I Finished Vacuuming

Here is my finished vacuum for model. Today in class I vacuum formed the two identical pieces and cut out the styrene. After sanding them down I aligned the sides and joined them with a strand of styrene running along the inside. I super glued pennies to the bottom of the frame to get the shape to rest the way it is show in the photo. I then sanded down a few uneven edges and called it a night.

Eliot Coven Final Vacuum Form Project

Today in class I finished the vacuum form project. I had my MDF cut-out from last class sanded and ready to go. I bought two pieces of 40 mil. styrene and after waiting in line for a reasonable amount of time I was able to vacuum form my two pieces seperately. Luckily I got everything right the first time. I then used a straight blade very carefully to score the edges and broke the styrene along my cuts. I sanded them flat, with the MDF still inside, with heavy grit paper and then used a much finer grit later. I inserted the inside support structure, tacking weld-on and clamping it as I went. I connected the two pieces slowly and applyed weld on liberally. I did not need to use putty at all. Finally, I gave it a finish sand along the seam. Overall, I'm very happy with the way it came out.

Alex Vacuum form progress

a few process shots as I blog from class.

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

I forgot to take pictures of the final styrene model, but here's where I am at with the vaccu-forming. I got the two mold pieces done, all that's left is to join them.

Final Styrene Project

Here is my final product of the second M&P project involving styrene. I delicately placed all the pieces in their correct positions using weld-on. I used 40 point styrene for the entire shape with the exception of using 20 point for the piece that arks over the top of the circle. After all my joints had dried i went back and sanded down the rough edges with fine sandpaper to give it a smooth, finished look. This is how it turned out.

Styrene project

Styrene progress

After my incident earlier, I got back to work, and got this far.

Blogging catch up.

some process photos from the cat project.

I would have some process photos for the styrene project, but unfortunately A) I screwed it up and B) I sliced my hand and spent a few hours fixing that up. will have those for the next post.

Eliot Coven Final Styrene Project

Here is my final styrene model. I made sure that after every piece was attached firmly. After that I measured everything one final time and all of my measurements were correct. I then filled in the only noticeable gap with styrene putty. I made sure everything was cleanly sanded. I'm pretty happy with the way it turned out.

Carolyn's Finished Styrene Model

I have finshed my styrene model. Above is a picture of the model as I was building it and it completed. I have found that sanding is a key element when using styrene.

Final Model Mike Hummel

Here is my final model for the styrene project after filling in the gaps with paste and then sanding. There are two pictures of it below.

Jordan_styrene_Final

The key to this project was careful measuring and procedure. It was very easy to get lost if you did not know your next move. I began by sketching each piece individually so I could decide where each piece would go and which piece/pieces needed to be there when it arrived. I cut the three pieces that required circles by using the drill press and circle cutter. From there I glued the two back pieces to the base and added supports. I quickly learned the 20mil front panel was not strong enough so I needed to build a stronger 40mil wall for it to rest upon. By taking careful measurements I wrapped the "Tail" of the 20mil front panel around the side. Next I cut and welded the side strip between the two back pieces. Finally, I cut a 1/4 strip in the top piece and wrapped in over. I then sanded and removed the pencil marks with bleach.

jordan_styrene_process

Jordan_styrene_process