Probably going to dry the filament and reprint it but overall it turned out pretty good. Printed on a Bambu A-1 mini
Clear coat it or the layer lines will pick up all the gamer gunk(dead skin and oils).
this post was submitted on 24 Dec 2025
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Frankly, a few dozen passes with 120-220 grit, (with the grain) followed by a quick acetone wipe down (picks up any particulate) and then a couple light coats of gloss varnish (spray; 8-10" away, just enough to begin saturating the surface) varnish before waiting 24hrs+ (ie. gas off) to box it up... is the pro move here. 🫶🏼🤓
I try and avoid sanding plastic as much as possible even if it's PLA
I've never tried it but this method looks interesting. I wonder if it would work with clear primer instead of paint.
https://www.instructables.com/Easy-Way-to-Smooth-PLA-No-Sanding-No-Chemicals/
FWIW, that's essentially just gap-filling with more steps and increased procedural risk; the varnish (polyurethane) is already a component of the spray paint, and the steps as described leave an incredible amount of room for failure on multiple points. It's reinventing the wheel and boxing it up as a lifehack. 🤌🏼🫣
Trim, sand*, clean, paint*, seal*, bring joy. Simple as.
*as needed
Just do it outside then.
Or just do it in the garage. Not to devalue your point (because you aren't wrong either, the dust isn't probably healthy), but honestly thinking back over all the shady things that have gone down in my garage over the years, sanding a bit of PLA wouldn't even nick the surface.
Lmao I recently spilled a liter of hydrochloric acid in my garage.
I get that but creating microplastics to get a smooth finish on an Xbox controller faceplate doesn't seem like a good move to me.
Uh... That's where you're drawing the line? That very specific, all but arbitrary point along a path already littered with ethical failures? Really? 😅 I mean, you do you. 🙇🏼♂️🥲
One of these days, your perspective might change a little, heh —but try not to get dragged down by the myriad crimes against humanity inherent in plastics, et al industries... 🤷🏼♂️
Change what you can, working from yourself outward. Use PPE, sand your plastic gadgets, do a good job, bring joy into the world with your efforts. ✊🏼🫶🏼
Nice, link to the file?
That's very cool! I'll have to make one for my wife :)
This one is already for your wife
oh gee, thanks! 🤣
Nice, good print, what was the orientation?
The front of the controller was facing down
Decent!!
Next one might be good. This PLA has been sitting out for months and I didn't dry it before printing. I had to file down some of the button holes because the buttons can stick down.
The finish looks impressive for a print. Which filament did you use?
Pretty sure it's this one https://www.matterhackers.com/store/l/silky-magenta-mh-build-series-pla-filament-175mm-1kg/sk/MRN9G6FN
Slick!
I’m trying to decide if this is more devious than handing someone a Madcatz controller 🎮 🤔
Maybe I don’t get it, but was the point to just have it in a different color?
Why not spray paint the original faceplate?
I have pink filament but I don't have any spray paint. Also, if I do a 2nd version, I can potentially do some sort of 3D pattern, texture, etc.