The part you see is not the whole thing that we actually have made. The entire proton pack (of which the cyclotron is just a small part) is what the $36 is for. But your machine sounds cool.
The test you saw worked great, but we discovered that it was more cost & time efficient to use a professional plastic place with an industrial vacuform machine. He can do each shell for $36, which is pretty inexpensive.
Check out my video on kitchen vacuum forming. The description has a link to an "Instructible" giving step-by-step instructions on how to make a good cheap vacuum former. My web site has other useful stuff on how to make a standalone vacuum former oven for less than $30, how to vacuum form interesting plastics, etc.
The best place to get sheet plastic is usually from a local plastics supply place, in full 4 x 8 sheets. (Look in the Yellow Pages.) You can get a full sheet of .030" HIPS (High Impact PolyStyrene) for about $13, or .060" for about $25.
Call around and find a place with no minimum order, or a low one like $15 or $25. Call and ask.
okay how thick is it when you do that?. do you have to do it multiple times? sorry for asking alot i just want to build one
lycanothapy 2 years ago
Waited WAY too long to drop the plastic, should have had the vac running before you set it down. I have my table on top of the oven itself.
jumpinjax2 3 years ago
Ouch $36 for a 12" round .08" part.
How many are you having made and did that include the tooling/mold.
I have rotary machines that can make those parts for as low as $6 if you wanted 2500 or more.
foxacoustics 3 years ago
The part you see is not the whole thing that we actually have made. The entire proton pack (of which the cyclotron is just a small part) is what the $36 is for. But your machine sounds cool.
okieboyz 3 years ago
The test you saw worked great, but we discovered that it was more cost & time efficient to use a professional plastic place with an industrial vacuform machine. He can do each shell for $36, which is pretty inexpensive.
okieboyz 4 years ago
so did it work or not
dunlopmega 4 years ago
where can i get that plastic at? and how long do you have to cook it for?
toxicfrost123 4 years ago
Any industrial plastic supply store will sell it in large sheets, about 4 ft. by 8 ft. The thickness varies, we use .08.
It costs about $40.00 a sheet.
We heat it at about 350 degrees for 10-12 minutes, but the sag of the plastic is the true indicator of when it is ready to pull out.
okieboyz 4 years ago
thanks alot...
toxicfrost123 4 years ago
Nice, the first video I've seen of vac-forming at home. Nice oven mitts, too. :D
Animapantherkat 4 years ago
Check out my video on kitchen vacuum forming. The description has a link to an "Instructible" giving step-by-step instructions on how to make a good cheap vacuum former. My web site has other useful stuff on how to make a standalone vacuum former oven for less than $30, how to vacuum form interesting plastics, etc.
vacuumformer 4 years ago
Nifty! I'll look into that. I only recently considered making molds of my wood proton pack. It'd certainly make for a lighter prop, that's for sure!
Animapantherkat 4 years ago
That's cool! I'm gonna make one too! (vac table, not the cyclotron)
sarahwilllie 5 years ago
Hey, that's pretty awesome...
Where did you get your plastic from?
kevafi 5 years ago
The best place to get sheet plastic is usually from a local plastics supply place, in full 4 x 8 sheets. (Look in the Yellow Pages.) You can get a full sheet of .030" HIPS (High Impact PolyStyrene) for about $13, or .060" for about $25.
Call around and find a place with no minimum order, or a low one like $15 or $25. Call and ask.
vacuumformer 4 years ago