OK.
It's time for me for some language practicing.
What I mean:
I'd really like to know what exactly You call "styrene", what is the real english name for the material I call "foamed PVC"... Thankfully I know what the VIVAK is ... (copolyester)
Ohh BTW:
"Breathing high levels of styrene for a short time can result in nervous system effects such as depression, concentration problems, muscle weakness, tiredness, and nausea, and possibly eye, nose, and throat irritation."
OMG what do We do all the time !!
Polystyrene is a plastic, as is PVC (Poly Vinyl Chloride), polyethylene, polypropylene, polycarbonate and so on. It depends on what the plastic is made out of.
Each have specific melting points based upon their density and various chemicals such as chlorine can be released upon burning.
Let's see... polystyrene can be used to make model parts, of course. Also, foam coffee cups and plates.
PVC is generally used in plumbing pipes.
Polycarbonate can be used to make CDs and your eyeglasses.
Polyethylene is usually found as grocery bags or milk jugs.
Polypropylene is also known as Tupperware. It's really flexible and sometimes has a waxy feel to it.
I don't know the specific qualities of said plastics like which ones contain chlorine or petroleum.
Hmm... personally I use a lot of foamed PVC selling out in big sheets - 122x244 cm - 1-2mm thick, canopies are stamped with VIVAK - it depends - 0,5 or 0,25mm... And at the HIPS - some kind of polystyrene in thickness 0.25 to 1mm...
Is there anybody out there who uses foamed PVC ? It can be carv very nice and is very similar to all things like NECURON and stuff (all of those red/brown modeling strips)...
Oh and usually use a mask at work .
MRF wrote:
Is there anybody out there who uses foamed PVC :wink: ? It can be carv very nice and is very similar to all things like NECURON and stuff (all of those red/brown modeling strips)...
Oh and usually use a mask at work :).
I have a big sheet (it's either about 3 mm thick or 6.5mm thick... I don't have it here) that I bought at a local plastic supplier. It was cheap. While there were some questions on how (or what) it would glue, I've had no problems using regular Testors liquid glue to glue the plastic together. Styrene "For sale" signs are a convenient source of thin styrene, but this foamed PVC is great for big structural elements. I prefer it to insulation foam, since it's hard yet carves and sands very easily.
HIPS stands for High Impact PolyStyrene. This comes in white and black sheets of varying thicknesses. I should also say I've never heard of Low Impact PolyStyrene, so I don't know why this name is used. The same material is used in granular form in Injection-molding machines. Actually, all plastics are used for such purposes, though the exact application (what plastic for what job) can be very specific. PVC can be used to make pipes for plumbing and electrical. ABS is used for waste pipes and vents. A variation of PVC is also used to make 'bendy' figures.
Foamed PVC is sold in the US as Sintra and other names. You can glue it with the same kind of cement used for sprinkler pipes or you can use any kind of superglue. There is also another version of this material made using ABS, but I don't know the name. You can tell which is which by the smell when cutting it on a bandsaw or table saw. PVC has no odor, where ABS has a slightly acrid smell. Personally, I don't like the ABS version as it is harder to glue-- and superglue isn't much help, either.
By the way, when Polar Lights first started, they accidentally ran one of their kits in ABS instead of HIPS. Its the same gray color, but regular solvent glues barely made a dent in the stuff. I can't recall which kit it was, but you'll know when you have one if your regular glue doesn't do anything. The solution is to either get the stuff Plastruct sells (all the gray Plastruct stuff is ABS) or go to a home center and get some ABS cement.
Scott
Note: Please do not send me Private Messages (PM'S)! I will not answer them.
That's interesting. Apart from Plastruct's "special house blend" of ABS, I've never had problems gluing ABS parts with Testors liquid or Tenax. Stuff's tougher than styrene, no doubt, but it's always responded to the solvents well enough.
"Chaos is found in greatest abundance wherever order is being sought. It always defeats order, because it is better organized."
-Ly Tin Wheedle
Plastruct parts are not all ABS. The VT tubing and grey structural shapes like hemispheres and dished heads are ABS. They also sell grey sheets of ABS. The multi coloured parts and the grey inline valves variants are butyrate. The smaller sizes of pipe are butyrate too (more often that not, moulded in white) along with the bends and fittings that go with them. The clear parts are generally acrylic. Almost all of them glue far better with superglue but the true ABS parts do stick well with their solvent cements. Keep away from anything in bright colours and both types of glue should work nicely. EMA parts will not yield to mek based solvent cements intended solely for styrene/plastic kits.
... (copolyester)
.