Vacuum Forming Post 1

Here is my progress for day one  vacuum forming project. Unfortunately, I made several initial mistakes which I failed to document. I tried to form a "jelly bean" like shape out of MDF which proved far to difficult. After talking to several other students in the shop, I was informed that, due to the shape's thickness, the styrene would become very thin and breakable towards the bottom as it formed over MDF. I threw out the jelly bean shape and came up with a design that had  more manageable flat surface and flowing side edges. I glued the pieces together with super 77  then cut out the shape on the ban saw and sanded it down with the vertical sand belt.  I then split the two identical sides and used the router with an 1/8th in. bit to get a smooth radius around the edges of each form. Tomorrow I plan to vacuum form both parts, cut those parts out, sand them and attach them together with weld on. 

Styrene Final

This is my finished Styrene project. After it was all put together I sanded the edges and every surface with 400 grit to eliminate the glossy "trails" left by dripping weld-on. There was a 1/16th" gap that I filled in with quite a bit of paste, and it needed about 8 hours or so before it dried enough to be sanded down. I did enjoy working with this material.

Vacuum Form Progress

I worked in class and got all of the necessary steps done including the vacuuming of the object that I made.  I had used the vacuum form before during the Sprint Project with the assistance of the group but it was good to work with it some more and get some practice.  Both of my pieces came out nicely except for one of them had a slight slip of the penny but hopefully I will be able to work with it tomorrow.

Final Styrene Project

Here is my final styrene object. I had fun doing the project although I had some difficulties.  

Styrene Process

I got a few pieces cut out in class, but did not get to use the drill press so I used a jeweler's saw to cut the circles, then I sanded their edges. I found that much of what I had learned in jewelry classes proved useful for this project.

All of the pieces cut and their edges sanded before assembly.

Assembly process:


It was tricky to glue so many sides together at the same time to finish the piece because the weld-on evaporates quick and drips everywhere, but in the end I think it made the piece more structurally sound. It also prevented the problem of having all of the pieces fit together fine except for the last. There were little sections here and there that were not secured but adding more weld on with the needle bottle wasn't difficult.

Vacuum Form Project

Here is a picture of my mold I will be vacuum forming. It spray mounted two pieces of 1/2 inch mdf together and then cut out my design using the band saw and then sanding it down with the disc and spindle sander. I then routered the edges to give a nice final appearance. I have some minor sanding to do on the sides before tomorrow.

Eliot Coven Vacuum Form Project Post 1

After I laid out my piece on 3/4 inch MDF, I sprayed one side of the wood with Super 77. I stuck it to another piece and stepped on it to secure it firmly for the time being. I then cut it out on the ban saw and then carefully sanded it down on the belt and circular drum sander. Once I had my shape I got a router bit with an interesting bevel in it and used it on the edges of my piece. I then gave it a final hand sand to make sure everything was smooth and even. Next class I plan on taking the two halves apart and vacuum forming each piece. I will finish by attaching them together and sanding the final piece down.

Vacuum Forming

Ive nearly finished the inner mold pieces, I just need to sand them down and get rid of any bumps.

Final Styrene Model

This is how my final styrene model turned out