[alanwcruz]

Thanks. Do you use the stock UV Source of the printer? It’s 405nm like my anycubic photon. If so I too can print optiprint guide 385. What are your exposure Settings?

Yup, stock UV source. Here are the settings I use for optiprint guide 385:

 

[eunice]

Yup, stock UV source. Here are the settings I use for optiprint guide 385:

Thank you so much!

 

[Bassiklee]

Let me just say this: lights matter! I was about to give up on Pro3dure resin, even though it’s easier, more forgiving, and considerably cheaper than fotoplast. I simply could not get a wall thickness that was thick enough to not shatter when the MMCX connector was plugged in. Then, I swapped out two of the UV lamps in my super high tech station for LEDs. HUGE difference. I’m going to have to adjust all my curing times.

My current home brew shell cooking station is essentially what’s in the video. I replaced the two lights in each one that oppose each other, leaving the ones in the corners as they were.

 

[Bassiklee]

To clarify, my nail stations are such that the lamps on the sides sort of angle up into the center. Not such a big deal with a uv lamp that lights all around, but the leds are pretty directional. I'm working on a strip led based curing station, so this is temporary.

 

[F208Frank]

When I see DIY threads like this, I feel like such a loser as I do not feel I can do any of that. =/

 

[Bassiklee]

You gotta start somewhere. None of us started out making pefect ears. Mine are far from perfect now, but I constantly try to improve the process, and the outcome.

 

[BigBublik]

Friends, please advise an alternative to Dreve Fotoplast Lack 3?

 

[Bassiklee]

Egger lacquer LP/H
Pro3dure L-1 UV lacquer

There are others. The Pro3Dure is pretty good. Doesn't yellow nearly as bad as lak3. Egger doesn't yellow at all, in my experience.

 

[tomekk]

In my experience +500 lacked pairs Lack 3 is the best. It is not too dense, not too liquid and has the best brush Egger is also cool, but he has worse brush (too small) and Egger LP/H is a little too liquid.

 

[Tunzearplug]

I think lack 3 is better. I have been in the hearing aids industry for 17 years and it is brighter and permanent.egger and detax same.

 

[ForceMajeure]

The thing with all lacquers is that when new, they are much easier to handle and flow nicely, regardless of the brand.

But after a few months and overall use (could range from 2 months or more), they tend to become thicker, the brush which is crucial for good results gets worse and tend to pick/create more bubbles.

Lacquer also cures faster when new than old.

Ofc there are batches variances, it's like resin, some are better batch than others

Having a bottle of 50ml with a single brush might not be wise, maybe having smaller 20ml with brushes might be smarter.
Not only you get more brushes and less lacquer is exposed to air but with bigger bottles the brush hangs in the air inside the bottle (when you have less lacquer inside) this might make it worse as well.

When using big bottles you have to find a way to tilt the bottle permanently so your brush can reach the lacquer when there is less of it and it happens sooner than you think since the brush length is short compared to the bottle itself...

All the above is less of importance though, it's best to have lacquer than not to have it since it's hard to acquire, let's deal with the shortcomings once we have some...

 

[dhruvmeena96]

Dear DIY CIEM Community,

after getting into all these things the last 2 weeks, I'm really excited to getting started into this project by practising it in the next few days. Reading all the informations here in this thread with over 400 pages and getting through the very nice made Google Docs Wiki, I think I know now a lot of things making shells, faceplates, designs and ear molds, but the biggest part for me is still making the CIEMs sound good from the scratch.

I know, it's completely a trial and error / measurement and especially experimental thing because the possibilities are endless!

But after reading all this, I found a few different driver setups here (that has been metioned a lot) that maybe are good to start for "beginners". Maybe some of you can give me your advice - or better to say - your experience to the following setups.

The thing is, at the end of the day it's a very cost intensiv thing getting the first good sounding IEM just when you had to build 20 difference combinations before. I also want to fill the complete shell out with Fotoplast, so changing components after that is hard to do.

SINGLE DRIVER FULLRANGE SETUP

1. BK-28507 + Grey Damper / SingleTube
2. ED29689 + ? Damper / SingleTube
3. CI + ? Damper / SingleTube

GK/GQ COMBINATIONS

1. GQ + Brown Damper
2. GQ (No Damper) + CI (Red Damper) - No Crossover
3. GK: CI (No Damper) + TWFK (White Damper) / Dual Tube
4. GK: CI (Red Damper) + TWFK (Green Damper) / Dual Tube
5. GK: CI (Brown Damper) + TWFK (Grey Damper) / Dual Tube
6. GK: CI (Brown Damper) + TWFK (No Damper) / Dual Tube
7. GK: CI (Red Damper) + TWFK (No Damper) / Dual Tube
8. GK (Grey Damper) / SingleTube

CI/TWFK COMBINATIONS

1. 5Ohm on the CI + TWFK (22uF) - No Dampers
2. CI (Red Damper) + TWFK (Grey Damper) - No Crossover
3. 10Ohm on the CI + TWFK [0,47uF on the WBFK / 39Ohm inline with cap on the FK side]

CI/ED COMBINATIONS

1. 10Ohm on the CI + ED-23619 (2,2uF+2,2uF) - (No Dampers)

So the main questions are:

• Which single fullrange driver setup will sound best from the above.
• Which dampers are the best of the single ED29689 and CI setup?
• Will the GQ just with the brown damper sound good enough? How will it work with a CI (Red Damper) without a crossover.
• Which GK Damper combination will sound best? Dual or Single tube
• Will the CI/TWFK Combination make sense, or is it better to start directly with a GQ or GK setup?
• What do you think about the CI/ED combination.
• Which tube lenght's will you suggest for all of this examples to start? 14-20mm?
  

As I mentioned above, maybe you can give just an addive for 1x Good Single Driver, 1x Good GQ, 1x Good GK and 1x CI/TWFK setup or the best combination of driver and dampers of each "category" of this list to start to beginn. I think this and your answers will help new beginners also to get faster into this.

Much appreciate it! - Thank you!

Everything works

Just put your heart into it

And go doing hit and trial on IEC coupler
Adjusting tubes and dampers

 

[Farquarl]

The thing with all lacquers is that when new, they are much easier to handle and flow nicely, regardless of the brand.

But after a few months and overall use (could range from 2 months or more), they tend to become thicker, the brush which is crucial for good results gets worse and tend to pick/create more bubbles.

Lacquer also cures faster when new than old.

Ofc there are batches variances, it's like resin, some are better batch than others

Having a bottle of 50ml with a single brush might not be wise, maybe having smaller 20ml with brushes might be smarter.
Not only you get more brushes and less lacquer is exposed to air but with bigger bottles the brush hangs in the air inside the bottle (when you have less lacquer inside) this might make it worse as well.

When using big bottles you have to find a way to tilt the bottle permanently so your brush can reach the lacquer when there is less of it and it happens sooner than you think since the brush length is short compared to the bottle itself...

All the above is less of importance though, it's best to have lacquer than not to have it since it's hard to acquire, let's deal with the shortcomings once we have some...

Does anyone know what solvent these lacquers use? My strong guess is toluol.

 

[mattmatt]

Does anyone know what solvent these lacquers use? My strong guess is toluol.

Is toluol skin safe?

 

[Farquarl]

Is toluol skin safe?

It is not, but it will evaporate so there will be none left. Maybe I'll try to thin the lacquer once it becomes too thick.