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I am printing on a non-heated bed right now, but the question also applies to heated building plates.

How often should you replace the glue layers that's supposed to be applied before printing? Some say you can do up to a few prints, such as in this forum, while others say to replace it every print. What is the correct approach?

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Depends on the glue and on your tolerance for messy undersides on your prints. It's fairly common for some of the glue to come off with the print. Or you may have marks from scrapers or rafts. Do you want to touch up that spot and have some artifacts on the bottom of the next print, or clean and redo the bed to get everything flat?

Gluestick is pretty easy to wash and reapply. It can also be freshened up with a gentle spray of water, smeared flat, and redried, or more gluestick added on top. It will really come down to your preferred workflow.

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    $\begingroup$ I also do freshup with a spray of weter - this flats up the layer and refreshes of glue layer $\endgroup$
    – darth pixel
    Jun 11, 2016 at 21:43
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I usually add some glue each time I print a new part. I re-apply over places where recent part left a visible "footprint". But after a few prints, the glue layer becomes too thick so it has influence on the height of the first layer. If so, I dismount the glass and clean it with hot water. I do this after about 5 prints... (+/- of course).

Generally the glue becomes white when it dries up, so I use this as an indication or sign for when it has to be cleaned.

I would say there are no strict rules. Do some experiments and observe the first layer surface. Then you'll find your correct way.

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As noted in the answer to the other question you asked, the Flux Delta steel plate bed will handle multiple layers of glue. The determining factor regarding this particular printer and specific glue is how many ripples, bumps and/or lines you are willing to tolerate on the first layer of your prints.

You'll notice that a print made with a couple layers of glue, freshly applied, will have a relatively smooth surface. Peel off the model, apply glue over the now-cleared areas, and you've created a slightly-less-than-smooth surface for your next model.

I've found that I can apply six to ten layers before the ripples become objectionable.

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  • $\begingroup$ I've recently learned that it's easier to merely scrape the glue residue to a nominally flat surface than it is to wash and scrub the entire plate clean prior to a new print. $\endgroup$
    – fred_dot_u
    Jun 16, 2016 at 20:51

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