I've been happily melting plastic and printing 1:64 scale model parts for several days.

A couple of days ago, it started acting up, lifting prints off the table, getting stuff wrapped around the nozzle and leaving misshapen boogers on the prints.

I changed nozzles, re-leveled the table, adjusted nozzle and table temperatures up and down, put a new roll of PLA filament in to replace the sample stuff that came with it, muttered incantations, sacrificed small animals and gave it a good Chief Petty Officer talking to.

Got some minor improvements, but still not printing like it should. Started to get REALLY frustrated. Asked a Friend. Surfed the 'net. Read through the troubleshooting steps on somebody's blog and WHAM! It hit me.

Simplest thing in the world. Clean the effin' table! Finger oils and residue from multiple prints leave a film of glop on the table. 3 paper towels and a healthy dose of isopropyl alcohol later and all is well. I'm embarrassed at the amount of yellow snot that came off that table.

Note to self - Keep a bottle of iso and a roll of paper towels next to the printer...

cleanliness is next to godliness.

Paul, do you use one of the magnetic bed covers?

With my Ender 5, the magnetic cover is a great thing. It makes removing the printed parts a breeze, and it's easy to clean.

Example: https://tinyurl.com/y7rrbfpk

quote:

Originally posted by vthoky:
Paul, do you use one of the magnetic bed covers?

With my Ender 5, the magnetic cover is a great thing. It makes removing the printed parts a breeze, and it's easy to clean.

Example: https://tinyurl.com/y7rrbfpk

I don't. Mine is a reversible glass plate (smooth on one side, textured on the other) held on with metal clips.

I'll have to put that magnetic cover on my wish list, thanks for the tip!