I want to make a custom cup that will protect my groin from injury. It would have a hard part and flexible part. For the flexible part it must be made of a rubber/plastic kind of plastic that will flex when your legs bend together and not jab into your leg. Do they make plastic sheets that are sort of rubbery aka they will flex when formed into their final form that I can form using vacuum forming?
When we did this armor, we used .080 and .093 HIPS. ABS is what Whitehorze is referring to and usually come in 1/8th inch or .125 thickness. Smooth on one side with a haircell texture on the other many time. Thats great if you have the proper high-vac setup for pulling the slower to cool ABS. I’ve not seen 4×8 foot ABS for less than about $40 a sheet in my area.
For a stormtrooper costume like what he’s making you can use the Bathroom plastic sheets that they sell at Menards or home depot. typicially about $30 for a 4′x8′ sheet. You can find them cheaper by looking in the phonebook under plastic supplier.
Thats tricky but doable, but you will need to reinforce the ABS part first, filled with plaster or the like. Then you are good for maybe 1 or two pulls before the heat starts to distort the original. IMHO
I don’t see why you could not. Just need to scale up the machine large enough for the parts you want to make. I’d bet that many bumpers are made of ABS now anyways.
no but you could coat the edges with rubber grips which should help out
I want to make a custom cup that will protect my groin from injury. It would have a hard part and flexible part. For the flexible part it must be made of a rubber/plastic kind of plastic that will flex when your legs bend together and not jab into your leg. Do they make plastic sheets that are sort of rubbery aka they will flex when formed into their final form that I can form using vacuum forming?
nice star wars clone trooper
When we did this armor, we used .080 and .093 HIPS. ABS is what Whitehorze is referring to and usually come in 1/8th inch or .125 thickness. Smooth on one side with a haircell texture on the other many time. Thats great if you have the proper high-vac setup for pulling the slower to cool ABS. I’ve not seen 4×8 foot ABS for less than about $40 a sheet in my area.
I would love to hear more about how you assembled this.
For a stormtrooper costume like what he’s making you can use the Bathroom plastic sheets that they sell at Menards or home depot. typicially about $30 for a 4′x8′ sheet. You can find them cheaper by looking in the phonebook under plastic supplier.
could you use it on a foam mold like great stuff canned foam or would it melt etc
how much are the sheets? how much do they weigh?
Thanks! The vac form machine is the 4th one I made, before I got one that would do the job!
Thats tricky but doable, but you will need to reinforce the ABS part first, filled with plaster or the like. Then you are good for maybe 1 or two pulls before the heat starts to distort the original. IMHO
Thanks!
WOW! Tök jó!
OMG! 0.o”
you are the real MacGyver….
i tried this before with a industrial oven and a vacuum bomb, and doesn’t go so well
Great video! Is it possible to mold a ABS form out of an original ABS piece, or will that harm the original piece?
great vid… you have a great table set up there.
the “taper” pieces are a great idea… well done.
Nice work Jim. Do you make to order ???
thanks. i have some HIPS im gunna try.
I work in a tool shed with the door open. HIPS is pretty safe to work with. ABS, not so much. PETG, dunno.
What should be used for ventilation for something like this?
Great armor btw
What is a vacuum’s power? More than 1300 W?
I want to make a parabolic mirror using acrylic with a mirror finish. Do you know of any constraints using this method?
thanks for posting this, is there a tutorial for making the bucks (or positive molds)?
can i vacuum form my original pieces? i think itll melt pretty much duplicate my armor and using my original pieces as molds
I don’t see why you could not. Just need to scale up the machine large enough for the parts you want to make. I’d bet that many bumpers are made of ABS now anyways.
PETG is clear and vac forms well. Lexan or Acrylic also works good.