vac-u-suck

[TK4205]

Thought I'd start a thread to talk about vac forming.

Here's a great pdf to start with:

 

FormechVacuumGuide.pdf

[TK-2126_MD[TK]]

DUDE!!!!

 

THX MAN!!!!!!!

[Chefhawk[501st]]

What a brilliant idea.

 

heres a link to a forum that some members here are signed up for.

It has a whole section on vac-forming

Trouble is i cant seem to sign up for it??

 

 

-----

 

cheers

Edited December 6, 2020 by gmrhodes13
link not working, removed gmrhodes13 2020

[TK4205]

I see a lot of tutorials on building a vac table. The table is the easy part and it seems that the secrets that are mostely gaurded are the production and service of moulds. Your moulds need sharper detail than you want in your finished product. Bend allowance; You have to allow for whatever thickness of plastic you're forming.

I've experimented with several mould materials and have had luck with only a few. Wood is OK, bondo works, but chips easy. The best I've found so far is fiberglass resin. Even parts with "undercuts" come out of the plastic well. Fiberglass resin softens just a bit when you pull your hot plastic over it, allowing it to pop out easy.

 

In this pic you'll see the fins on my hovi mould. These have undercuts that usually wouldn't come out of the form very easy, but the fiberglass resin gives me no trouble.

 

Remember; Every mould needs a skirt. A 45 degree angle works good. This keeps the webbing of your parts. It also help to vac form an even number of parts related to mass. In other words you want to stretch your plastic evenly. The use of plugs (false parts) can help in minimizing webbing.

 

Everything you need to know to start vac forming is in the pdf at the top of this thread. I can't believe the joy it brought me when I pulled my first piece of plastic. The possibilities are endless.

[Exodus[TK]]

Jeeze, Wyatt never ceases to amaze (applause)

[troopermaster]

I don't use any kind of skirts on my moulds and never get webbing. The secret is mould placement. Make sure that the distance between the moulds is greater than their height and you should have no problems. Also with mould release, just heat up the plastic again gently with a heat gun and it helps a lot because the plastic actually shrinks when cooled so it's gripping the moulds. Heating them up gently will make the plastic expand ever so slightly, enough to release the 'grip' and makes mould removal much easier. Hope that helps

[Chefhawk[501st]]

Nice tip paul.

 

Thanks for sharing

 

 

cheers dude

[Jumpin Jax]

Wyatt is a fast learner, that's for sure Nice looking molds!

[TK4205]

I can hear the lol in that post joey

 

Yeah, joey can bear witness to my disaster with plaster moulds. It was an all around cluster in the basement. I found some text books on line and crammed as though it were finals. I knew the basics from being around a plastic shop, but I found a nice trouble shooting guide. OMG I LOVE GOOGLE

[Jumpin Jax]

No need to laugh, we did that enough Really impressive work Wyatt, you got done what would take me months to even design. Where does the motivation come from, that's what I need to know

I can hear the lol in that post joey

 

Yeah, joey can bear witness to my disaster with plaster moulds. It was an all around cluster in the basement. I found some text books on line and crammed as though it were finals. I knew the basics from being around a plastic shop, but I found a nice trouble shooting guide. OMG I LOVE GOOGLE

[TK4205]

My belt broke so I vac formed a new one last night. It's only styrene, but it will work untill I get some ABS. Looking forword to forming a whole TK suit.

 

Edited November 30, 2021 by gmrhodes13
photo updated

[Chefhawk[501st]]

nice.

 

if you can post pics of your mold/plugs as well that would be really great.

 

 

cheers man

[TK8280]

Awesome!

[Daetrin[Admin]]

Pretty cool Wyatt. I remember the last time you made a belt from the secret flexible plastic formula. Hopefully one day you'll complete molds for the rest of the suit

[TK-2126_MD[TK]]

Ya what ever happened to your secret chemical stuff....???

[TK4205]

what ever happened to your secret chemical stuff

 

$

[TK4205]

This was a quicky mind you. I built the belt mould in under 20 minutes. But hey, it worked for what I needed. I had to break it to get it out. If I do it again I'll cut each block separately with the right pitch/angle. This one I made out of pre cut trim.

 

[Chefhawk[501st]]

wow 20 mins to make it.

Thats amazing!

 

Thanks for posting the pic of the plug.

 

 

 

cheers

[TK4999[TK]]

wow 20 mins to make it.

Thats amazing!

Wyatt is a man of many talents! Thanks for posting dude!

[wampachile]

very cool sir !!!