Hardware Store Vacuum Table - HOW TO make your own
ฝัง
- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 30 ก.ย. 2018
- Large vacuum formers are super awesome, but can't just be purchased like other equipment. Bill teaches you how to make your very own large vacuum former using materials from the hardware store!
Links:
Join the Extra Credit Club! punishedprops.com/extra-credi...
Bob’s Vacuum Former - • How to Make a Larger V...
James’ Vacuum Former - • How to build a vacuum ...
Our Small Vacuum Former - • Prop: Shop - How to Ma...
Instructables WardWorks Build - www.instructables.com/id/Buil...
Volpin Protoform Build - www.volpinprops.com/protoform-...
The Prop Builder’s Molding & Casting Handbook: Thurston James - Amazon - amzn.to/2Qh6Kbh
PET-G Plastic: amzn.to/2xHDd5v
Materials - Vacuum Former:
Patio Heaters (x2) - $240 - Amazon
amzn.to/2xLMc3Y
Wood Screws - $4 - Amazon
amzn.to/2QiHbqs
Super 77 - $10 - Amazon
amzn.to/2zCtOMj
Wood Glue - $8 - Amazon
amzn.to/2DFjeIm
4 Corner L Brackets (x2) - $5 - Amazon
amzn.to/2xFy647
6’ Long 1/8” Thick x 1-1/4” Aluminum Angle Bar (x3) - $80 - Amazon
amzn.to/2xYpyVm
I only found 4’ long pieces on Amazon, you will need to buy 4 to get the total length you need. Also I recommend making your frame a little smaller than 24” square to save on aluminum. Cut the raw material into 2’ segments, then cut the miters on the ends. Assemble the frame, then build your platen to fit inside the frame.
8-32 x 1/2” Screws - $8 - Amazon
amzn.to/2xLeOdI
8-32 Nuts - $8 - Amazon
amzn.to/2xYyjPf
Sash Locks (x4) - $12 - Amazon
amzn.to/2DFal1z
Thin Steel Plate - $10 - Amazon
amzn.to/2xLUcSy
Shop Vac - $120 - Amazon
amzn.to/38L0bqg
Metal Mesh - $10 - Amazon
amzn.to/2DE26mo
Striped Duct Tape - $5 - Amazon
amzn.to/2NaA3KK
30” Continuous Hinge (x4) - $35 - Amazon
amzn.to/2DFhyOX
Aluminum Tape - $10 - Amazon
amzn.to/2OmNs75
Aluminum Foil - $10 - Amazon
amzn.to/2xX0ZIe
Wood - Locally Sourced
1/2” 2’x4’ Plywood (x2) - $40
3/4” 2’x4’ MDF - $15
1/4” 2’ x 4’ MDF (x4) - $30
Total: $660
Tools:
Jig Saw - Amazon
amzn.to/2xKPPXL
Band Saw - Amazon
amzn.to/1y27zVJ
Table Saw - Amazon
amzn.to/2bBWN8D
Belt Sander - Amazon
amzn.to/2DEJQcy
Power Drill - Amazon
amzn.to/2xS7bPC
Drill Bits - Amazon
amzn.to/2QfHZfz
Countersink Bits - Amazon
amzn.to/2Qfwe92
Extension Cords - Amazon
amzn.to/2InuXtP
Thermometer - Amazon
amzn.to/2ESzqGe
Circular Saw - Amazon
amzn.to/2OfEjgH
Bear Hand Saw - Amazon
amzn.to/2DDHmLt
Miter Box - Amazon
amzn.to/2Ohy8bW
Spindle Sander - Amazon
amzn.to/1Fa8rix
Palm Sander - Amazon
amzn.to/2GKhMl5
Horizontal Metal Cutting Bandsaw - Amazon
amzn.to/2NMYCmi
Countersink Bits - Amazon
amzn.to/2Qbm2OE
Metal Hanger Strap - Amazon
amzn.to/2N9foGI
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Check out our website to see all the materials used and more build photos: punishedprops.com/2018/10/01/large-vacuumformer/
Call it "The Warm Sucker"
where do you buy your styrene? i used to buy it at my university but since i graduated i cant buy from them and i havent been able to find affordable styrene anywhere
Call it Indica
We have a couple local plastic suppliers in Seattle. Tap Plastics is our favorite!
Hey PPA, you could name it "Shape Sucker"
Hey Bill, it's been a while since vacuuforming for me (worked at a sign company). A little tip: at the end of the vacuum draw, if there are some imperfections where the vacuum didn't pull all the plastic, use a heat gun to reheat the plastic as the vacuum continues to draw. That should fix it.
How thick of material were you doing?
@@ryananthony4840He's still measuring.
Although you are heating the plastic (to be formed), you also need to heat up the area around the form and vacuum table. As soon as the hot plastic hits the cold form and table it quickly looses heat and looses detail, thus the webbing around the bottom of the mould. Use an infrared bulb (or two) over the vacuum table to preheat the bed and form.
Thank you for always showing yourself wearing proper safety gear! It makes others more conscious of safety
I’m glad to see you making something that’s not perfect. Designing as you go is how many of us do things, we try one thing, and if it doesn’t work, we try to think of a better way. I think an imperfect build video is very inspiring.
Dope! I love how you showed your trials and errors, and talked through the various issues and possible solutions, etc. Super cool to see the realistic process, and appreciative that the time you put in will save us time when we take this project on. Thanks!!
Ah, that book is such an awesome resource! Awesome build. Loving the new "as we go" style.
th-cam.com/video/hTdpXFmikvk/w-d-xo.html
wow! thank you i remember seeing your video about the small vacuform & was excited to see this be done
2 years later and this video is still worth it. For your heater( you may have solved this long ago), I volunteered once building an Open 60 sailboat, they used prepregged carbon fibre/epoxy. The autoclave they built covered the whole boat and they used refective styrofoam panels with minimal wood framing. Worked like a charm! Loved the video and the trouble shooting process. Thank you!
Thanks so much for watching and for the tips!
I’ve started keeping a log of all my vacuform pulls: time, temperature, material used, that sort of thing. It makes it easier to keep track of what works well, and what doesn’t- especially what doesn’t.
Fantastic tip Alex!
I am making one for the first time what do you recommend
Great video! I loved watching the struggle and troubleshooting you did. It's nice to know that it is okay to not get it right the first time, and make adjustments when needed.
th-cam.com/video/hTdpXFmikvk/w-d-xo.html
nice job!! when the last run hit the mold i was so impressed!
This was actually very handy for me as im a younger diesel mechanic and i have loads of tools and this was a perfect way for me to make custom tool organizers for all of my tools even the oddball ones i own and so far its working perfect i just used black plastic and it was slightly thicker for durability. I also made a couple tool trays for a couple other guys in the shop and they love it so far! Great idea. Been trying to solve this problem for a while!
That's fantastic!
I know its been five years, but what plastic did you use and where did you get it?
That was kind of difficult to watch.
Several years ago (~40 years)
I set up a vacuum forming operation for a company that used thousands of parts made on vacuum form machines. Seeing you struggling with starting from scratch to build a vacuum forming machine was hard to watch. All of the things that didn't work, and needed to be fixed, were very common when you're first learning about vacuum forming. I was glad to see you finally pulled a successful batch of parts. Good luck on your continued adventures in vacuum forming from the ground up. A good, wholesome video you made. It showed the good, the bad, and the ugly of starting to learn a new skill set.
I absolutely love the ingenuity involved in this build. This gives me great ideas for building mine with a few revisions. Great video thanks.
Thanks for watching! We're super glad you found it helpful :)
Great, enjoyed the build. I have used foil faced foam insulation board (held together with the ubiquitous alum foil tape) to build heat boxes.
What a fun project! For the platen I would've done away with the mesh and added a ring on the elbow as a stop so that it doesn't go all the way to the top. This allows for a higher CFM since there's less air resistance. The other change would be to make your "oven" shorter so that there is less volume for the heaters to heat up alleviating some lost heat calories. Otherwise, great build :D
you need the distance to distribute the heat more evenly to the corners
Thanks for the tips!
@Brandon Winters - Wouldn't putting a small fan to circulate the air help alleviate this issue? Just a thought.
@@dolfinmagikpro That was my first thought but you would probably want to get yourself an old or replacement oven fan. Catch being that most of the heat is radiant heat from the heat elements so your really only blowing around the secondary heat (from the plastic). Which is also why the "10 min preheat" probably isnt doing a lot. If you sit under those heaters its hot when they are on and cold when they are not but they dont really heat a room very well only surfaces they shine their light on.
If you really wanted to spread the heat out changing the curve of the reflector would be the answer although probably a real pain. Making the curve shallower would enable the IR light to spread out more giving a more even heat but the foil box is probably doing similarly assuming you are far enough away with the box height. A V shape of mylar would probably give the profile you are looking for with the reflective box the rabbit hole is never ending. Those heaters are built to focus heat and that isnt really what you want but "modification is the mother of invention" or some such.
Why not use Mylar faced styro-insulation boards for the wall material? dual purpose as it would insulate better and reflect any radiant heat back to the center of the box. Just a thought :)
Couple of thoughts on the machine, As far as tripping breakers stuff usually draws the most amps at start up so doing what you did and starting one at a time is a good idea and point to make. I think the real thing with the overhead heater not liking life was the large gaps on top. If you had closed the top gaps and do aluminum tape on the inside I bet it would of worked. Also you might want to think about getting on of those foot on/off switchs for the vac
Regarding heat. It rises and will always try to equalise. Life can be hard enough without fighting nature too.... Underside heaters and good insulation is definitely the way to go.
Great instructional video, great details! Just what I was looking for! Thanks!
Nice build guys. I always wondered how a vacuum molding machine worked . Thanks for sharing 😊
When casting its a good idea to pull past the object. It gets rid of the webbing ruining the result and means it can be cut off. Either be able pull past the table height or raise the master via a stand. Idk if im making any sense. Also I love the scifi panel idea.
I get what you mean. Probably a down side to the way I built this frame. It stops at the platen.
You just need a shallow spacer under the buck that's smaller than the buck so it has some undercut.
@@punishedprops Adam Savage has the video you need :-) th-cam.com/video/Cacr1WeKOzY/w-d-xo.html
Hey Bill. Just one critique for you. MDF is porous (you can actually pull a vacuum through it) so you're probably losing a lot of your vacuum potential to the underside of the table. Just give the bottom and the sides a coat of polyurethane and that will seal it right up. Good luck!
Great addition Mark, thanks!
No way you are losing any vacuum through MDF.
That is not possible as mdf is gas tight. As it's a compressed fibres impregnated with its own binder. as. Really shitty advice doctor mdf
You are absolutely incorrect, MDF is extremely porous and will not hold a vacuum, try to make a vacuum camber with an MDF lid, you will find out how porous MDF really is.
@@cohode6290 bullshit
best video Ive ever seen on how to make a vacuum forming table . It seems like most people treat them like its a secret or something they show the end result but no details on how to do it thanks.
Oh, I am definitely building one of these for my classroom! Yes! Vacuum forming AND VR all in the same year! Thanks again, guys.
Right on!
You should look at frank's at tested. He has one he got from Jamie thats very simple and powerful...same above type heater assembly.
I for one have never seen Frank and Bill in the same video. I'm convinced they're the same person!!
That final piece very MST3K :)
Close, needs more spaghetti. =)
Love you guys ! We made ours with replacement heating elements for a range oven, only because we needed a higher temp to soften 1/4” plexiglass and lexan. Just as another fan mentioned we also use blower tip to cool down and remove the template from the plastic.
Keep up the great videos. Please keep the bloopers coming!
Woah 1/4" thick is serious! Color me impressed. =D
Awesome build. Glad you stuck with it
Instead of bolting the aluminum frame together, using some 'low temp aluminum braising rods' would create a joint stronger than tig welded aluminum. and only needs a plumbing blowtorch. as a bonus it will also fill in any imperfections for those who do not have a metal band saw. There are several you tube videos showing how to use it.
Very cool!... or... HOT!?
wow. I never knew about this. I've been a tig welder a long time and always recommend welding as a last resort. There are so many ways to join things without distorting them like welding has the potential to do. Thanks for the tip on the deal.
Three things:
1: Use insulation around the box to decrease heat loss.
2: Add a plastic mirror (45 degree angle) to the bottom so you don't have to squat down for the IR Sensors.
3: Blow an air chuck into your form to release it.
Oh, I need this. The hot plate! That's so smart.
Love this! a few suggestions though. if you put sharpened inserts (5-6) along the edges where the sheet plastic is, it will act as teeth and "bite" the plastic holding it tight. no need to screw and unscrew each piece to hold edges of plastic. also, if you drill very fine holes on edges of the shapes in the form you will get suction from inside the mold, not just the outside making better/crisper forms. you can then reverse airflow when set and the mold will pop/release. To get rid of webs, preheat that area before the oven with a heat gun. the extra heat in that area will help it form.
start the vac before you lay the sheet on.it needs no delay when applying.
This was going to be my comment also, it's common sense that each second that passes the plastic is hardening! Anyway, must rush - I'm going to go throw some room temperature plastic at my mother-in-law to see if I can make a mask for Halloween.
Your mother-in-law needs a mask? Mine came with her own!
Bill: "So you're probably wondering..."
Me: "Why you counter sunk holes that are going behind a bracket?"
Bill: "... why I'm going with this aluminum."
Me: "Nope. Not wondering that at all."
He's "removing" the "burrs" so the brackets are flush. Yeaaaaa, that's it.
De-burring the holes
What a nice job for making molds for casting gypsum
I very much like the build! I'm moving soon and will finally have room for one in my new workshop space.
Something we used to do a place I worked was put carpet padding under the master which let it pull vacuum all around.
If there's a few more dollars to throw at the project instead of aluminum foil to line the box you could get a roll of Reflectix- it's great stuff and you'll bake the plastic in no time! You'll lose a LOT less heat.
Also you could tape off unused areas and make a smaller vacuum area on the table to use with a smaller frame. Multiple tables in one.
Great tips, thanks for sharing! =D
I think you could do without the extra screws if you glued a thin rubber gasket around the aluminum frame. That would grip the plastic better and more evenly. Also, if you regularly need to vac-form smaller pieces, it seems like you could just cut an adapter matte out two thin metal sheets that would clamp into the larger frame.
Name ideas: Ooie-gooey Prop Drop, Shape Sucker, Fantastic Elastic Plastic Press (FEPP)
That's a pretty great idea!
Another suggestion: You might get more even heating if you added a PC muffin fan inside to create internal convection (not to draw in or exhaust air).
*tosses duplicator sitck in the trash* welp guess it wont work anymore *turns away* *looks back* and now there is 16 trash cans, ugh.
You made this look incredibly easy to do. Wow
Thanks Bill! Making this during the weekend for super secret projects.
Ooooh!
FYI: Highly recommend wearing at least a dust-mask when working with MDF- creates super fine dust that is terrible for your lungs.
Sandriell he had one?
14:57 "0 days glitter free" hahaha.
I love how the thumbnail makes you look like a mad scientist
I loved this video. Watching things not work is every bit as instructive as watching everything work on the first take. Your frustration was fun to watch, too. You're very sympathetic as stuff goes wrong.
I might suggest adding a lid to your warming box. Heat rises, so you're losing heat while it's warming up.
I'm glad you could benefit from our frustration. =D
Rather than using a purely radiative heating scheme, which has the unevenness problems that you ran into here, is there any reason you couldn't have added a fan and made this more convective? That would be a more even heat source and would have the added advantage that you should be able to keep the plastic below the heat source, which is less prone to ... letting out smoke ... and would also be much smaller, and thus more efficient.
The big issue that I can think of would be sourcing a fan (and connections) that could handle the glass-transition temps you're looking at. This would assume that the fan lives entirely inside the box; if you were to put the fan outside, you would need to heat the inlet air as well as the chamber air, which seems more difficult to me, but might work.
As an aside, I found it kind of funny that your shop has a spindle sander but apparently no large hole saws. 8-)
I've considered it, but I've never heard off anyone else using a fan for their vacuum former heating elements. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
@@punishedprops After thinking about it for a bit (like you do), If you were to keep the motor out of the heated space and just run a shaft through the wall with a metal-bladed fan inside, you could probably use inexpensive components. The hole in the wall of the oven wouldn't let out much heat, especially if it were kept close to the diameter of the shaft. (And you could even use a bearing at the wall if over-engineering is your thing.)
8-)
Bill you might think about adding some wooden handles on the sides of the frame similar to old metal pans. That way you don't have to worry about gloves
That's a pretty fantastic idea!
You still need the gloves to help the plastic push through as you vacuum it down... plus you are always at risk of touching the frame while handling the whole thing. Handles can help sure, but keep the gloves !
Thank you for the awesome tutorial.
I'm not sure how you prepped the sheet metal but you could emphasize that preparation is key when using adhesives.
A lot of times they use a protective coating or even petroleum on the sheet metal so I usually clean it really well with 91% isopropyl rubbing alcohol and then I'll lightly rough it up with some 220 sandpaper.
Thanks again I'm looking forward to building a table for myself for forming and laminating wood.
So glad you enjoyed the video!
Hey guys, great video! Useful info as well. I cant wait to make our VF-table so we can do armor pieces. Keeping the distance from the heater and the plastic is important since it Begins to cool fast.
th-cam.com/video/hTdpXFmikvk/w-d-xo.html
The Suk-o-matic 9000!!!
The hot box
Great job! You'll get even better definition if you heat the negative with a heat gun or blow dryer. It will help negate some thermal diffusion from the plastic to the negative.
th-cam.com/video/hTdpXFmikvk/w-d-xo.html
I suggest you throw that vac in reverse and invite me over for some air hockey!!
I made a foot switch to operate the heating coils and the vacuum, leaving my hands free. Don't need any help.
Great Project, I liked that you showed the mistakes as well as the successes. Well Done, Oh and I kinda Like Franken Former !!!
Thank you for sharing this informative and educational video. It demystifies the process of thermoforming.
Wonderful!
“Acme Atomic Styrene Transmutational Energy Amplification Device”
Call it the holey Grill
HA! Yes!!!
Home casting pro! great job guys
Nice build!
Loved the panel!
Your a biilder and an artist!
Congratulations!
OMG I already own that book! That almost never happens :D
It's such a great book!
It's one of the best books on the subject. There is so much to learn from it!
:)
A BANANA for scale? Are you also an IMGURIAN, Bill?
It's not exclusive to imgur
Regarding the vacuum on/off, always handy to have someone hidden behind the counter, but a foot switch count be a nice addition!
Love the build and look forward to trying it out soon. Just a friendly bit of advise. Welding that type of aluminum is called brazing a few of the proper brazing rods and a small torch with yellow MAP gas and your set. Lastly at least in the US most electrical code requires receptacles to be wired with 12g wire on a 20amp breaker. Only lighting circuits should on 14g wire with a 15amp breaker.
I think the vacuum former looks like a Clyde.
This should be the "Carbonite Chamber", also you should vacuum form a Han Solo 3D print and paint it to look like carbonite from Star Wars.
You made this look incredibly easy to do. Wow. You made this look incredibly easy to do. Wow.
I worked in a modeling shop in the 90's and we built our own oven and vac table...for better definition on fine details, perforate the object being formed, especially the deep central cavities. Also, have the vacuum arrive before dropping your frame. Nice work!
Thanks so much!
There is no reason to preheat the box.
Yeah...that confused me. I don't understand why it was necessary to heat it without the plastic... if anything... I would assume it would heat faster being closed off.
I jumped in here to say the exact same thing. All he's doing there is wasting the initial heat (electricity). Yes, I know it's been two years...
He was concerned with getting an even temp across the plastic at all times. I agree that pre heating wouldn’t be necessary but if you wanted to, I’d make a temp cover to improve efficiency
Its name is Mr melty
I like it!
Awesome, dude! This was fun watching; great job!
Great build, great video.
I haven't built one of these, I'm not an expert at this and I don't play on on TV, but I did think of a couple of suggestions ... here is just one.
It's a bit complex, but not so much if you plan the build around it from the start:
For the heater box:
1) Cut a slot in one side, about 1-inch down from the top, and for the full width of the box (yes, this would cut through your hinges but it could be planned for in a new build. The height of the slot should be about, but a little bit bigger than 1/4 inch, but see step 5 to plan the slot dimension.
2) Next cut 2 strips of wood, say 3/8 or 1/2 inch (square in cross-section), and as long as the inside dimension of the box.
3) Attach these 2 strips of wood inside the box, on the 2 sides adjacent to the side where you cut the slot, about 1-inch down from the top of the box. The top of the strips should be even with the bottom edge of the slot you cut, in step-1.
4) Optionally, an additional similar strip of wood could be attached in a similar way to the remaining side (the side opposite to the slot).
5) Prepare a piece of wood (Plywood, MDF, Masonite, ...). Logically this would be made of the same material as the material used for the box. The thickness will be 1/4 inch, but this piece of wood has to fit into the slot cut in step-1, so if using a thicker piece of wood, the height of the slot cut in step-1 needs to match. The width of this wood needs to be lightly smaller (narrower) than the inside dimension of the box. The length needs to be about 1 inch longer than the inside dimension of the box.
6) Optionally, cut a strip of the same material, about 1 inch wide, and the length of the box. Mount this strip about 1/2 inch above the slot, using a continuous hinge, or a few individual hinges, or interlocking screw-eyes and hooks. This piece should swing (pivot) to block or allow access to the slot.
7) Insert the piece of wood cut in step-5 into the slot and push it all the way in, until it touches the opposite side of the box. This piece will be a "lid/cover" that you slide in or out as needed.
Now, when you use the heat-box, you can pre-heat the box, then place your framed plastic sheet on top, and slide the cover out, and you have full instant heat.
Would have been cheaper to just cut some wood spacers and not use the wire mesh.
That's a great alternative!
I built a machine a few years ago and used a router to carve the air ways into the mdf board instead of using spacers around the edge so I would have less edge seems to leak. www.vodundesigns.com/project/vacuum-forming-machine/
@@vodundesigns3076 Wow, nice website and projects!
Yep did spacer blocks with mine. For the platen I stole the biggest cookie sheet my wife had. Been using it over 10 years now.
i was thinking about that material they use in office ceilings over lighting.
its a plastic mesh that has some height to it.
Name recommendation: The Vacuumator.
Nice work. I watched a vacuum form machine work. The big difference is the heat is kept on even as the vacuum is pulled to completion. The heaters were above the plastic and lowered evenly using cables and pulleys.
A great video, most diy videos are edited and only show things going well. You had the courage to shoot from the hip and included the mistakes. I've known for years that the only way to learn is through the mistakes we make, nice job and thank you.
We're really glad you found it so helpful!
hrmmm... 24 x 24 = 576..?
23x23=529
He said 24 by 24 in the video.
He also says 525 not 529.
Yeah, it's like nobody learns what factoring is good for anymore:
24^2 = (4 * 6)^2 = (2 * 2 * 2 * 3)^2 = 2 * 2 * 2 * 3 * 2 * 2 * 2 * 3 =
2^6 * 3^2 = 64 * 3 * 3 = 192 * 3 = *576*
haha, clever.
Your 45 degree cuts should have been 22.5 degree cuts.
I thought the same. However that little miter box probably only had a 45.
@@nathanrogers8713 ahh.....yeah your probably right.
@@nathanrogers8713. I was wondering why he rounded the corners and then squared and mitered everything else. Change of plans I imagine.
Actually the total angle was 90 deg so 45 is correct for each side of a 90 deg corner.
Call it “Old Sucky” because you are probably already thinking about building a new, better one🤪👍
I'm super excited to find this video! Gotta make one of these
It's been very handy!
Wow, good idea, Thanks !
Love what you're doing. Just a couple of points about the heaters. They are infrared heaters. That means that they don't heat the air in the box, they only heat surfaces. So you don't need to preheat. White material reflects much of the heat away, that's why it takes so long to heat. Try building a 3"-4" deep box out of sheet metal to put over what you already have and paint the bottom of the sheet metal facing the heaters with flat black engine paint. That will turn the sheet metal box into an oven. You may need to put it closer to the heaters to get the temps you want but I doubt it since your getting close to your desired temp already. You will have to preheat it to get the sheet metal hot but it shouldn't take very long and it will be an even heat. It's pretty easy to build too.
Great vid! Adding a 6vac power transformer to the original 120vac would give you a 10% power boost, most probably enough to compensate for the borderline heating.
For mechanical connections that are going to go through a lot of movement, like the bolts holding the frame together, it doesn't hurt to put a little Locktite on the bolts so that it won't work its way loose over time. If you're concerned about being able to disassemble it later, use the blue kind. It'll do the job, and if you ever need to disassemble it, it'll come loose with a little force.
Thanks!
I really enjoyed this video, you have real talent for props and for videos.
Thanks so much!
Great video. I wish I had a space to do this. I'm working on the itty bitty former now. Got me a really nice large size toaster oven yesterday for $.69 / lb which came to about $11. Still need me a 2 gal shop vac.
Great video I have a recommended tweak for the heat box is to use foil backed ridged insulation board it keeps the heat in and helps with reflecting the heat in.
Good tip!
BRILLIANT BRO ABSOLUTELY BRILLIANT
I used to vacuum forming an RC body a few years ago, in order to have more details you should drill some holes on the panel you want to form, don't have to be too big, just make it 3 or 4 holes depending how big or wide your panel would be, just to help the air sucked not only from the side of the panel but also from the center. That would helps you get more details.
My 1962 Mattle vacuform says to test the plastic by pressing the corners to see if they are playable. Also each piece of plastic has wholes all way around each side that seat the plastic on pins for even tension. It would be easy to add a few pins to the frame and drill a few holes on each side of the plastic sheets.
Maravilha!!!! Ficou perfeito!
I love it. Have seen how Bob from ILTMS did his with the heat from above. Also if you put something under it and lift ur master the corner creases aren’t right on ur cast but I love you guys stuff
Very nice. The end result worked perfectly.
Thanks so much!
what i love about this video is this; your shop is like mine tool wise...... mostly harbor freight except for the bosch drills :D
Great video I wish that I had seen this years ago. I made mine similarly but I added strategically placed holes in the molds to allow more vacuum where the definition needs some help.
Name for build: Mind Melder, since it takes your collective ideas and molds them into place. =]
Thats pretty awesome! Just an FYI, you can weld aluminum fairly easily without a welder. You just need to heat up the corner with a torch and rub an aluminum welding rod in there.
Thanks for sharing, really enjoyed watching!
Thanks so much!
Instead of the steel mesh, you use for the vacuum system, stick the pipes just like you would make a floor heating system. but group the above holes and place the pipes, one pipeline every 4-5 rows. also, join the pipes in each group into a single pipe. then fill between the pipes with a filling material such as silicone, liquid plastic, plaster or epoxy. After it hardens, remove the pipes. so you will have pipelines distributed into groups from a single pipe inlet. In this way, you vacuum the air in a controlled and equal amount. You put a lot of effort into making this video. Thank you for keeping us informed.
Cool and educational video, thanks for posting.
41:11 Get a sheet of 3/8" ply, set your mold on it and trace an outline about a 1/2" all around. Cut out the shape and add some wood slats to stiffen it up. This will fit over your mold so you want to round the edge that will contact the plastic with a router...make sure its very smooth. Heat your mold so its very warm to hot to the touch. Bring down the hot plastic sheet down enough so the frame you made can slide down (its also warmed). when the both the plastic sheet is on the table apply the vacuum and use the frame to guide the plastic to the table. It takes practice and I was building vac tables and moulds back in the 70's.
I love how "sci-fi" themed has become simply just a bunch of random objects laid out in an orderly pattern... I love trying to find super common things like flashlights in sci fi scenery, they are all over the place!