<p>I have used a standard soldering iron to modify and fix 3D prints in the past. You have to keep some things in mind when doing so:</p>
<ul>
<li>Don't overheat your material. PLA can take a soldering iron of about 230 °C before charring.</li>
<li>Don't use a tip with solder, or you will get grey deposits in the plastic.</li>
<li>Round tips or flat tips both work fine, but you want to not dump <em>too</em> much heat into the model or you start to deform the print as it needs to cool again.</li>
<li>Using snippets from the end of the spool for soldering is a good way to recycle the &quot;waste&quot;.</li>
</ul>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2021-04-03T17:32:43.997Z
2021-04-06T18:46:15.080Z
2021-04-06T18:46:15.080Z
Trish
<p>Cutting materials with a 'hot knife' isn't anything new.  There should be a fairly established toolset for working foam.  For 3D prints, I prefer to add coatings rather than modify surfaces with a hand held tool after.  I do run a drill bit through printed holes though.</p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2021-04-03T16:16:48.977Z
2021-04-03T21:48:13.207Z
2021-04-03T21:48:13.207Z
Abel
<p>Does anyone have any information about using a soldering iron to fix and retouch 3D prints?
On the market, for example, we can find Modifi3D pen. Why has nobody created a simple soldering tip for this use?</p>
<p>I have a TS100 soldering iron which has great temperature control and I think it would be perfect for this use.</p>
<p>Does anyone think it's a bad idea?</p>

<post-processing>
3D print retouch with soldering iron
Steros
# 3D print retouch with soldering iron

(Asked by: username_0 on 2021-04-03)

Does anyone have any information about using a soldering iron to fix and retouch 3D prints?
On the market, for example, we can find Modifi3D pen. Why has nobody created a simple soldering tip for this use?

I have a TS100 soldering iron which has great temperature control and I think it would be perfect for this use.

Does anyone think it's a bad idea?

**Tags:** post-processing

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## 2 answers

### Answer by username_1 on 2021-04-03. Score: 2

I have used a standard soldering iron to modify and fix 3D prints in the past. You have to keep some things in mind when doing so:

* Don't overheat your material. PLA can take a soldering iron of about 230 °C before charring.
* Don't use a tip with solder, or you will get grey deposits in the plastic.
* Round tips or flat tips both work fine, but you want to not dump *too* much heat into the model or you start to deform the print as it needs to cool again.
* Using snippets from the end of the spool for soldering is a good way to recycle the "waste".


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### Answer by username_2 on 2021-04-03. Score: 1

Cutting materials with a 'hot knife' isn't anything new. There should be a fairly established toolset for working foam. For 3D prints, I prefer to add coatings rather than modify surfaces with a hand held tool after. I do run a drill bit through printed holes though.


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