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Gallery, Projects and General => Gallery => Topic started by: John Hill on March 04, 2017, 10:56:25 PM

Title: Gavel
Post by: John Hill on March 04, 2017, 10:56:25 PM
Things got a little out of hand at our meeting last week so I produced this today...

(https://c1.staticflickr.com/4/3815/33127349461_b51d52ca5d_k.jpg)

...just a little gavel made from recycled milk and shampoo bottles etc.
Title: Re: Gavel
Post by: SwarfnStuff on March 04, 2017, 11:47:32 PM
Have you by chance been watching this bloke?

   He does weird and wacky things like that, fun to watch.  :clap:
    Plus you might come up with some other novel implements to keep the meeting in order.
John B
Title: Re: Gavel
Post by: ieezitin on March 05, 2017, 07:08:26 AM
How did you manage to render down the waste plastic to make the solid shapes you have ?

Anthony.
Title: Re: Gavel
Post by: mattinker on March 05, 2017, 07:16:11 AM
I too have been collecting the same kind of plastic ( #2 – HDPE (High Density Polyethylene)) to "render down". I find the vegetable nets are particularly good, you don't need to chop it up! I've made a couple of mallets from it, on a conventional shape, the other, a wood carvers type mallet!


Regards, Matthew
Title: Re: Gavel
Post by: John Hill on March 05, 2017, 02:31:26 PM
How did you manage to render down the waste plastic to make the solid shapes you have ?

Anthony.

I just chop it up and melt in a toaster oven at 180C, adding more as the pile melts down.   I wear heavy leather gloves and knead the molten lump to get the air out then put it in a piece of water pipe with a cap on one end and put as much pressure as I can in a hydraulic press.

It is a very therapeutic activity!










Title: Re: Gavel
Post by: mattinker on March 05, 2017, 04:13:19 PM
John,
intresting, I use a variation on the same theme, to date I melt the chopped pieces in a tin can in the oven, pressing down the mass with a piece of wood to remove air bubbles. I use the tin can to form the slug of plastic which I either press the handle in whilst it is semi molten or drill a hole in the cooled block to mount it.

i think a two piece hinged mould would be interesting to try!

Regards, Matthew.
Title: Re: Gavel
Post by: ieezitin on March 06, 2017, 05:08:54 PM
I never knew you could do that. I am going to give it ago ... thank you to all..

Anthony.
Title: Re: Gavel
Post by: DeanDK on March 06, 2017, 05:22:02 PM
That looks amazing. I was unaware of this process you explained.

 :beer: :clap:
Title: Re: Gavel
Post by: russ57 on March 11, 2017, 06:45:42 AM
This guy
has a few interesting videos on making various machines to recycle plastic..

-russ

Title: Re: Gavel
Post by: John Hill on March 17, 2017, 05:04:21 AM
I made two HDPE billets today.

There has always been a problem getting the plastic hot enough without some of it scorching so I did it a bit differently today.  I heated the plastic until it was mostly up to temperature then packed it into the steel moulds but instead of putting the pressure on and letting it cool I put the steel moulds in the oven for another 45 minutes or so before moving to the press and putting the squeeze on.  Perfect results, the best I have ever done!

Title: Re: Gavel
Post by: awemawson on March 17, 2017, 06:05:31 AM
 No pictures - it never happened  :lol:

:worthless:
Title: Re: Gavel
Post by: John Hill on March 17, 2017, 03:30:41 PM
35C in the workshop,  hot oven, leather gloves and gobbits of sticky semi molten plastic,  do you think I am going to reach for my camera? :lol:
Title: Re: Gavel
Post by: awemawson on March 17, 2017, 06:38:16 PM
Wimp  :lol:
Title: Re: Gavel
Post by: sparky961 on March 17, 2017, 10:19:05 PM
This is neat, but just don't tell me that you're trying to turn the crap on the lathe when you're done.  I have tricks for working with stringy, melty plastic like this but I would always rather not see the stuff come my way.
Title: Re: Gavel
Post by: John Hill on March 17, 2017, 10:47:43 PM
HDPE turning is child's play!
Title: Re: Gavel
Post by: sparky961 on March 17, 2017, 11:12:27 PM
Perhaps I'm mistaken then.... does it machine differently than UHMW(PE)?
Title: Re: Gavel
Post by: John Hill on March 17, 2017, 11:41:29 PM
I dont know how other plastics machine but this stuff typically give small tightly curled chips,  it is a bit stringy under some circumstances.  I have never tried to run so fast that it got melty and sticky.