OlderThanMe Posted February 15, 2008 Share Posted February 15, 2008 I have been looking at how to form thicker clear plastics with compound bends (headlight covers and other stuff). Here is some info that I have found. Philco forum post on thin plastics Hobbiest vacuum forming: www.warmplastic.com Another very good page on DIY vacuum forming I don't think I want to do vacuum forming... I want to use thicker plastic(like 1/8"-1/4" thick) and be able to form it over a mold. Any ideas? *edit* Inspiration Ferrari: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
big-phil Posted February 15, 2008 Share Posted February 15, 2008 Man that gives me lots of ideas if it not that hard to do. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeff Posted February 16, 2008 Share Posted February 16, 2008 Vacuum forming gives great detail but for your Ferrari inspiration and using thicker materials do a Google search on drape forming. Simplier shapes but you can create inexpensive wood male molds, heat your clear sheet material and drape form it over your mold to create your part. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
G.I.jonas Posted February 16, 2008 Share Posted February 16, 2008 Oh man do i have some stuff for you.If you havnt been here before check it out,especially the pourable clear plastic.They have many different types-stuff is crystal clear,strong and did i mention pourable!. *edit* oh yea the link http://www.rubbermoldcompounds.com/trialKits-Rigid.html Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OlderThanMe Posted February 16, 2008 Author Share Posted February 16, 2008 Vacuum forming gives great detail but for your Ferrari inspiration and using thicker materials do a Google search on drape forming. Simplier shapes but you can create inexpensive wood male molds, heat your clear sheet material and drape form it over your mold to create your part. So would I just be able to use a hot air gun to form the plastic over the male mold? (like a hair dryer on steroids...) I don't want to transfer any fingerprints or woodgrain onto the plastic. I'll get some materials and play with it some. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kennysgreen280zt Posted February 16, 2008 Share Posted February 16, 2008 We sell thermoformers at work. they are a bit more than 'hobby' machines though. http://www.dynacnc.com/page8884.asp Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OlderThanMe Posted February 16, 2008 Author Share Posted February 16, 2008 Oh man do i have some stuff for you.If you havnt been here before check it out,especially the pourable clear plastic.They have many different types-stuff is crystal clear,strong and did i mention pourable!. *edit* oh yea the link http://www.rubbermoldcompounds.com/trialKits-Rigid.html That is some cool stuff! Its $150 for a gallon of clear though... A little prohibitive for my costs. Some of that $50/Gallon would be good though for other custom parts that don't have to be very pretty or are going to be painted. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeff Posted February 16, 2008 Share Posted February 16, 2008 So would I just be able to use a hot air gun to form the plastic over the male mold? (like a hair dryer on steroids...)I don't want to transfer any fingerprints or woodgrain onto the plastic. I'll get some materials and play with it some. Ideally you need to heat your sheet material in an oven so that when you drape it over your mold it distributes evenly. The wood mold is typically sanded smooth and primed so that it won't transfer any wood graining. I run into projects at work that require this type of application occasionally so I'm no expert but was trying to pass on my limited knowledge. I did a Google search and this appears to be a descent write up. Click here. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeff Posted February 16, 2008 Share Posted February 16, 2008 That is some cool stuff!Its $150 for a gallon of clear though... A little prohibitive for my costs. Some of that $50/Gallon would be good though for other custom parts that don't have to be very pretty or are going to be painted. The clear casting materials from Smooth On are very cool but very expensive and very difficult to work with. Once you mix the 2 parts you've got to put them in a vacuum chamber to eliminate air bubbles while you're casting them. We did an 8' tall Buddha using the Smooth On Clear Cast last year and it was very cool but very difficult as well. Not something you want to play with on the hobby level. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OlderThanMe Posted February 16, 2008 Author Share Posted February 16, 2008 So maybe I could build a frame out of 2X4's and clamp the plastic piece in there, heat it, and then lay it over the mold by hand with the 2X4 frame. Basically like a cheap hand-held version of those big forming machines. I'll do more reading on it tomorrow. This is great stuff! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
G.I.jonas Posted February 16, 2008 Share Posted February 16, 2008 What are you going to make? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OlderThanMe Posted February 16, 2008 Author Share Posted February 16, 2008 What are you going to make? hehe... We'll have to see. I know that I'm not going to be doing any windows...just yet. Probably just small stuff. I'll post some pics if anything cool comes of it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
G.I.jonas Posted February 16, 2008 Share Posted February 16, 2008 I figured Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stormtracker Posted February 16, 2008 Share Posted February 16, 2008 I may try this with one of the most hard to find part for the s130...dome light lense. Chris Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cygnusx1 Posted February 16, 2008 Share Posted February 16, 2008 Experiment with some 1/8" lexan. Get a large salad bowl or form in the shape you want. Put a bunch of heavy sand in the oven and bake it to about 200-400 degrees (whatever will form the lexan) then take the sand out of the oven and place the sand or sand bags on the lexan. Hopefully with the heat and weight of the sand, it will form the lexan into the mold. I don't know if this works but it's an easy experiment. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OlderThanMe Posted February 16, 2008 Author Share Posted February 16, 2008 I figured I've had enough newbs poo-poo my ideas that I figured instead of having to hear that junk that I'll just do it first and see what the input is afterward. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HoustonZ Posted February 16, 2008 Share Posted February 16, 2008 I used to do small scale Lexan forming in the microwave. Worked great! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
G.I.jonas Posted February 16, 2008 Share Posted February 16, 2008 I've had enough newbs poo-poo my ideas that I figured instead of having to hear that junk that I'll just do it first and see what the input is afterward. You'll get none of that from me,i know my doings sure have seen ridicule in the past. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest TeamNissan Posted February 16, 2008 Share Posted February 16, 2008 I'm working on a clear valve cover myself. My reading indicates lexan is bad for automotive forming and acrylic is preferred. Idk we will all see soon. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mario_82_ZXT Posted February 16, 2008 Share Posted February 16, 2008 I remember reading about this somewhere: http://www.halloweenfear.com/vacuumformintro.html Should be helpful for at least some of the parts. Mario Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.