When attempting to soften a material you are using to vacuum form a shape what type of material do you use and how hot do you have to get it to do what you want it to do? It does not necessarily have to be a clear material, so the material is anything that will soften under heat and conform to the shape I want by pressing it over the form. This subject of making your own parts this way is totally foreign to me. So, help please.
Tahnks[:D]
Richard
Plain old styrene works great. Make a two frames (1/8 in plywood works great) the size of the sheet of styrene you want to heat and clamp the styrene between them. Now you get to heat the plastic. Don’t use an open flame! Use an electrical heat source (I use a small single burner hotplate which works great). Put on a pair of oven mits and hold the plastic 2 or 3 inches above the hotplate. After 45 seconds to a minute, the plastic will seem to tighten slightly and then suddenly sag. When that happens immediatly transfer it to your vacume machine or plunge it over your mold if you are plunge molding. Let it cool for a couple of minutes until it hardens and then remove it from the mold and trim it to fit. It takes a little practice but in no time you can be turning out parts and canopies.
qmiester,
Thanks for the tip I will giv it a try.
Richard
qmiester,
Your directions were perfect. It worked like a champ. You ought to make a sticky of your process for others. Thamks so much.
Richard