. If you haven’t done 3D printing before, start small and unambitious. Then keep moving more challenging pieces. Have Fun!
I also use the wire brush to clean the outside of the hotend while it’s hot. Like a paintbrush wiping molten plastic away and then when it cools after a second, just rub the bristles back and forth and the plastic comes off the brush. Helps keep things tidy looking and filament coming out straight.
You may want to rethink that practice. The metal bristles are conductive. if you manage to pucture the wire jackets on the hotend core, or if you have mini style conductive bed leveling, short the core to the thermistor, it can melt the bed. I know of at least 2 people that have melted their control board doing that proceedure that have posted about it in these forums.
I should clarify, I’m not sticking the brush into the hotend, I’m just wiping the sides if plastic sticks to it (nothing more aggressive than what the nozzle-wipe would do on a mini). Also, it’s not being used anywhere near the thermistor so the and warning applies: keep conductive tools away from electronics and wires!