Plastic blow moulders

[iwaters]

Back when I was at school in 'workshop' class we had a plastic blow moulder whereby you put various objects on a table and then it heated sheets of plastic to make them malleable and then you lowered it over your object and a vacuum pulled the plastic over the object to make the shape in the plastic.

Does anyone know where I can rent one of these from? I want to make some custom inserts for my tools in my rollcabs.

I tried HSS they don't do them. Any ideas?

 

[Burnerman]

Time to make friends with a technology teacher from your local secondary school, maybe?
I've never seen vacuum formers for hire anywhere - but I've used them many times!
If you do find one, you'll need a supplier of High Impact Polystyrene Sheet (HIPS)...usually a thickness of about 1.5mm is ideal.
John

 

[RF Lighting]

Can't you knock one up out of some peg board, a henry hoover some g clamps and a fan heater?

 

[iwaters]

John - My kids haven't even started primary school so I don't yet have an 'inroad' to the local technology teacher!!

Looks like there are a couple of people locally selling HIP though.

RF - I had seen some people had created their own on the web. Think I might have to go that route if I can't find a proper one to rent.

Cheers

 

[Burnerman]

Sincerely I don't want to dampen your enthusiasm here, but when you used a vacuum former in school you would see that any objects used as a pattern would have tapered sides, allowing them to escape from the vacuum mould.
If you wish to vacuum form tools etc then you'd find that the HIPS would flow ever so slightly under the tool, effectively enclosing it to some degree and making its removal somewhat difficult.
To prevent this you'd need to quickly interrupt the vacuum process before this happened.
Good luck with your project!
John

 

[iwaters]

It doesn't take much to dampen my enthusiasm

I recall the ones at a school (surprised I can remember that far back ), had a blower as well to lift the plastic as it was setting. Maybe if I build my own I can find a vaccum cleaner with a reverse swtich.

Just need Dr's papers from the wife to spend hours in the garage - suspect that will be the hardest part of the job.