11
votes
Accepted
How to cut gift cards in order to make a mosaic?
I have always found one of the appeals of mosaic to be creating non-uniform / random shapes for your art. Both of these options can help capture that.
Score the card
If you score one surface of the ...
- 11k
9
votes
Accepted
How do I choose which adhesive or material to repair action figures?
It depends what you want out of the repairs.
If you're looking for longevity and quality of repair, an epoxy (resin) is your best bet. They tend to create the best seams and are difficult to break. ...
- 661
9
votes
Remove scratches from a (resin or plastic) stuffed animal eye
The eyes are almost certainly molded thermoplastic of some kind rather than a cast resin (casting resins are too expensive and time-consuming for a high-volume, mass market item like these eyes, and ...
- 11.5k
8
votes
Accepted
What does 'mil' mean when measuring thickness?
The internet has informed me one mil is a measurement that equals one-thousandth of an inch (0.001 inch) or 0.0254 mm. You can convert any length unit into mils via Google's length unit conversion (...
- 1,091
7
votes
How can I cut a near perfect circle out of a plastic bottle?
Kind of off the wall, but here goes:
Fill the bottle with water and put it in the freezer until the water becomes solid ice. (best not put the cap on in order to allow for expansion of ice.
Using ...
- 653
7
votes
Accepted
Can I melt or weld broken ABS plastic back together?
Back in my University days I worked at a place that used to modify vending machines to allow 12oz cans to be vended in 16oz machines. They did this by adding ABS blocks to the racks using a very ...
- 3,443
6
votes
Accepted
What paint to use for outdoor plastic chairs?
I have a plastic chair in my workshop. It is spattered with acrylic paint which is very hard to remove. I suggest you use good quality exterior grade acrylic paints. I have painted concrete ornaments ...
- 314
6
votes
How do I choose which adhesive or material to repair action figures?
Many adhesives will work on plastics.
With toys and things like this you first want to consider the age of people handling them. If a child will chew on it, be sure to avoid resins that are known to ...
- 971
6
votes
Accepted
How can I cleanly cut thick plastic straws?
It's worth noting, if you feel like taking a trip to your local hardware store, that they make specialty blades that fit boxcutters. Some of these are designed for laminate.
Most likely, the blades ...
- 476
6
votes
How can I cut a near perfect circle out of a plastic bottle?
Plastic bottles are easy to cut with a sharp scissors.
Before cutting your circle, draw your cutting line onto the bottle with a marker.
Before you can cut with a scissors, you have to pierce the ...
- 396
6
votes
Accepted
How to cut a hole in a globe without breaking it?
I think you might be close to a solution by using heat, but consider to combine a source of heat with a cutter blade. This will allow you to use the tip of the blade to have a minimal impact on the ...
- 7,231
6
votes
Accepted
I am looking to melt some leftover acrylic into a mould, at home. Are there fumes that I should be worried about?
There are lots of links that describe toxic fumes from burning or laser-cutting acrylic. Apparently, the risk also applies to the molten plastic, as you would encounter with 3D printing or molding. ...
- 11.5k
5
votes
How can I cut a near perfect circle out of a plastic bottle?
Because the plastic is quite thin, it will not hold up well to a rotary cutter such as a hole saw or similar cutter. A trammel type cutter would likely be much worse. The only way I can think to make ...
- 7,231
5
votes
Accepted
Are there toxic concerns with using a heatgun/torch on plastic/acrylic?
Yes, if you overheat it, most thermo-plastics will give off dangerous gases when heated above a certain temperature. For bending, you need somewhere between 100C - 170C (212°F - 338°F). Cast ...
- 1,334
5
votes
How to make adjustments to a PVC raincoat?
I'd recommend you head to a camping supply store
(like REI or Academy ) and pick up some tent repair tape.
Its usually rip-stop nylon with adhesive on the back.
It will reinforce the pvc so you can ...
- 311
5
votes
DIY acrylic lamp engraving problem
Short answer: you are using the wrong technique.
Long answer: The light travels from the LED strip in straight lines through the acryllic and emerges at the top of the acryllic plate. In order to ...
Elmy♦
- 12.6k
5
votes
Rectangle-Cylindrical Enclosure ideas?
As your objective appears to be the requirement to present a product, you aren't asking for production methods. This suggests that a suitable method is to use 3D printing, specifically resin printing, ...
- 7,231
5
votes
Accepted
How should I clean these plastic items?
That looks like lichen. On plastic, you can probably remove it with just soapy water and a bristle brush or nylon scrubbing pad (but don't use something abrasive enough to scratch up the plastic or ...
- 11.5k
5
votes
Accepted
Can I mold plastic (HDPE or LDPE) in silicone?
Sort of, within limits . HDPE and LDPE melt at temperatures that won't damage silicone designed for that temperature (some silicones that are designed for lower temperature ranges can degrade from ...
- 11.5k
4
votes
Accepted
What paints could I use on nylon fabric?
I don't have specific experience painting nylon fabric, but as a starting place for you, Dharma Trading Company has a tutorial for painting and/or dying silk that may apply to your project. They sell ...
- 231
4
votes
Are there specific types of plastic that are more "Clear" than others?
You're probably looking for acrylic.
Computer case manufacturers often use acrylic. For a recent example, the Thermaltake core P5 atx case uses acrylic. Also, according to this datasheet acrylic has ...
- 153
4
votes
Accepted
Can I use Lucas oil colors for painting plastic kits?
You can try, but first you will want to degrease the plastic with a little rubbing alcohol (and prime it). The paint will not dry quickly unless you add a siccative like China dryer to the oil to thin ...
- 2,812
4
votes
Accepted
Alternative for wickes PVA glue in america
PVA is one common type of wood glue (one global example is Gorilla wood glue), though the product in the video is the cheaper builder's PVA which can be mixed into plaster, or diluted and used as a ...
- 6,594
4
votes
What's a good non-adhesive plastic sheet to protect soft-back books?
I suggest using sheets of clear PVC:
It's non-adhesive, a lot more durable than the more common polypropylene sheets (like the perforated 'punched pockets'), but still supple. They mostly come in ...
- 10.5k
4
votes
Accepted
Are all plastic erasers not recommended or harmful for non-smooth papers like a casual sketchbook?
The issue isn't quite as cut and dry as the title of the question. Paper comes in a range of "non-smoothness", tailored to different kinds of media and different appearances. The ...
- 11.5k
4
votes
Accepted
Why do my poster colours behave strangely on my plastic palette?
For new plastic palettes this is normal behaviour, and will go away after some usage.
I looked into methods to get rid of this annoying aspect, but none seem to actually work well. Roughing the ...
- 10.5k
4
votes
What material(s) I can use to make this kind "hard" waterproof board at home?
Deviating from previous suggestions into one that would require some extra legwork, but would avoid risk of fumes or burn injuries/damage, I'd suggest closed-cell PVC foamboard, frequently known by ...
- 3,902
3
votes
Resin Casting - How large must the compressor be to quickly fill a 10 Liter/2.6 gallon pressure pot at 60 psi?
I have a 2.5 gal pot and use my 21 gal 125 psi compressor. It works with no problem at all. For a smaller and less pricey solution, I would go with at least an 8 gal 125 psi compressor, as it looks ...
Only top scored, non community-wiki answers of a minimum length are eligible