shaping plastic

Sooo,
I will be obtaining some plastic soon from a print shop that is going out of business. They use it to make and mold signs for their company. Well, i was wondering if anyone knew of a way to heat it up and shape it. I have done it for knife and gun sheaths and holsters but never anything large.
I know they use a heat press for everything they make, i on the other hand live in a house with wall and furniture and my basement isn't 3 stories tall so there is no way i could fit that.'
If it's a thin enough guage plastic do you think a heat gun would work? Also, is there a way to melt two pieces together without releasing all the fumes to kill my brain even more or give me cancer? I was thinking about riveting, but the guage plastic might be too thick.

uhhhhhhhhhhhh why do you want to shape plastic?

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Originally Posted by whytepizza

Sooo,
I will be obtaining some plastic soon from a print shop that is going out of business. They use it to make and mold signs for their company. Well, i was wondering if anyone knew of a way to heat it up and shape it. I have done it for knife and gun sheaths and holsters but never anything large.
I know they use a heat press for everything they make, i on the other hand live in a house with wall and furniture and my basement isn't 3 stories tall so there is no way i could fit that.'
If it's a thin enough guage plastic do you think a heat gun would work? Also, is there a way to melt two pieces together without releasing all the fumes to kill my brain even more or give me cancer? I was thinking about riveting, but the guage plastic might be too thick.

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A heat gun sounds like it might work, but your still going to get the fumes, so best to use a mask and outdoors... Also dont want to make the plastic drippy

Personally, I would make a cast of whatever you want to shape it into, then before it goes liquid, press it into the mold, put the insert in and let it set.

Depending on the type of plastic they make benders and even welders for them I have a welder for MTPF, EPVC, ABS and a few others. Is basicly a big hot glue gun. :D

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Originally Posted by atp151415

uhhhhhhhhhhhh why do you want to shape plastic?

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Thats what racks are made out of.

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Originally Posted by stangs13

Thats what racks are made out of.

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LOL, thanks stangs!
Yeah, i'm not quite sure what kind of plastic it is. I think (if i remember correctly) it was a pvc plastic, but i'm not sure which kind.
As for the mold idea, think i could user regular styo for a mold? i know it will shrink a little with the heat, but i wanted to give the cage some built in dimention, like a waterbowl and rock-ish surface...

Welders would be awesome! I'm kind of on a budget (so i'm getting a good closeout price on the plastic and spending money for wood for a neonate rack) but do you know someplace that sells, or even rents one out? I have no clue where to begin looking for a welder like that.
I just need to make sure if it is PVC that it wasn't plasticised with DEHP. I know it causes problems in humans and animals, and it's what alot of rubberized or semi-rubberized plastics are made with (like 'toys' for children and adults).
I figured just regular heat tape would work fine for heating, it should heat up the plastic well.
If it turns out to be something like Sintra, i'm screwed unless i use it an insulation. But i hope it'd be polypropelene and i'll be set and ready to rock!
Thanks for the help guys! If you have any ideas on how to mold it, or making a mold for it i'm all ears!

most plastic racks ive seen are made out of cut sheets of plastic and screwed together I dont see the need to shape plastic for a rack...The only shaped plastic Ive seen is for hides...

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Originally Posted by Mochelem

most plastic racks ive seen are made out of cut sheets of plastic and screwed together I dont see the need to shape plastic for a rack...The only shaped plastic Ive seen is for hides...

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Yeah, but i want to be something like a one piece pvc vivarium. I'm not a fan of the big box ones. This is going to be the focal piece of my living room so i want to make it as stramlines as possible.... although i could just use a 50's streamliner and convert it! lol.

If it is an expanded PVC, I would try a bender to shape the plastic. I know you said you are on a budget, and they cost about $75, but work great. As for glues, I would try this website www.tapplastics.com , as they carry every type of cement for plastics that you could want. I hope that was of some help.

that site is great! thanks so much!