Terraflex Uses?

[CoreyChiev]

Walked into the local Tandy store and found their new product TerraFlex. Tandy's description is: "TerraFlex is a high quality, solvent-free processed thermoplastic material. It can be used in sheet form or molded and shaped by heat (heat gun or hair dryer). When heated, TerraFlex can be bonded onto itself for when multiple layers are needed. TerraFlex is fully recyclable. Scraps can be repurposed by heating them together and rolling out flat again."
Uses for TerraFlex:
-Bag Stiffener
-Pattern Template
-Lining for Sheaths and Holsters
-Masks

Has anyone had a chance to play around with this stuff? Anyone tried combining it with leather into a sheath, or a purse? Do's or Don'ts?

I'm just curious if anyone found a fun use for this stuff, or if it's worth attempting to make something out of. (Can you paint it?)

Thanks,

Corey

[electrathon]

Perfect post. I saw this stuff the other day and was wondering about it too.

[eransh10]

Here is what it can be used for:

[TomG]

I saw this just this week. The folks at my Tandy said it's pretty neat stuff. BUT... It is remoldable thermoplastic. In other words, if you leave that nice mask in the car, you will come out to find a mess.

If you use it as a bag stiffener, and leave it in the card, you may come back to find it molded in the shape of the contents of your bag <g>...

Maybe it's my lack of imagination, but it seems to me the only real use for it might be as stiff templates and them melt it back into a sheet for the next one...

[RavenAus]

It's basically the same as Worbla. It's used a lot by cosplayers to make moulded armour and props.

Edited July 4, 2015 by RavenAus

[druid]

I would take this to be their version of Kydex. In my experience, body heat alone is not enough to make Kydex pliable to the point of failure but I don't know about this stuff.

[TomG]

As I mentioned, I have NO experience with it... But from what I was told, it has a lower working temp than Kydex. An isn't Kydex fixed once it has cooled? Can you heat it back up and rework it?

[25b]

Kydex can be heated and shaped repeatedly. It would not hold up as a stiffener if the end product will ever be left in a hot car during the summer.

[Squirrelly66]

I have not used the terraflex but I've been using worbla's for a couple years now. I use thermo plastic in conjunction with leather for costumes and props. worbla's can take heat to 195 degrees F. before it starts to lose some form, depends on thicknes and also the type of sealer and paint used but, with some paint and sealer products it adds to the heat raiting.

I stick to kydex when doing sheath liner's for knives, axes and even wear areas on some western revolver holster's.

Kydex doesn't get limp enough for vacuum molding til 250-300 degrees F.

I haven't tried to incorporate worblas into any of my sheaths and stuff for anything other than props and stuff and it works fine for that.

[25b]

I guess you haven't gotten into a car after its been sitting in the hot Texas (or iraq) sun, but I guarantee you it gets a lot hotter than that. I've heard multiple stories from people that left their kydex knife sheaths in their car that came back to find they don't fit tightly anymore.

So go ahead and use it if you want to...I won't.