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So, 100+ figures in, I decided to stop and print two mods for my Ender3.

One is for the fan that is just below the bed - debris can fall into here. So here's the fan guard: https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:2935204

The other is something that actually just ruined 10 figures that were half printed - literally. I checked the job and the nozzle was 1/4" above the print and no filament was coming out. The reason is that with the stock spool configuration, the filament can actually wear the hole it goes through as it goes into the extruder, causing an oblong opening. My filament jammed in the hole. To print this new part to guide the filament better, I used two zip ties to get it back to a location it can feed through without jamming again.



Here is the filament guide: https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:3059604



You'll also notice the tape - it isn't for adhesion - it is to make stuff easier to get off when done. I've gouged the plate pretty good when figs are a little too stuck on!

Hope that helps folks!

Man what a great resource Doc, thank you.

You guys are really, really tempting me!

And thanks for the links. I guess I don’t know that site very well as finding the people and such have been a challenge .

Don't forget to take a small wire brush like an acid brush, and clean off the hob bolt that drives the filament through the extruder head, this bolt will get slick from the filament debris and and not feed the filament at the proper speed affecting the layer thickness.

Got the fan and arm done and made two more mods today:





I still wasn't happy with the way the extruder feeds so I did a quick extruder guide:



I also found this nifty tool holder for all the Ender3 tools you get with the kit.



Back to figures and stuff!

An extruder guide is a must on the Ender3. I had a print fail due to the filament getting "stuck" on the reel due to a combination of improper filament alignment into the extruder and because my filament was actually wound over itself on the spool - do not know how that happened. I keep a close eye on my filament as it comes off the reel now. I can see why some people (I have read) re-spool their filament.

Also, I made a hub so that the filament spool fits better on the spool holder. It is a basic tube with a 72mm ID to match the Ender3 spool holder, and the OD to fit the spools I have been buying.

Peter

Yes doc my firt prints where just mods. I recommend the spring spacers too.

Doc, did you try using hairspray or the glue stick trick yet for your parts sticking issue? I use some quality Aqua Net hairspray for the ABS on my Mini when I'm not using the PEI surface. It helps the part stick better to the heated surface and then once it cools down to 60c on the plate the part is easier to remove. When I use the Petg filament, LulzBot recommends using the glue Stick. Once again I go the Quality route and get some cheap Elmer's glue sticks at Office Depot. My first prints were really hard to get off the plate even after cooling down. Only downside is that you need to wash the stickys of the part. One last suggestion that the Folks at LulzBot gave me was to take a metal putty knife and sharpen one side of the blade at an angle, then with the angle on top and the putty knife flat on the plate, work the putty knife under the part and gently and slightly lift the part off the plate. I have modified a six in wide putty knife for this and have had good success in removing the parts.

Cobra the ender came with a sharpened putty knife and i upgraded to the tempered ender glass bed. love it! my bed mat that came with the printer had bubbles in the mat out of the box causing high spots in the bed. i too use the aqua net hair spray on my bed. now i have my bed dialed in my printer is working perfect!