Part Quality and Consumer Cleaning
Because of the Shapeways process, Keystone details cannot take responsibility for poor quality, improperly sized, broken or missing parts, this is Shapeways responsibility. Please pay close attention to what is shipped to you and that parts are not broken. The Shapeways Contact Us page has an order complaint form for issues such as these. Outside this, Keystone Details will support you in every way, even if the part must be redesigned and reordered, we will help to make things right.
The FUD and FXD part you will receive will look translucent- this is residual wax from the Shapeways post-processing. This excess wax MUST be removed prior to painting or finishing the part.
Photo by Chris Broughton
Cleaning the part takes a little time, sometimes some elbow grease, and a cleaning fluid called Bestine or Naptha (lighter fluid). Some states and countries have restrictions on these fluids, and there are other fluids that may work. In the absence of these two fluids, google is your friend!
Most folks soak the parts overnight or up to 24 hours. I have been successful cleaning my smaller parts in an ultrasonic cleaner with Bestine in it for ten to fifteen minutes. The fluid and parts get quite warm from the machine's motor, but this actually helps melt any wax that Shapeways left behind.
After cleaning, you may see some remaining artifacts or surface imperfections. This is the parent FUD and FXD material and may need further surface preparation. Sometimes I use an ultrasonic toothbrush with some mild dish detergent to remove them and other times I have used an Air Eraser to clean things up. I have even had to gently scrape the surface smooth with an Xacto blade.
Keystone Details attempts to provide smooth detail-free surfaces when possible for improved sanding, but of course this is not always possible.
Once you are satisfied with your cleaned parts, it's time to paint.