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This is a new one for me – Geeetech Gold Silk PLA. Only the second “Metal” Colour PLA I’ve reviewed. The previous one being Tianse Red Copper. – This roll was purchased from Amazon UK at the cost of £20.99.
Branded
I have a habit of flitting from one brand of filament to another. Changing my loyalties as quickly as I find new products, I can’t help myself! Yet, I find myself drawn back to Geeetech filaments every time I want to print something. They do it so well. Their filaments are always well spooled, and I’ve yet to experience the dreaded tangle mid-roll from a roll of Geeetech filament. When I was asked to Print Diaz Printables Shogun Batman, I knew I wanted to show off a Geeetech filament. I didn’t know which one! I also knew I didn’t want to do the whole Black Batman. Everyone prints Batman in black. I wanted some Bling!
Off the Curve
I like to be different, wanting my print to look the part without painting as I have previously stated I lack any painting ability at all. My 4-year-old son’s potato prints are more artistic than any attempt I make to obtain an excellent paint finish on a model. That being said, a flashy finish can be achieved with a well set up printer, time and high filament such as the Geeetech Gold Silk PLA.
I’m not saying I’m Batman but ……
Setting myself up as I always do, I printed my calibration cube and benchy before setting to work on Batman. Now the Shogun Batman has so many options on how you can print it, that I feel I need to explain a little. With multiple options for the head, hands, and weapons that are all interchangeable, you really can make this a unique model. Being somewhat of a traditionalist, I went for the essential Batman set up. No samurai adornments and the usual uniform of the caped crusader complete with Batarang. Other options were Katanas, empty hands, Samurai headdress or bare-faced Bruce Wayne. Sacrilege!
Printing
Loading the Geeetech Gold Silk PLA to my CR10S Pro and slicing my files in Simplify 3D (look out for my upcoming article on this excellent slicer) I printed with an infill of 12%. Speed set to 50mms and using three shells with a 0.2 layer height – I was away! Starting with the head and proceeding downwards, my Batman slowly took shape. The base was printed on my CR10S5 using Eryone Dark Wood PLA.
Geeetech deserves some credit here. The filament is excellent! Smooth printing and easy to use. I never had a support break or a piece break free of the bed. Once the page was completed and the parts fettled, I glued my crime-fighter together.
Definition
I was overjoyed at the results from the Geeetech Gold Silk PLA. The definition in pieces was excellent. Batman’s face was easily recognisable and the bat suit printed well. All the armour pads looking great, I did suffer some spotting on the back of the print. But I put that down to start and finish points for each layer.
The dimensions of the joining dowels and the holes they were to join were spot on — a testament to the accuracy of the filament and my slicer. I still haven’t finished my print as I have yet to do his cape but for the life of me can’t decide on a colour.
My Overall Thought
Thrilling to look at with an excellent finish. Straightforward to print and realistically priced. There isn’t a lot to not like about Geeetechs Gold Silk PLA. I can’t think of anything I don’t like. It’s just that good. Admittedly, as I said at the start, I haven’t tried any other metallic silk PLA in this colour, so maybe my mind will change once I have. However, until then this will be my go-to filament for shiny bling prints.
Our author Michael, have a read on the article on building a Wemos D1 Mini Octoprint Monitor tutorial or how about checking out the new CR-X PRO 2019 3D Printer: All that you need to know.
have a look at All3DP filament review on Amazon Basics, Is it basic?
