making mouldable plastic

[paulstreats]

check this link
http://www.instructables.com/id/How-to-%22make%22-plastic/
it basically shows how to melt syrofoam with paint thinners, you can then mould the plastic like playdough and then leave to harden.

it might be useful to someone...

[HDL_CinC_Dragon]

Thanks paul! This is going to come in handy =)

[paulstreats]

ive got some in an old coffee jar right now, im just going to mould into a basic shape and leave it to set.

i'll report back on the results

[Admin]

Im curious about its flexibility and hardness after its done.

[nottoooily]

That sounds handy.

You can also mold small thermoplastic parts with a homemade injection molder. I made one using the clylinder and piston from a car shock absorber, an electric drill and threaded rod to inject it, and a hot-air paint stripper to melt the contents. The same device can also be used for doing extrusions, but that's even easier because you don't need to clamp a mold closed.

You can also use silicone rubber molds to duplicate other parts, but I didn't develop this idea very far and only got some distorted parts out of it.

For some shapes it's also possible to just leave some plastic sitting in a mold in the oven for a little while.

check this link
http://www.instructables.com/id/How-to-%22make%22-plastic/
it basically shows how to melt syrofoam with paint thinners, you can then mould the plastic like playdough and then leave to harden.

it might be useful to someone...

[paulstreats]

my plastic still hasnt set properly yet

The paint thinners i used said "acetone based paint thinner" on them, i presume that there wasnt enough acetone content to do the job efficiently, im going to have to try again with pure acetone if i can get it. Most products in the uk generally dont say whats in them, or even what quantities. Try going into a hardware shop and asking for a stone cleaning product with hydrochloric acid in it. What you get is confused looks and then the suspicious question"why? what do you want it for?"

[Steve Joblin]

If memory serves correctly, isn't nail polish remover pure acetone?

[Tsukubadaisei]

Thanks for sharing. I have been looking for this kind of information lately.

[paulstreats]

there is also this product:

http://www.technobots.co.uk/acatalog/Online_Catalogue_Polymorph_Granules_104.html