So you want to Print...

So you want to print...

The process of transferring from PLA printing to ABS is functionally simple. You get ABS plastic filament, a compatible hot-end, a print surface heating pad, and borosilicate glass printing plate. Then you calibrate it for temperature and timing, and do a few tests. Simple. This is a task that should involve a few afternoons of work, assuming you can get the parts.

Not so for me. I haven't printed anything in over a year, because I can't afford all the best stuff. So I have to source it from wherever I can get it. As a result it's been a very long process. Nonetheless, I've persisted and was recently finally ready to get the last piece: a borosilicate printing plate.
The best I could find and afford was a little large, but would easily work. So I ordered it, and waited.

As you will see, this was not the greatest choice. I advise anyone with plenty of money to spend to order things like this from somewhere local to you. If you have the option, specify shipping in a rigid cardboard box with rigid foam lining.


A rendering of the proper way to ship a single sheet of glass

Feel free to take a copy of this image for your own reference, and send it to any company you order glass from. It's basically a sheet of soft, but shape holding foam, an outer ring of that foam, and another sheet. This all sandwiches the glass plate, and is placed in a cardboard box. Imagine a great big 'Fragile: Glass' sticker on the top, and you're all set.

Replacement

 

Fortunately for me, and for anyone else in the same predicament, eBay has a pretty good complaints department. I photographed the process of opening what I could hear was a bag of broken glass, and made my request. When you make these claims, be as concise as possible, and avoid sounding angry. You'll have an easier time of it if you keep a cool head.

That said, projecting your frustration is important. They won't take you seriously if you're apologetic or wavering in your goal. Make it clear exactly what you want from them, in a simple and civilised way.

For your amusement: the exact words I used in the complaint/refund/replacement form:

I ordered a single sheet of borosilicate glass measuring 213mm by 200mm by 3mm. What I got was a poly-bag filled with oddly shaped shards of borosilicate glass. On the upside, they were all 3mm thick. Some idiot packed these in a flexible poly-bag instead of a cardboard box with a rigid foam lining. I want a refund, and a replacement, and I want it to be sent in a container that makes logical sense for a sheet of glass. I also request a printed, signed apology from whoever packed the first one. Additionally I would appreciate the same kind of apology from their parents for raising such a stupid child. See included photos for the result of lazy packing.

Surveying the damage

 

So, I have to ask a question. Would YOU package a sheet of glass that was going to be handled by god-only-knows who, for weeks, like the following:


A poly-bag envelope full of little shards of glass



No, of course you wouldn't. Because my audience, I assume, is not made up of complete morons who don't know how glass works.
I suppose the lesson here is two-fold. For those of you on the consumer side, be careful where you order glass from. You never know who's going to be handling it, or their competency. And for those in the reselling and shipping side, come on. Be informed about the properties and requirements of the stuff you're handling. Basic understanding of your job is a requirement of your job. If you're not going to learn that, you shouldn't be doing it.

In the end they ignored the core of my complaint and just sent me the money back.