Thanks for this, We have been trying to develop a school project for recycling HDPE and found that if you get the right temperature (around 160-180'C) there are almost no fumes so very safe to use, except for the handling when hot!
Yes - although be careful because it's possible even for temperature controlled devices to have localised hotspots, so adequate ventilation is prudent even when fumes are not really expected. The key risk is the temperature and properties of the material - this stuff gets hot enough to burn skin almost instantly, and it's sticky. Treat it with more care and respect than you would if you were handling molten sugar (it's about equally sticky as molten caramel, but hotter)
@@AtomicShrimp That's helpful. Good point about localised higher temperatures. You might see on our channel we are school project and have made some products but trying to avoid 'handling' plastic directly with gloves.
Try a PYREX baking dish or a ceramic dish in a 300 degree oven, layer hdpe in about 1 inch deep, melt about 15 minutes, add more hdpe until you reach the thickness needed or to the edge of your dish, between additions use silicone spatula to gently press together, after the last addition heat around 30 minutes. DON'T keep opening the door on the last melt, wait at least 20 minutes to check! DON"T TOUCH, let hdpe cool in dish, no sticking, smooth shiny finish, cut into size needed. and I only cut my hdpe into 1 to 2 inch pieces Thanks for the video
Johnny2419 Have you figured out how to bond two pieces together? I’m designing a full keel and skeg for my kayak. The profile is very irregular with a cone shape I’m having to eliminate for a length of 14”.. I have to build up the bottom to eliminate the 2” cone shape on the cross section which is tapering and 14” long. I’m thinking about cutting thin layers fitting each layer then find a way to bond these layers into one piece and then bond that to the kayak. I can use a mechanical fastening method if I have to but the flat 14” long block I’m fabricating to actually hold the removable skeg must be rigid to receive and hold the skeg. I’ll mill out the slot for the skeg; being removable is key.
That wooden press/mold was very much worth it for me. I've been looking for a way to get HDPE into long enough billets to make a tablesaw sled's miter slot runners, and this will work for me. I see this video's a bit old, so I'm off to the video section of your channel to see what you made of them. Great channel! You seem to mirror many of my same interests, and depict them in an entertaining fashion!
o k boss it's good to see you working with HDPE again you and your videos are the reason I got into doing stuff with HDPE. since I saw you laat I have been doing experiments of my own and have found a way or two of making larger format bar or beams as the need arises. I use an old trailer hitch reducer sleeve that I found and I stuff it with grocery bags By placing it in oven I form it into various sizes of any length I want. after it melts together I use a ram I made from aarve bolt to compress it together I get longer peaces by maling two short pnes ans then use the same mold and my heat gun to first heat a end of each of the shorter sizes and then ram the hot ends together and inside the mold then I use bar clamp to hold them together while they cool. when Im making a single peace , I use cold water to soak it in and it quick cpols in minutes instead of much longer. again its good to see you on here I look forward to seeing what the new project is.
I was wondering how a wooden mold would work. Thanks a bunch. A great way to deal with plastic grocery bags and old bubble wrap also. I just made a couple of stout hdpe rods with gloved hands. Just like bread dough. A simple press like this, added to the process, will true future efforts up nicely. Thanks again. Gotta love simple solutions.
I have truly enjoyed your presentations and your experiments with melting plastic. Thanks so much for...you have encouraged me to keep going with my own projects.
Glad you liked it. I find the sandwich toaster to be just the right temperature to melt the resin without burning it - at these temperatures, it is possible to work on kneading and working the plastic repeatedly, which improves the structural integrity of the end result.
Thanks, Atomic Shrimp for the Sandwich Toaster idea. Great insightful Idea, and for the Molding contraption Idea too. In my book, you have creative Imagination.Keep moving forward brother.God Bless.
By far *the* best video regarding HDPE and what I want out of it! I'm looking to make guide rails for a table saw sled out of HDPE. it'll be a while before I can get enough HDPE to recycle into the length, size and shape needed, but the know-how is there now thanks to you. . . . and now to subscribe to your channel 😉👍
You said you wanted to make a HDPE boat but it is hard to weld panels together. Did you check out the special heat guns and nozzles made for welding plastic?
Do those blanks of recycle HDPE float? Would be great for fishing lures if it does float....hdpe clog soles? what a concept I wonder if theres a way to make some sort of simple device that extrude a continuous thin strip, like a small scale rolling mill? that would be a way to get components to build a boat
Here's a thought to refine your melting process. Make a frame out of 1/2 - 3/4 inch square stock hardwood that you can set on the bottom plate of your sandwich press. Line it with your paper. Over fill it with HDPE. Melt it down and refill it from time to time as needed in order to fill it completely with melted plastic , so as to have straight edges. Using the press as a press with weight or clamps, you will get a uniform thickness because of the frame. Make a flat piece of wood to fit the inside dimensions of the frame. Lay that piece of wood on top of the melted plastic and put the top plate back on top of it while it cools and you will eliminate any warpage as the plastic set up. If I am correct in my thinking, this will give you a nice, straight sided, even thickness piece of HDPE to use in your projects.
Good idea. I could probably do it with square metal stock - although the resulting board would still be slightly concave in the middle when cooled, due to the significant expansion of HDPE when it melts (and thus significant contraction when it cools) I've achieved uniform thickness on this toaster before by just putting a metal nut at each corner of the press (the bigger the nut, the thicker the sheet) - I don't get straight edges that way, but it can be cut straight
Glad you liked the shirt. I find gents shirts boring so I buy patterned duvet covers and my wife cuts them up to make custom shirts - this one came from IKEA. Wait until you see the next batch!
um, had to go back and look... the SOCKS MATCH tehehehehe. JESUS CHRIST IS LORD! i'm still poking around for a WAY to attach "tiles" of this stuff... i'm thinking maybe a way using epoxy??
You defo got a sub here. Going up binge on your uploads. This is the first one of yours I've seen. Hope you moved on to extrusion. I can see this really being useful. Those bars look very strong, really excited to see your projects. I've got something I've been really wanting to make, came close to buying a 3D printer but this seems a lot cheaper. Filament seems bad as it increases plastic waste. Also once formed it can't be reworked, whereas this looks like it can.
HDPE doesn't work well in 3D printers, unfortunately, due to the amount it shrinks during cooling - 3D printed HDPE models would likely tear themselseves apart during cooling. I think injection moulding is one way to go, or extrusion of large beams (like we've seen on Precious Plastic)
@@MatHelm Not a good ideal for a glove or heat pad because it would melt and wind up being a melted hot blob of plastic stuck on you burning on your hand. Thick leather welding gloves just work good for heat, plastic melts at too low a temperature.
If and when the gas board are doing gas main replacement in your area, 2 benefits: One, they use PE pipe these days, so you could possibly grab some offcuts for a nice yellow type (or blue with the water board!).... and two, they heat weld them, they might let you examine the process in detail
Gas companies will prefer the more expensive self-heating fittings. I learned how to weld them at the gas school for journeymen plumbers, for the manual heating process (example: geothermal heating/cooling), it's just an set of iron and circular shapes that you apply on the pipe and fitting ends for a set time specified by the manufacturer with a precision of 1 second margin (17 seconds, 42 seconds, to near 1 minute 12 seconds), after heating you apply a steady movement towards joining the two parts together and it is done in 3-4 seconds. You hold the parts together for another 15 seconds without moving and release, sign your initials, the date and heating time on the fitting and pipe, now you're ready for the other end of the fitting and another piece of pipe.
Hi, thanks for the video, I'd like to mention that last night I came across TAOW's channel and he welded HDPE together in his slingshot tutorial, you should take a look, perhaps it will assist your ambition to make that boat
The temperature is somewhere around 150 to 180C. It cools and solidifies in a few minutes, but is best left for at least an hour or it can warp when removed from the mould.
I had a lot of trouble trying to make larger pieces or join them together. If you have a big enough hot press to do it in one melt, it's probably possible
I've seen people use a pipe and a ramrod. One way is to melt it, then put it in and compress. Another way might be to heat it in the pipe. Either you want to apply some kind of lube so its not stuck. If you melt it first, good idea to warm the pipe up. IDK if you'd need a way for air to escape, but that could be tough without the plastic squeeging out
I had no trouble making flat, consistent-size and quality pieces, it just turned out to be nearly impossible to seam weld them together. HDPE is in some ways a nice material, but its thermal expansion and general reluctance to stick to anything (including itself) can be quite a challenge.I have some other HDPE project ideas on my list though (none quite so grand as a boat)... stay tuned...
Sorry just saw the same question asked previously. 'Cookworks' really like your approach to this thanks for sharing! hope you return to the boat project and expanding experimentation to further types of plastic.
I have no idea why I watch videos like this. I have no need for anything I've yet seen made this way - but I just find them interesting. And I am starting to save lids etc. Which the family have no answer for and think is strange. Then I thought "guy could do with renovating those Workmate jaws - plenty of How To videos online." Then I remembered my own Workmate jaws could use some work. (I have 2. The 40+ year old one is a bit tatty but solid and straight, but one of the jaws on the much newer one has developed a distinct sag. Cheaper materials nowadays eh, Workmate team?) Then I remembered that this guy makes things from plastics ... hmm ... plastic? ... Workmate jaw? Could I? Should I? Would it work and be OK? Would it be strong enough? Maybe a hot air gun to heat the plastic? What do you folks reckon? 🤔😁
I used an old-fashioned Spong mincer that I rigged up to be drill-powered. It wasn't very effective as HDPE is slippery and tends to jam between the blades without actually getting sliced.
Wow. I’ve got a project I need to make a reverse plaster casting then cast a single piece 3” x 4” x 14” long with a 1/4” thick flange.. maybe I should consider layering instead of block forming
Have you figured out how to bond two pieces together yet? I’m designing a full keel and skeg for my kayak. The profile is very irregular with a cone shape. I have to build up the bottom to eliminate the 2” cone shape on the cross section which is tapering and 14” long. I’m thinking about cutting thin layers fitting each layer then find a way to bond these layers into one piece ang then bond that to the kayak. I can use a mechanical fastening method if I have to but the block to actually hold the removable skeg must be rigid and removable is key.
Hi Mike, what temperature is the sandwich toaster running at? Are the non-stick sheets regular baking paper or are they silicone? I'm excited about HDPE - just not quite sure what to use it for yet. All the best, Rob in Switzerland.
The toaster runs around 200C, which is just right for melting the plastic without scorching it. The baking papers are reusable teflon fabric - look for reusable baking sheets on Amazon and you should find it. I think thin silpat sheets would probably also work
You are doing great,thnxs for sharing, But id like to add some recmndtions, 1.Whats wrong with a pair of gloves instead of one? 2.Plz dont walk on wires,dangrous u know, 3.Keep that mess clean and more organizad plz. Thnk u
Wearing one glove allows me to handle hot things with protection and maintain dexterity for things that are not hot. It wasn't an accident - it was a deliberate choice.
The hardest thing to manage with this stuff is the contraction when it cools down. If you constrain it between two rigid flat boards while it cools completely, you have a chance of ending up with a proper flat sheet.
After repeated melting and remelting, (especially at the higher end of the temperature range for this resin), the plastic may begin to degrade - this may be seen as brownish scorching, or it may manifest as brittleness in the final product. My sandwich toaster is really only achieving a temperature in the lower end of the range for melting HDPE, so I have been able to remelt without any noticeable problems.
I used a drill-powered lathe (video here: th-cam.com/video/eX1_gdft5ZA/w-d-xo.html ) - but almost any technique that works for wood also works for this stuff - except sanding - it's better to use sharp tools and cut/machine directly to the final finish - sanding it seems to make the surface go a bit fluffy, but a sharp chisel or plane will get a glossy, smooth surface.
Actually did not know that in reality the grocery HDPE bags don't melt they actually shrink and hardened into a hard plastic and they can be and then they melt if they get a lot hotter
@@AtomicShrimp I noticed while doing some sorting that most plastic containers in Sweden (my native region) is more PP than HDPE today. Will be difficult getting my local grocer to release bread crates to gather enough HDPE for something really useful. We don't have milk bottles here. We use Tetrapak cardboard boxes instead. They don't really melt that well ;)
@@AtomicShrimp Yes but most of them too seem marked PP here. At least those I have found so far. Brand name goods seems to be more centralized in production and thus have a higher frequency of using higher quality bottles.
Ian Smith is correct. The folding and pressing will trap air just like a puff pastry. The mould will compress the trapped air into pressurized cells. For many applications this isn't a problem but voids will present structural defects under load. If the application requires void free HDPE then folding & pressing should be done using a vacuum to lower the residual volume of air. This is how compsite structures are often made, using vaccum bagging. Good video!
I was excited about this one, because it was part 1 of a collaboration - I turned these hdpe blanks into shotgun shells and sent them to Jeff at Taofledermaus to be shot out of a gun (In truth, I get excited about a lot of things, really)
Thanks for this, We have been trying to develop a school project for recycling HDPE and found that if you get the right temperature (around 160-180'C) there are almost no fumes so very safe to use, except for the handling when hot!
Yes - although be careful because it's possible even for temperature controlled devices to have localised hotspots, so adequate ventilation is prudent even when fumes are not really expected. The key risk is the temperature and properties of the material - this stuff gets hot enough to burn skin almost instantly, and it's sticky. Treat it with more care and respect than you would if you were handling molten sugar (it's about equally sticky as molten caramel, but hotter)
@@AtomicShrimp That's helpful. Good point about localised higher temperatures. You might see on our channel we are school project and have made some products but trying to avoid 'handling' plastic directly with gloves.
Try a PYREX baking dish or a ceramic dish in a 300 degree oven, layer hdpe in about 1 inch deep, melt about 15 minutes, add more hdpe until you reach the thickness needed or to the edge of your dish, between additions use silicone spatula to gently press together, after the last addition heat around 30 minutes. DON'T keep opening the door on the last melt, wait at least 20 minutes to check! DON"T TOUCH, let hdpe cool in dish, no sticking, smooth shiny finish, cut into size needed. and I only cut my hdpe into 1 to 2 inch pieces
Thanks for the video
Johnny2419 Have you figured out how to bond two pieces together? I’m designing a full keel and skeg for my kayak. The profile is very irregular with a cone shape I’m having to eliminate for a length of 14”..
I have to build up the bottom to eliminate the 2” cone shape on the cross section which is tapering and 14” long. I’m thinking about cutting thin layers fitting each layer then find a way to bond these layers into one piece and then bond that to the kayak. I can use a mechanical fastening method if I have to but the flat 14” long block I’m fabricating to actually hold the removable skeg must be rigid to receive and hold the skeg. I’ll mill out the slot for the skeg; being removable is key.
That wooden press/mold was very much worth it for me. I've been looking for a way to get HDPE into long enough billets to make a tablesaw sled's miter slot runners, and this will work for me. I see this video's a bit old, so I'm off to the video section of your channel to see what you made of them. Great channel! You seem to mirror many of my same interests, and depict them in an entertaining fashion!
o k boss it's good to see you working with HDPE again you and your videos are the reason I got into doing stuff with HDPE. since I saw you laat I have been doing experiments of my own and have found a way or two of making larger format bar or beams as the need arises. I use an old trailer hitch reducer sleeve that I found and I stuff it with grocery bags By placing it in oven I form it into various sizes of any length I want. after it melts together I use a ram I made from aarve bolt to compress it together I get longer peaces by maling two short pnes ans then use the same mold and my heat gun to first heat a end of each of the shorter sizes and then ram the hot ends together and inside the mold then I use bar clamp to hold them together while they cool. when Im making a single peace , I use cold water to soak it in and it quick cpols in minutes instead of much longer. again its good to see you on here I look forward to seeing what the new project is.
I was wondering how a wooden mold would work. Thanks a bunch.
A great way to deal with plastic grocery bags and old bubble wrap also.
I just made a couple of stout hdpe rods with gloved hands.
Just like bread dough. A simple press like this, added to the process,
will true future efforts up nicely. Thanks again. Gotta love simple solutions.
Thanks for sharing this video with us. I want to make something that will be useful for many people.
Best use for a sandwich toaster
I have truly enjoyed your presentations and your experiments with melting plastic. Thanks so much for...you have encouraged me to keep going with my own projects.
I gave this a thumbs up seconds after seeing the sandwich toaster, why didn't i think of this. Happy to subscribe and thanks for making and sharing.
Glad you liked it. I find the sandwich toaster to be just the right temperature to melt the resin without burning it - at these temperatures, it is possible to work on kneading and working the plastic repeatedly, which improves the structural integrity of the end result.
I learned from doing this myself that HDPE holds on to heat for hours! It's crazy!
Great video 👍🏻 I’d love to know what shredder you used? Looks like it did a great job!
Thank you for the video, how did you grind up the HDPE before putting it in to the sandwich press ? Thank you.
Thanks, Atomic Shrimp for the Sandwich Toaster idea. Great insightful Idea, and for the Molding contraption Idea too. In my book, you have creative Imagination.Keep moving forward brother.God Bless.
By far *the* best video regarding HDPE and what I want out of it!
I'm looking to make guide rails for a table saw sled out of HDPE. it'll be a while before I can get enough HDPE to recycle into the length, size and shape needed, but the know-how is there now thanks to you.
. . . and now to subscribe to your channel 😉👍
Hi, what kind of paper is the one that you use in between the plastic pieces when you cook the plastic?
Just 1 milk jug makes a impressive sturdy plank, i was suprised how rigid it was from being just 4 mm thick!!
Does the plastic dry and harden faster if i were to set it to cool outside if its cold or place it in a fridge or freezer??
Yes. although cooling it too quickly can cause it to distort quite a lot
Choice of footwear won my subscription!
seam welding HDPE is quite easy provided you have a decent little welding gun and the right rod. It's easier than welding steel by far.
You said you wanted to make a HDPE boat but it is hard to weld panels together. Did you check out the special heat guns and nozzles made for welding plastic?
Do those blanks of recycle HDPE float? Would be great for fishing lures if it does float....hdpe clog soles? what a concept
I wonder if theres a way to make some sort of simple device that extrude a continuous thin strip, like a small scale rolling mill? that would be a way to get components to build a boat
Here's a thought to refine your melting process. Make a frame out of 1/2 - 3/4 inch square stock hardwood that you can set on the bottom plate of your sandwich press. Line it with your paper. Over fill it with HDPE. Melt it down and refill it from time to time as needed in order to fill it completely with melted plastic , so as to have straight edges. Using the press as a press with weight or clamps, you will get a uniform thickness because of the frame. Make a flat piece of wood to fit the inside dimensions of the frame. Lay that piece of wood on top of the melted plastic and put the top plate back on top of it while it cools and you will eliminate any warpage as the plastic set up. If I am correct in my thinking, this will give you a nice, straight sided, even thickness piece of HDPE to use in your projects.
Good idea. I could probably do it with square metal stock - although the resulting board would still be slightly concave in the middle when cooled, due to the significant expansion of HDPE when it melts (and thus significant contraction when it cools)
I've achieved uniform thickness on this toaster before by just putting a metal nut at each corner of the press (the bigger the nut, the thicker the sheet) - I don't get straight edges that way, but it can be cut straight
I have a feeling this plastic will have a value when more people start to do this because I am going to start doing this!!
Plastic can be beautiful - Go for it! Good luck.
Watch Davehakkens precious plastic videos and study their website with tons of information.
great method and THE GREATEST shirt ever !
Glad you liked the shirt. I find gents shirts boring so I buy patterned duvet covers and my wife cuts them up to make custom shirts - this one came from IKEA. Wait until you see the next batch!
um, had to go back and look... the SOCKS MATCH tehehehehe. JESUS CHRIST IS LORD!
i'm still poking around for a WAY to attach "tiles" of this stuff... i'm thinking maybe a way using epoxy??
Question, would it work to cut the melted HDPE with a metal cookie cutter 2:38 (when folding)?
You defo got a sub here.
Going up binge on your uploads. This is the first one of yours I've seen. Hope you moved on to extrusion. I can see this really being useful. Those bars look very strong, really excited to see your projects.
I've got something I've been really wanting to make, came close to buying a 3D printer but this seems a lot cheaper. Filament seems bad as it increases plastic waste. Also once formed it can't be reworked, whereas this looks like it can.
HDPE doesn't work well in 3D printers, unfortunately, due to the amount it shrinks during cooling - 3D printed HDPE models would likely tear themselseves apart during cooling. I think injection moulding is one way to go, or extrusion of large beams (like we've seen on Precious Plastic)
What is the temp that you keep mentioning is perfect for melting hdpe? 300f? (~150c?)
I bet he had it at full heat wich is over 400
Somebody start a go fund to get the poor guy a second glove...
The intention was to protect one hand, and retain fine dexterity in the other
lol, been there, done that. But nobody says your gloves have to match. Perhaps a more dexterous type for your left hand...
Mat Helm I was thinking something with rhinestones
I saw a vid where they spin this stuff up into polyester for ( I assume) leisure suits in Asia.... Wonder if we could do a glove... hmmm
@@MatHelm Not a good ideal for a glove or heat pad because it would melt and wind up being a melted hot blob of plastic stuck on you burning on your hand. Thick leather welding gloves just work good for heat, plastic melts at too low a temperature.
Beautiful results!
Can't wait to see what it could be!!
This is awesome. Thanks for sharing. Not too difficult to make, it seems. Very interesting. I just subscribed.
If and when the gas board are doing gas main replacement in your area, 2 benefits: One, they use PE pipe these days, so you could possibly grab some offcuts for a nice yellow type (or blue with the water board!).... and two, they heat weld them, they might let you examine the process in detail
Gas companies will prefer the more expensive self-heating fittings. I learned how to weld them at the gas school for journeymen plumbers, for the manual heating process (example: geothermal heating/cooling), it's just an set of iron and circular shapes that you apply on the pipe and fitting ends for a set time specified by the manufacturer with a precision of 1 second margin (17 seconds, 42 seconds, to near 1 minute 12 seconds), after heating you apply a steady movement towards joining the two parts together and it is done in 3-4 seconds. You hold the parts together for another 15 seconds without moving and release, sign your initials, the date and heating time on the fitting and pipe, now you're ready for the other end of the fitting and another piece of pipe.
Wow. Ridiculous how many useful tips I got out of this video. Thank you!
And the toaster temp is 350 I presume?
Hi, thanks for the video, I'd like to mention that last night I came across TAOW's channel and he welded HDPE together in his slingshot tutorial, you should take a look, perhaps it will assist your ambition to make that boat
Could you use sandwich toaster for kydex is Heat adjustable
What temperature do you heat it to and how long did you let it cool? Thanks for the great video!
The temperature is somewhere around 150 to 180C. It cools and solidifies in a few minutes, but is best left for at least an hour or it can warp when removed from the mould.
Is it possible to make a 15"x12" x 3/4" peice of hdpe with a penini maker?
I had a lot of trouble trying to make larger pieces or join them together. If you have a big enough hot press to do it in one melt, it's probably possible
Was that wax paper you used to keep it from sticking .
No, it's a sort of reusable nonstick backing sheet - like a teflon fabric
It must be something like parshment paper .
Not really - parchment paper tears - this stuff is like a plastic fabric. Try searching Amazon for Teflon Baking Sheet
Thanks .
Yes thank you!
What toaster is that? I can't find a flat one anywhere.
I realize this is an old video but do you have any recommendations of creating a round stock? thanks!
I've seen people use a pipe and a ramrod. One way is to melt it, then put it in and compress. Another way might be to heat it in the pipe. Either you want to apply some kind of lube so its not stuck. If you melt it first, good idea to warm the pipe up. IDK if you'd need a way for air to escape, but that could be tough without the plastic squeeging out
I am sad to hear your boat project didn't work out. When I read about it a year ago, I was hoping you had some success with it.
I had no trouble making flat, consistent-size and quality pieces, it just turned out to be nearly impossible to seam weld them together. HDPE is in some ways a nice material, but its thermal expansion and general reluctance to stick to anything (including itself) can be quite a challenge.I have some other HDPE project ideas on my list though (none quite so grand as a boat)... stay tuned...
Which model of sandwich toaster are u using? I can only seem to find ones with raised grill plates rather than flat and smooth like the one you have
Sorry just saw the same question asked previously. 'Cookworks' really like your approach to this thanks for sharing! hope you return to the boat project and expanding experimentation to further types of plastic.
Thumbs up do you happen to know the temperature your getting from the toaster
It's about 180C - which is just right for melting HDPE without burning it
I have no idea why I watch videos like this. I have no need for anything I've yet seen made this way - but I just find them interesting. And I am starting to save lids etc. Which the family have no answer for and think is strange.
Then I thought "guy could do with renovating those Workmate jaws - plenty of How To videos online." Then I remembered my own Workmate jaws could use some work. (I have 2. The 40+ year old one is a bit tatty but solid and straight, but one of the jaws on the much newer one has developed a distinct sag. Cheaper materials nowadays eh, Workmate team?)
Then I remembered that this guy makes things from plastics ... hmm ... plastic? ... Workmate jaw? Could I? Should I? Would it work and be OK? Would it be strong enough? Maybe a hot air gun to heat the plastic? What do you folks reckon? 🤔😁
Thank you for sharing! How did you cut the hdpe to such small pieces ?
I used an old-fashioned Spong mincer that I rigged up to be drill-powered. It wasn't very effective as HDPE is slippery and tends to jam between the blades without actually getting sliced.
I just found the old footage of my homemade HDPE grinder and posted it - here: th-cam.com/video/9qh1qQc3ats/w-d-xo.html
How do you get hdpe into small pieces?
Thanks for sharing mate!
Wow. I’ve got a project I need to make a reverse plaster casting then cast a single piece 3” x 4” x 14” long with a 1/4” thick flange.. maybe I should consider layering instead of block forming
Have you figured out how to bond two pieces together yet? I’m designing a full keel and skeg for my kayak. The profile is very irregular with a cone shape.
I have to build up the bottom to eliminate the 2” cone shape on the cross section which is tapering and 14” long. I’m thinking about cutting thin layers fitting each layer then find a way to bond these layers into one piece ang then bond that to the kayak. I can use a mechanical fastening method if I have to but the block to actually hold the removable skeg must be rigid and removable is key.
Don't know how you managed it, but the molded HDPE looked a lot like your shirt...brilliant.
gre, do you have any idea how to dye the plastic into a uniform colour
You have to use pigments, not dye, but probably the easiest way is just to sort out source materials that are already the colour you want
I wonder if a glue gun would work if it was pressed to size for spot welding plastic
Poor guy, only owns one glove.
What's the random popping/cracking sound?
Just thermal expansion of the metal parts of the toaster
damn it you only did it today, now I've got to wait. hurry up please I want to kniw now. lol😉
Sorry - I don't normally do multi-part videos. The suspense is not artificial, I promise - it's just that it isn't finished yet.
+AtomicShrimp OK I forgive you but do hurry lol
Hi Mike, what temperature is the sandwich toaster running at? Are the non-stick sheets regular baking paper or are they silicone?
I'm excited about HDPE - just not quite sure what to use it for yet. All the best, Rob in Switzerland.
The toaster runs around 200C, which is just right for melting the plastic without scorching it. The baking papers are reusable teflon fabric - look for reusable baking sheets on Amazon and you should find it. I think thin silpat sheets would probably also work
You are doing great,thnxs for sharing,
But id like to add some recmndtions,
1.Whats wrong with a pair of gloves instead of one?
2.Plz dont walk on wires,dangrous u know,
3.Keep that mess clean and more organizad plz.
Thnk u
Wearing one glove allows me to handle hot things with protection and maintain dexterity for things that are not hot. It wasn't an accident - it was a deliberate choice.
hair conditioner bottles are also made from hdpe and come in a lot of unusual colours
Try parchment paper to help keep it sticking to your mold
What is the sheet material that you used to line the toaster?
Its a reusable nonstick baking liner - you can get it on Amazon (in rolls or sheets)
nice video AtomicShrimp!! =) You now have a new follower
The hardest thing to manage with this stuff is the contraction when it cools down. If you constrain it between two rigid flat boards while it cools completely, you have a chance of ending up with a proper flat sheet.
interesting, thank you
I've wondered about using a sandwich toaster to make sheets????
Cool..
hi mate, what sandwhich toaster are you using or do they all go to the same temp to melt hdpe.
The brand is 'cookworks'. I imagine they're all pretty similar temperature
perfect thank you
Can you melt PVC type plastics?
Never tried, but it looks like the melting temperature would be in range of this device. I think I'd be a little careful of fumes for PVC though.
Is hdpe strong and flexible like PVC plastic..
What's the exact temperature you use to melt HPDE please ?
Kami Star I don't know the exact temperature of this toaster, but it must be around 150 C
Ok thanks , do you think HDPE have exactly the same physical properties after melting again and again ? i mean resistance to traction etc ... ?
After repeated melting and remelting, (especially at the higher end of the temperature range for this resin), the plastic may begin to degrade - this may be seen as brownish scorching, or it may manifest as brittleness in the final product. My sandwich toaster is really only achieving a temperature in the lower end of the range for melting HDPE, so I have been able to remelt without any noticeable problems.
Ok thanks for the information .
How did she like the result?
👨💻warm parts 1st allows time to form cold cures to fast hint 🥇👍
Genius!
Could someone explain how does his recycle to be useful ?
This method creates machinable blanks. Take a look at the follow up video - link in the description.
please send me all info, on HDPE plastic ,think you so much
what is that clicking in the background?
Thermal expansion of the heating elements
Make pickets for a picket fence.
How did you 'machine' it?
I used a drill-powered lathe (video here: th-cam.com/video/eX1_gdft5ZA/w-d-xo.html ) - but almost any technique that works for wood also works for this stuff - except sanding - it's better to use sharp tools and cut/machine directly to the final finish - sanding it seems to make the surface go a bit fluffy, but a sharp chisel or plane will get a glossy, smooth surface.
Thanks
How do you get the HDPE into flakes?
I used an old meat mixer which I rigged up to be powered by my drill press. It was neither pretty nor particularly reliable
I just found the old footage of my homemade HDPE grinder and posted it - here: th-cam.com/video/9qh1qQc3ats/w-d-xo.html
skating board wheel?.....possible?
find a premade lathe for a long board wheel and its not going to be hard to make. nano plastic will be your best choice however.
Cool
You should get some Silat mats instead of using parchment.
I might try that, but I wonder if they would transmit the heat as well as the teflon-coated fabric
looks like the shoes in the background have plastic print also lol
is HDPE bullet proof?
Every material is bulletproof if you have enough of it.
Try it, but make sure you have proper documentation for your own Darwin’s Award.
How to make a square tube with HDPE
Actually did not know that in reality the grocery HDPE bags don't melt they actually shrink and hardened into a hard plastic and they can be and then they melt if they get a lot hotter
what is the 'sheet'?
John Hasse it's reusable nonstick baking liner
You are casting a part.
Somewhere between casting and forging
nice voice
You do know that the lids/corks may be of PP and not HDPE?
Some are, yes - but I select the lids with the resin mark '2' - HDPE
@@AtomicShrimp I noticed while doing some sorting that most plastic containers in Sweden (my native region) is more PP than HDPE today.
Will be difficult getting my local grocer to release bread crates to gather enough HDPE for something really useful.
We don't have milk bottles here. We use Tetrapak cardboard boxes instead.
They don't really melt that well ;)
Try bottles from hair and bath products, also liquid laundry detergent bottles
@@AtomicShrimp Yes but most of them too seem marked PP here. At least those I have found so far.
Brand name goods seems to be more centralized in production and thus have a higher frequency of using higher quality bottles.
What keeps popping?
Just thermal expansion of the metal parts of the sandwich press
When the hot HDPE is folded over as demonstrated it will trap air, so the final product will not be a solid bar of HDPE.
Ian Smith that makes sense in theory, however in practice, folding it and pressing works the air out
Ian Smith is correct. The folding and pressing will trap air just like a puff pastry.
The mould will compress the trapped air into pressurized cells.
For many applications this isn't a problem but voids will present structural defects under load.
If the application requires void free HDPE then folding & pressing should be done using a vacuum to lower the residual volume of air.
This is how compsite structures are often made, using vaccum bagging.
Good video!
the last time I bought gloves they sold them in pairs
nice thinking but dude don't put that hot toaster on the electrical cables
OK, I won't (it has legs underneath so the cable can run under it without contact)
1:13 would hav been great if there was a sandwich
you need an extruder
bbaker1000 yeah, I actually do
th-cam.com/channels/qA-SppbeUi5ou0isB27mgg.html
Rule 1) NEVER work in Crocs.
Why are you so much stressed ? Great video!
I'm interested to know why you think I am stressed
Not stressed but exited
I was excited about this one, because it was part 1 of a collaboration - I turned these hdpe blanks into shotgun shells and sent them to Jeff at Taofledermaus to be shot out of a gun
(In truth, I get excited about a lot of things, really)
I have FOUR ways to advance your present tools with NAUGHT costing more.... in fact ... You should offer me a price for helping your next BIG THING.
I thought you said it wouldn't cost more
You actually BOUGHT plastic sheets??? How is that recycling???
What are you talking about? The nonstiick plastic sheets are a tool - I bought those. The HDPE hexagons are recycled by me in an earlier project.