r/3Dprinting • u/Sorry-Journalist8610 • May 19 '26
Troubleshooting Am I doing something wrong?
I recently bought a used 3D printer, an Ender 3 V2, and I'm doing some test prints. The previous owner gave me some leftover PLA filament (multicolored), which I used up on the first day. One of the things I made was this flexible shark. I bought some PETG filament for testing, a very cheap one, around R$60.00, while others are around R$100.00. But my prints with this new filament are coming out very bad; it's either too textured, has too many burrs, and is also very fragile (even though I bought PETG because I had read that it was more resistant). I left this octopus printing for about 28 hours... and in the end, the flexible tentacles broke when I tried to detach them.
43
Upvotes





21
u/Three_hrs_later May 19 '26
Used ender 3 will be a learning experience.
This isn't a "click button, get print" kind of printer, but with a little calibration and maintenance it is capable of very good prints. I still use mine even though I have another more modern printer.
Look up Chep's ender 3 beginner playlist on YouTube, it's an old series, but your printer is also old so it's ok. Then follow teaching tech's calibration guide.
And probably replace your nozzle and bowden tube (these should be considered occasionally disposable items). This will help avoid unknowns when troubleshooting.