Ok, so my girlfriend has this hair dryer she said I could steal and bust apart to use to make a model. What I'd like to do is pop the shell open and use the top half to make a vacu form mold to pull hot styrene down over (I don't know if that's technically vacu-form since I'm not realy using a vacuum or suction).
Anyway, the hair dryer shell is a real cool shape and I'd like to use it but I need to figure out how to make a mold that will work well for this process. I'm assuming that pulling hot styrene down over what is essentially styrene is going to be a problem. any suggestions on how to make a mold?
Need some advice on vacu-molding
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Chacal
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If it is a shape that can be vacuformed (or plug formed, which is technically the name for what you intend), i.e. has no undercuts, but is heat sensitive, you can make a female plaster cast (plastic, if untextured comes off easily from plaster), then a male plaster plug from that female mold, but you need to coat the mold with a release agent, because plaster sticks to plaster.
Then you use the male plaster plug to plug form the plastic you need. However, you might need a cutout to help pull the plastic all around. That is a thin MDF or plywood sheet with a cutout the shape of the plug plus a coupla millimeters shaved off, so that it fits around the plug with space for the plastic. You clamp the heated sheet to the cutout and push it down.
Then you use the male plaster plug to plug form the plastic you need. However, you might need a cutout to help pull the plastic all around. That is a thin MDF or plywood sheet with a cutout the shape of the plug plus a coupla millimeters shaved off, so that it fits around the plug with space for the plastic. You clamp the heated sheet to the cutout and push it down.
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let me see if I follow correctly!
Once I get the piece detached and cut the way I want - Make a plaster mold of the piece. Follow that by making a plaster cast of that mold. I can use that piece as the master for my styrene sheet correct?
I had planned on building an apropriately sized frame to use for the styrene!
Once I get the piece detached and cut the way I want - Make a plaster mold of the piece. Follow that by making a plaster cast of that mold. I can use that piece as the master for my styrene sheet correct?
I had planned on building an apropriately sized frame to use for the styrene!
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TER-OR
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You can use the negative mold - the first plaster part - to vacuform as well. You need to either drill small holes into the plaster or place vaseline-coated wires into the plaster at the start. Those holes will pull the plastic into the plaster mold when you do the vacuum correctly.
You can also roll out epoxy putty like pie crust using talc or corn starch as a lubricant and clad the plastic piece. If you do it right, you can replicate the piece and pop it off after it cures. Or leave it on, if you don't need it for anything else.
You can also roll out epoxy putty like pie crust using talc or corn starch as a lubricant and clad the plastic piece. If you do it right, you can replicate the piece and pop it off after it cures. Or leave it on, if you don't need it for anything else.
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Terry Miesle
Never trust anyone who says they don't have a hobby.
Quando Omni Flunkus Moratati