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Molding plastic

R

RAA-Kr1cH

Limp Gawd
Joined
Feb 4, 2005
Messages
205
I was wanting to custom mold some plastic for an idea I am playing with. I was inspired by crimson's amazing work on that doom3 case. I was thinking of using that plastic sheeting(a link to where I can get some would be great, I know its in the doom3 thread a few times, but i didn't want to look through 60 pages.)I want to make a hollow round cylinder, so I was planning on using a series of ribs on the outside of the tube. but I also want it the bottom to be rounded, almost like a tennis ball tube. Is this possible with that plastic? I don't want to use large amounts of bondo, a little here and there to fill cracks i dont mind, I just cant do what crimson did on the top of his smoke machine on the doom3 case. Any input will be very appreciated. thanks for your help on this.
 
RAA-Kr1cH said:
I was thinking of using that plastic sheeting(a link to where I can get some would be great, I know its in the doom3 thread a few times, but i didn't want to look through 60 pages.)
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Search button or google damnit. You can't tell us you know where the link is but are too lazy to look for it. Jeesh

As for the tennis ball tube thing, I'd say use an actual tennes ball tube...or glue a ball up in any tube.
 
Ok sorry for the lack of info, let me see if I can word this better. I want to use that same kind of plastic sheeting that Crimson is using on the doom 3 case. I would like to know the company name, no I don't feel like reading through all the posts, so if you don't know what or where it is, please don't waste your time on this. I didn't feel like googling "plastic that crimson sky uses on the doom3 case" because it would have gotten me no where. so don't bother posting unless you know what it is, that will save all of us time. I guess what I want to know is if it is possible to use that to make complex shapes. I only used the tennis ball tube as a reference for the kind of curves. I was trying to get across that I will be molding some compound curves, or curves on different planes.
 
To make your complex curves you could try carving a scale model out of wood and then heating hte plastic over the model with a heat gun. If this plastic you are reffering to is what I think it is, they sell it as RC car/hobby shops as it is used to make the bodies of RC cars. It is rather thin if I remember correcly though so this guy you are reffering to might have used something different, I do not know. If it is real thin you could always cast multiple layers.

Good Luck.
 
I was hoping to use styrene. I read through most of the comment thread on the doom3 mars city thread last night to glean info from it. I was hoping use a thin styrene, but I'll have to look into your suggestion, ive never thought of that before. also QTip42 suggested vacuum forming, anyone know of a good newb site out there that would help?
 
Perhaps contacting CrimsonSky himself and ask where he gets his plastic from.
 
I think I will have to do that. He just seems to be a very busy man, and I did not want to pester him with my petty questions. I still haven't found all the information I need for my idea, however I did find some of the best tutorials on working with styrene in the model train industry. I think I googled something like "How to work with styrene" or something like that. Came up with some very well written turotials.
 
RAA-Kr1cH said:
I think I will have to do that. He just seems to be a very busy man, and I did not want to pester him with my petty questions. I still haven't found all the information I need for my idea, however I did find some of the best tutorials on working with styrene in the model train industry. I think I googled something like "How to work with styrene" or something like that. Came up with some very well written turotials.
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Awsome, some of the best ideas have been discovered through other hobbies. I would think if he's that busy the worse that will happen is he doesn't respond. Good luck.
 
poly styrene can be bought from any sign supplier. though, if you went around to some sign shops, you could get a good bit of scraps. but if you want to make a tube, why not just buy a piece of PVC pipe.
 
Thanks for the link, i'll check it out. I can't just use a tube, I wish I had some way of showing you what I wanted... how about something like this

) (
( )

its a tube that will be only a few inches tall, roughly 120mm, but it's not just straight down, it has some fairly tight curves. think of a small curvy base, thats what I want, only out of styrene. so If i built a frame of ribs, how would i skin that? I was thinking thin strips glued in horizontal rings, then bondo any gaps and try and sand smooth

edit: hmm doesn't seem to like my drawing. lol hopefully you get the picture
 
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