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drcrash
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Joined: 04 Sep 2006
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Location: Austin, Texas

PostPosted: Sun May 20, 2007 3:13 pm    Post subject: My wife's (and my) little mask-making vacuum former setup Reply with quote



This uses the oven two-burner-hotplate (and disposable aluminum pans) oven described in this thread on RCGroups:

http://www.rcgroups.com/forums/showthread.php?t=621858

The plumbing is the little 2-stage setup I showed earlier in this thread.

The one-big-hole (with windowscreen) platen sits on whatever's convenient---in this case, a folding stand for a portable barbecue, which I found at the Goodwill Blue Hanger store for a couple of bucks.

The oven just sits behind the platen, making it easy and quick to lift up the plastic, pull it toward you, and bring it down over the buck.
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TK 109
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Joined: 11 May 2007
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Location: Galena, Ohio

PostPosted: Mon May 21, 2007 2:47 pm    Post subject: pink stuff? Reply with quote

I do hope that pink stuff in the background isn't what they vacuform with... Shocked
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drcrash
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PostPosted: Mon May 21, 2007 9:55 pm    Post subject: Re: pink stuff? Reply with quote

TK 109 wrote:
I do hope that pink stuff in the background isn't what they vacuform with... Shocked


Actually, I do plan to vacuum form it. (Or try to.) It's extruded polystyrene foam insulation that I sliced thin with a hot wire cutter. (The pink stuff is Foamular, the Owens-Corning equivalent of Dow's blue stuff, i.e. Styrofoam (TM) brand styrofoam.) I want to mold radio control model planes out of it.

And I'm confident enough in my masculinity to use the pink stuff when I get it for free. Smile
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gobler
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Joined: 23 Mar 2007
Posts: 30
Location: So Cal

PostPosted: Wed May 23, 2007 10:58 am    Post subject: Re: pink stuff? Reply with quote

drcrash wrote:
TK 109 wrote:
I do hope that pink stuff in the background isn't what they vacuform with... Shocked


Actually, I do plan to vacuum form it. (Or try to.) It's extruded polystyrene foam insulation that I sliced thin with a hot wire cutter. (The pink stuff is Foamular, the Owens-Corning equivalent of Dow's blue stuff, i.e. Styrofoam (TM) brand styrofoam.) I want to mold radio control model planes out of it.

And I'm confident enough in my masculinity to use the pink stuff when I get it for free. Smile


Just to let you know, when you heat polystyrene it releases toxic fumes Exclamation Be very very careful if you attempt this. Make sure you have a big open door (garage size) and fans venting any fumes to the out side. You will need one on both sides and pointed in the same direction i.e. blowing across the foam and then to the out side. You should also wear an OHSA approved respirator. Be safe and good luck.

Cheers,
Jeff
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TK 109
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Joined: 11 May 2007
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Location: Galena, Ohio

PostPosted: Wed May 23, 2007 2:34 pm    Post subject: well... Reply with quote

Are you sure that stuff won't just melt, i mea, i just don't see that extruded stuff working very well...
Also, doesn't extruded mean... foam?
This isn't good for thermoforming either, because foam is all holy and stuff, so you wouldn't have a vacuum-seal, would you?
If it works, post some pictures of the results! I want to see this stuff in action! Very Happy
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drcrash
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PostPosted: Wed May 23, 2007 2:51 pm    Post subject: Re: well... Reply with quote

TK 109 wrote:
Are you sure that stuff won't just melt, i mea, i just don't see that extruded stuff working very well...
Also, doesn't extruded mean... foam?
This isn't good for thermoforming either, because foam is all holy and stuff, so you wouldn't have a vacuum-seal, would you?
If it works, post some pictures of the results! I want to see this stuff in action! Very Happy


You can vacuum form foams... I vacuum form EVA foam regularly.
The holes are not a big problem if it's a "closed cell" or mostly closed-cell foam. (In a closed cell foam, the bubbles are closed, so they don't make tunnels all through the foam, like a sponge.)

Check out these recent threads

http://www.tk560.com/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=635

http://www.tk560.com/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=567

and this older one

http://www.tk560.com/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=441&start=0&postdays=0&postorder=asc&highlight=eva+foam+craft+foam

Extruded polystyrene seems to be trickier than EVA... not as forgiving of sloppy heating... but there are people who vacuum form airplane models out of it, commercially.
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gobler
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Joined: 23 Mar 2007
Posts: 30
Location: So Cal

PostPosted: Thu May 24, 2007 4:48 pm    Post subject: Re: well... Reply with quote

TK 109 wrote:
Are you sure that stuff won't just melt, i mea, i just don't see that extruded stuff working very well...
Also, doesn't extruded mean... foam?
This isn't good for thermoforming either, because foam is all holy and stuff, so you wouldn't have a vacuum-seal, would you?
If it works, post some pictures of the results! I want to see this stuff in action! Very Happy


I know the stuff is nasty to work with. Not my first, second, or third choice.. Wink It may very well melt depending on the heat of the oven. IMO it's more of a PITA then thermo plastics.

Cheers,
Jeff
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TK 109
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Joined: 11 May 2007
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Location: Galena, Ohio

PostPosted: Mon May 28, 2007 5:13 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

most impressive, i would LOVE to see some pulls!
i learned something new today, thanks dr crash!
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drcrash
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PostPosted: Tue May 29, 2007 7:41 am    Post subject: Re: pink stuff? Reply with quote

gobler wrote:

Just to let you know, when you heat polystyrene it releases toxic fumes Exclamation Be very very careful if you attempt this. Make sure you have a big open door (garage size) and fans venting any fumes to the out side.


As I understand it, the polystyrene itself is not the problem, unless you burn it. (Which you do when you cut it with hot wire.) It's the same plastic as solid "styrene" (actually polystyrene; styrene by itself is a monomer, not a plastic, and is a liquid at room temperature). So the insulation foam is mostly the same stuff as HIS.

The insulation foam does have flame retardants added to it, though, and they are carcinogenic to breathe. There may also be noxious stuff in the foaming gases, which get released when you cut it.

So yeah, I'm pretty careful with the stuff. (I do have an OSHA-approved lotsa-chemicals-absorbing respirator.) If I end up doing a lot of this stuff, I'll use a homemade forced air respirator. (A hairdryer with the heat turned off blowing plenty of fresh air through a hose to a snorkel mouthpiece.)
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GoldCylon
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Joined: 04 Jan 2006
Posts: 18
Location: Sacramento

PostPosted: Sun Jun 03, 2007 10:47 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

I feel so left behind, my unit was in the heat testing stages, and I blew out the nichrome wire the 1st try, and haven't had the heart to go at it again.
On an other note, the vac storage tank wasn't working out very good, but on the the frame, that sucker I would let stand on the freeway,and take a direct hit from anything out there. I built it tooo tough I think, weighs in at 200 LB , and it is a 24 x 24 puller popper.
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TK 109
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Joined: 11 May 2007
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PostPosted: Mon Jun 04, 2007 3:03 pm    Post subject: some oven info for ya! Reply with quote

hey Gold Cyclon....
remember, when it comes to electricity...
BLACK GOES TO WHITE (A TERMINAL TO B TERMINAL TO C TERMINAL, BLACK WHITE BLACK!) AND THEN SEPERATE THE NEXT 2 (OR WHATEVER NUMBER OF TERMINALS YOU HAVE), D (BLACK) TO E (WHITE)
and there you SHOULD have it, oven coils. (that is, if you don't hve a short somewhere...)
One time, i had my oven thermometer too close to a set of coils, and they welded to my thermometer... I picked it off, fixed the short, sat back and watched my thermometer go from the highest temp back down to zero (i removed it to let it cool off) Laughing
sometimes, my terminal posts or coils will make contact with the roof flashing on the inside of my oven walls, and i create a sort that way. they aren't as violent as the coils plus thermometer incident, bu that section gets cold... Crying or Very sad
I never get shorts in my electrical box because EVERYTHING is taped and sealed....
just a little info... Wink
welcome to the world of vacuum-forming! Laughing
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cod
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Joined: 05 Nov 2006
Posts: 322
Location: San Francisco

PostPosted: Wed Jun 06, 2007 7:29 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

I use GFCI outlets on my 2 nichrome circuits. Theoretically, they should pop as soon as there is a short, but I haven't had one yet....

That and all enclosing metal is grounded- always a good policy.
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GoldCylon
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PostPosted: Wed Jun 06, 2007 8:04 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

It was only a small section that went red, and melted, like a short almost. It was a break in the middle that was effected, not the entire length of the wire.
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cod
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PostPosted: Wed Jun 06, 2007 8:43 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

GoldCylon wrote:
It was only a small section that went red, and melted, like a short almost. It was a break in the middle that was effected, not the entire length of the wire.


that's weird. sounds like it was defective wire, or touching something it shouldn't be. I've heard some people just tie it together and continue on. I would think that would raise up your current flow a tiny bit though, and the whole length would run a tiny bit hotter.
I was thinking if my nichrome broke I might use a tiny nut/washer/bolt to clamp the two ends together again. But another forum member said they were able to just tie it together with itself.

How much red glow could you see before it blew ? I think in a daytime lit troom you should barely be able to see any glow, but turn off the lights and you will see a lot of glow. I've also noticed that if the coils are uneven and knotty, then their output varies accordingly, some sections redder than others.
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TK 109
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PostPosted: Thu Jun 14, 2007 9:41 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

check your wiring man, i had the same problem!
black to white, white to black! just keep that in mind...
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