Filament Purge Ring Dish!

Made from your melted down purge, calibrations lines, support material, and failed prints.

Bonus: The printable purge dish holder makes a great candle holder or key dish by itself!

You will need:

• Filament waste
• Aluminum can
• Scissors/Snips
• Heat gun (alternatively, you could use an old toaster oven that is no longer used for food)

Step 1: First, cut any aluminum can in half. We will be using the inside bottom of the can as the mold for the ring dish.

Step 2: Next, pick out the purge plastic you wish you use. We will be using around 1-2 handfuls (around 30g). I'd recommend trying to use only PLA simply for the smell (good ventilation is a plus). Place around an inch of filament in the bottom of the can (you can use more, but getting a good base melted first will look better).

Step 3: Next, we melt the plastic. If possible, start on low with the heat gun. The filament will curl and shrink quite a bit, ensure all filament is hit with the heat gun and melting before turning up the temperature on the heat gun. Add in more filment as you go, the goal is to have around a ¼ to ½ inch of plastic on the bottom. This will use more filament than you'd expect.

Step 4: When everything is melted and covering the bottom up to the outside edge, you're done! It should look similar to this:

Step 5: The can will be VERY hot, but aluminum cools quick. Wait a minute, then bring it to the sink. Fill the can with cold water, dump and turn upside down ensuring to cool the bottom as well. Now is a good time to start squeezing the bottom of the can to start to release the plastic.

Step 6: Once fully cooled, you can either cut the can apart to get the plastic out, or if you're lucky, you may be able to pull it out with pliers. Once the plastic has been removed, trim up any edges that dried up the wall of the can.

Step 7: Print the holder, and simply place your new creation in the recessed area! It is designed to be a tight fit, so a little extra trimming may be necessary.

Step 8: Finished! Thanks for reading! I had a lot of fun creating this, and I used more purge than I expected to make these dishes. I look forward to seeing everyone else's creations, and to find the best use for this purge!