www.TK560.com

[SPACEMAN]

HI ALL ,IM JUST GETTING STARTED IN VACCUME FORMING TO SEE IF ITS SOMETHING ID LIKE TO TAKE ON AS A HOBBY,AND I HAVE A FEW ?

WERE CAN I GET THE EITHER ABS OR ACRILIC SHEETS TO TEST IT OUT .
I DONT REALLY WANT TO SPEND A HOLE LOT AS IM TESTING THE WATERS . I BUILT A FORMER FROM AN EXAMPLE ON LINE USING A HOUSE HOLD OVEN AS THE HEAT SORCE .SO ITS ACCUALLY ONE ? THANKS A BUNCH GUYS/GIRLS


SCOTT

[Fredo]

WELCOME SPACEMAN, TO THIS FAR FLUNG OUTPOST! You might look at this site. www.vacuumformerplans.com , drcrash still has this site, but it's been almost two years since his last posts. Go through his posts here. He pretty much covers low budget vacuum forming very well. If you use an oven to heat the plastic, use one you don't eat out of. Its like eating off lead plates, well maybe not that bad, but bad enough...............Fredo

[SPACEMAN]

WHY ISNT IT GOOD TO USE AN OVEN YOU COOK WITH ,I SEE THE VIDEOS AND THEY USE IT WHATS THE ISSUE .JUST WOUNDERING

[jdougn]

Welcome SpaceMan.
(spoken in my best Toy Story voiceover )

I guess we try to have some fun and melt some plastic around here at times. Here are a couple suggestions for plastic sources.
- I use these guys. Search online for local branches across the USA: Alro Plastics
- You can order online with Professional Plastics
- Obviously, hit your local yellow pages.
- Other guys will probably list more sources

I believe more than a few people have heated plastic in the kitchen oven. But be aware that about the time that ABS gets to the right molding temperature it can start to smoke and give off pretty stout fumes. This may be something that other people in the household don't appreciate.
hth, DougN
_________________
DougN - Just in case you're wondering, I got my "rating" legitimately... by posting aimless drivel, useless advice, and pointless questions.

[SPACEMAN]

CAN ANYONE GIVE ME SOME ADVICE ON THE FIRST TIME I DO THIS I THINK IM GUNNA TRY PLEXY FIRST .DOSE THAT GIVE OFF THE SAME FUMES ,(WIFE IS PREGNANT AND DONT WANT ANY PROBLEMS) IS IT EASIER TO WORK WITH OR WHAT IS ,SO I CAN DO THE RIGHT WAY I WANT TO MAKE SOME LENSES FOR MY CAR AS WELL AS GAUGE PODS ,RC CAR BODIES AND OTHER THINGS FOR THE KIDS ,THANKS IN ADVANCE SCOTT

[SPACEMAN]

thanks guys ,ill figure it out myself

[jdougn]

Hey, been traveling for work and haven't made the time to check in here. I haven't used much of anything except the ABS. You might be able to do a Search and find something.
dn
_________________
DougN - Just in case you're wondering, I got my "rating" legitimately... by posting aimless drivel, useless advice, and pointless questions.

[jegner]

Welcome to the board!

[SPACEMAN]

thank you all for the welcome ,i guess i have to do more research cause im flunking out on a vaccume table design ,kinda on a tight budget with the new baby coming ,so dose anyone have any ideas that will help me


thsnks scott

[spektr]

Howdy.
Abs in the kitchen?... Hmmmmmm I'd look at that a bit closer. There
is an issue with outgassing of the sheets as you get them up to temp.
There might not be a real hazard to it, but it isnt something your
wife and baby will learn to love. Vac forming is a fairly simple process
BUT there are so many little tricks to it that make it a lot easier.
If you give us an idea what you'd think you'd like to make, we can give
you a few pointers. Also remember that some of us dont live here on
the board and a few days silence isnt unusual. I almost decided to let
you figure it out yourself but then I guessed you were just a bit frustrated.
ANYWAY..... post your project ideas on the board, and I'll nudge you along
a bit with what I know.. Good to meet you... Scott.

[SPACEMAN]

ya sorry ,im really interested in this and just got fusterated not hearing anything .(i work nights and i stayed up all day trying to research this and didnt find much. plus the other things that were getting to me and i really hate computers but im learning) . well there are a few things that i would like to make ,

rc bodys for my 10yr olds car
some blackout covers for my cars headlights
and id like to try to make a copy of this gauge pod i have for my car
there are probably other things ,theyll come as i start to make things but im a little discuraged ,cause i dint have the money for an ellabrate machine like i see on here .thats why when i found out you could do it with a oven and a shop vac i was like ,im game how do it do it ? again im sorry for being pushy .and help is great and thank you to all that have replied so far

[TK 109]

Hey, Welcome!
_________________
-Alex

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[CJanssen]

Welcome to the board....

I have only worked with HIPS and not inside the house so I cant offer any advice on fumes inside the house.

Maybe you can find an old range on Craigslist and work with that in the garage? (that does bring up wiring issues though)

Have any molds going?

CJ
_________________
"What, you think your some kind of Jedi?"

[SPACEMAN]

Not as of yet , I have a baby on the way so my concerns have been with that and getting ready. The fumes thing has got me , I live on the second floor apartment, no access to a basement or garage so that kinda puts a damper on things. I saw that you could do in the oven and I was surprised. I said I can do that, ( I’m pretty handy with making things ) my plans are to make some molds for my older son and wife to make lollypops and stuff, maybe headlight lenses. ( if heat issue then maybe some black out covers for them and a few different styles of gauge pods. Sorry I must stick out like a sore thumb with the car stuff, I see all you guys are mostly in to Star Wars and stuff. I was just very interested in this and stumbled onto your forum. You guys got a lot of talent, and hope I can get there. Any ideas on what to use as mold material? Plaster of Paris? Wood? Thanks in advance for help I’ll continue to look around for answers.

[crashmann]

Hi Spaceman, and welcome to the forum!

You can make vacuum form molds from practically anything, as long as it doesn't crush or distort under the pressure of the vacuum. The first step is to make your prototype using a material you are familiar with. Many folks use water or oil based clay. Others use craft foam, then coat it with automotive filler putty. Jim uses MDF for his molds, but shaping, sanding, and finishing the molds creates a ton of dust, and the glue to bind the fibers together has formaldehyde in it - not good for babies, their mothers, or fathers.

Once you've got your prototype, you then need to make a production mold. I do a pull over the prototype using very thin plastic. Then pour Plaster of Paris into the pull. After sharpening up the details and drilling holes to encourage vacuum to pass through, I use that mold for production. If your hobby generates income, you could make molds using vacuum forming epoxy resin, which is not brittle like plaster, and is much more resilient.

If you are making candy molds, make sure you use food grade plastic. PETG is safe, but not ABS or HIPS. Be sure to check with your plastic supplier when ordering plastic for this purpose. Ultimately, it would be cheaper to buy pre-made molds from confectionery stores.

There's a reason that folks have been getting bent out of shape about chemicals leaching from plastic water bottles. There's a reason why others claim you should not cook food using plastic containers in a microwave. However, there's also a Snopes article that claims cooking plastic in microwaves does not cause cancer. Most importantly, there's a reason that once you bake plastic in your kitchen oven, you do not cook and consume food baked in there.

The guys that work at GE Polymershapes where I pick up my plastic from are a few beers short of a 6 pack. According to the Thurston James Molding and Casting book, heating plastic is fine, but burning plastic is bad.

I have not gone digging for absolute proof and documentation regarding the fumes released from different types of plastic as it is being heated, but I have smelled it, and I can assure you it is not something you want your family to breathe on a regular basis.

Plastic fumes are bad for humans! Especially babies!

My vac table is in my garage, and when it is running, I have the front and back doors open, fans blowing fresh air through the garage, and I wear a respirator. The air space in the garage is completely separated from the rest of the house. A little overkill, perhaps, but my brain is already turning into Swiss cheese, and I intend to do everything I can to prevent new holes from opening up in my memory.

I am not trying to discourage your interest in vacuum forming, but I do want you to be careful with how you choose to operate. Can you work on your molds outside the apartment, perhaps on a community picnic bench? Can you get good ventilation flowing through your kitchen? Will your wife and baby be out of the house for a few hours while you melt plastic in the oven? Are you willing to not cook food in the oven after baking plastic in there?

Charlie