necessity is the mother of invention and all that.

I need a 6 inch length of 20mm dia plastic and cant find a local
supplier that I can get to in lunch breaks.

I was looking at the stack of coca cola PET bottles I've collected and
wondered what tricks there were to melting this down to a rod of
machinable plastic. the properties of the neck plastic seem ok.

are there techniques that work well enough in the workshop?

what are the pitfalls to remelting something like PET?
does the remelt have the usual strength properties once it has cooled?

(the gingery injection moulding thread showed some knowledgeable guys
around)

Stealth Pilot

The solution is called mail order. Try eBay. Everything is available.
Steve

"Stealth Pilot" wrote in message
...

necessity is the mother of invention and all that.

I need a 6 inch length of 20mm dia plastic and cant find a local
supplier that I can get to in lunch breaks.

I was looking at the stack of coca cola PET bottles I've collected and
wondered what tricks there were to melting this down to a rod of
machinable plastic. the properties of the neck plastic seem ok.

are there techniques that work well enough in the workshop?

what are the pitfalls to remelting something like PET?
does the remelt have the usual strength properties once it has cooled?

(the gingery injection moulding thread showed some knowledgeable guys
around)

Stealth Pilot

"Stealth Pilot" wrote in message
...

necessity is the mother of invention and all that.

I need a 6 inch length of 20mm dia plastic and cant find a local
supplier that I can get to in lunch breaks.

I was looking at the stack of coca cola PET bottles I've collected and
wondered what tricks there were to melting this down to a rod of
machinable plastic. the properties of the neck plastic seem ok.

are there techniques that work well enough in the workshop?

what are the pitfalls to remelting something like PET?
does the remelt have the usual strength properties once it has cooled?

(the gingery injection moulding thread showed some knowledgeable guys
around)

Stealth Pilot


What suburb are you woring in? Canning Vale? Osb Park? Belmont?

Stealth Pilot wrote:
... coca cola PET bottles ... melting this down to a rod of
machinable plastic. ...

are there techniques that work well enough in the workshop?
...

From my very limited experience, I would say NO! "Melting down" is not
something that PET does. It is so viscous that it doesn't flow to fill
a container except under pressure. Under heat it becomes soft globs,
not what you'd call liquid.

To repeat: from my very limited experience,
Bob


--
Nota for President

"Bob Engelhardt" wrote in message
. ..
Stealth Pilot wrote:
... coca cola PET bottles ... melting this down to a rod of
machinable plastic. ...

are there techniques that work well enough in the workshop?
...

From my very limited experience, I would say NO! "Melting down" is not
something that PET does. It is so viscous that it doesn't flow to fill a
container except under pressure. Under heat it becomes soft globs, not
what you'd call liquid.

To repeat: from my very limited experience,


PET is about the worst choice of thermoplastic to try to recycle that way.
It doesn't melt till 265C and degrades rapidly unless it is dried before
moulding. Its very hard to control crystallisation on cooling and bottle
grades don't mould well anyway - best just go out and buy some plastic rod
by mail order. If all else fails RS components do a fair range of types.

On 2008-08-17, Steve Lusardi wrote:

"Stealth Pilot" wrote in message
...

necessity is the mother of invention and all that.

I need a 6 inch length of 20mm dia plastic and cant find a local
supplier that I can get to in lunch breaks.

The solution is called mail order. Try eBay. Everything is available.

In particular, I've ordered 12" lengths of 1" diameter (a bit
over 20mm, so you can turn it down) Delrin (Acetal) from MSC. You have
a choice of "natural" (sort of whiteish), or black. It is a very nice
to machine plastic.

I certainly would not try Coke bottle plastic for most things.
I would expect it to be nasty to machine.

Enjoy,
DoN.

--
Email: | Voice (all times): (703) 938-4564
(too) near Washington D.C. | http://www.d-and-d.com/dnichols/DoN.html
--- Black Holes are where God is dividing by zero ---

On Sun, 17 Aug 2008 21:12:09 +0800, "Den"
wrote:


"Stealth Pilot" wrote in message
.. .

necessity is the mother of invention and all that.

I need a 6 inch length of 20mm dia plastic and cant find a local
supplier that I can get to in lunch breaks.

I was looking at the stack of coca cola PET bottles I've collected and
wondered what tricks there were to melting this down to a rod of
machinable plastic. the properties of the neck plastic seem ok.

are there techniques that work well enough in the workshop?

what are the pitfalls to remelting something like PET?
does the remelt have the usual strength properties once it has cooled?

(the gingery injection moulding thread showed some knowledgeable guys
around)

Stealth Pilot


What suburb are you woring in? Canning Vale? Osb Park? Belmont?

applecross. I really should take the full hour for lunch but it is
busy.
the suppliers I knew seem to have moved or gone bust.

On Sun, 17 Aug 2008 16:53:57 +0100, "Norman Billingham"
norman.at.tumulus.org.uk wrote:


"Bob Engelhardt" wrote in message
...
Stealth Pilot wrote:
... coca cola PET bottles ... melting this down to a rod of
machinable plastic. ...

are there techniques that work well enough in the workshop?
...

From my very limited experience, I would say NO! "Melting down" is not
something that PET does. It is so viscous that it doesn't flow to fill a
container except under pressure. Under heat it becomes soft globs, not
what you'd call liquid.

To repeat: from my very limited experience,


PET is about the worst choice of thermoplastic to try to recycle that way.
It doesn't melt till 265C and degrades rapidly unless it is dried before
moulding. Its very hard to control crystallisation on cooling and bottle
grades don't mould well anyway - best just go out and buy some plastic rod
by mail order. If all else fails RS components do a fair range of types.


I didnt know that. I'll have a look in the cattledog tomorrow.

On Sun, 17 Aug 2008 20:24:50 +0800, Stealth Pilot
wrote:


necessity is the mother of invention and all that.

I need a 6 inch length of 20mm dia plastic and cant find a local
supplier that I can get to in lunch breaks.

I have just been out to the workshop to check the size of the
plastic rod ( Tecaform AH ) I have but it is only 16.4mm dia. You
are welcome to a bit of it, I got it from some mob in Welshpool, a bit
of a push from Applecross at lunchtime, I am in Gosnells.

Alan

"Stealth Pilot" wrote in message
...
On Sun, 17 Aug 2008 21:12:09 +0800, "Den"
wrote:


"Stealth Pilot" wrote in message
. ..

necessity is the mother of invention and all that.

I need a 6 inch length of 20mm dia plastic and cant find a local
supplier that I can get to in lunch breaks.

I was looking at the stack of coca cola PET bottles I've collected and
wondered what tricks there were to melting this down to a rod of
machinable plastic. the properties of the neck plastic seem ok.

are there techniques that work well enough in the workshop?

what are the pitfalls to remelting something like PET?
does the remelt have the usual strength properties once it has cooled?

(the gingery injection moulding thread showed some knowledgeable guys
around)

Stealth Pilot


What suburb are you woring in? Canning Vale? Osb Park? Belmont?

applecross. I really should take the full hour for lunch but it is
busy.
the suppliers I knew seem to have moved or gone bust.


I've some 30mm od white nylon - at least I think it's nylon. If you want 8"
of that for nothing mail me on rds20008 AT iinet.net.au with your mobile#
and we can organise something.

I've some 30mm od white nylon - at least I think it's nylon. If you want
8" of that for nothing mail me on rds20008 AT iinet.net.au with your
mobile#

Sorry - should have been rds2008, one too many zeros.


and we can organise something.