Members Riem Posted August 2, 2018 Members Report Posted August 2, 2018 16 hours ago, bikermutt07 said: Now that's what I call homemade. Hat's off to your ingenuity. Thank you Bikermutt! Although I believe I've seen a thread about melting plastics for mauls and other stuff here on leatherworker.net before I attempted this one. I haven't bookmarked it, but if it wasn't here, I certainly got the idea from a search on the Interwebs, so I stood on the shoulders of giants... Quote "People are more violently opposed to fur than to leather because it's safer to harass people in coats than to try being nasty to motorcycle gangs." ~Anonymous
Members Riem Posted August 2, 2018 Members Report Posted August 2, 2018 10 hours ago, chrisash said: I would offer to swap wives with you, my wife would have killed me, if i melted plastic in HER oven Hahaha - indeed it did raise more than an eyebrow... More like a frying pan! Seriously though, it didn't smell much at all if you do it in the oven since the plastic is not exposed to flame or direct heat. The trick is to cut the milk jugs into small little pieces - squares of no more than 2 cm X 2 cm, pack that tightly into a metal container, crank up the heat to 180°C and let it bake for about an hour before removing it (welders gloves work great) and then compacting it with something heavy. Then it's back to the oven for. Another 30 minutes and then "rinse and repeat" until you are satisfied with it's density, shape and size. Of course you can add additional plastic throughout the process as long as you achieve a more or less uniform melt. The plastic never gets into a molten state, it becomes slightly tacky if you get impatient and crank the heat up too much. Smell? Surprisingly very little. I was able to drive it off by opening windows and running a fan in the kitchen. Was Mrs K angry? Well... She was out meeting a friend, and by the time she returned the house smelled completely different. Bacon and fried onions leave a pleasant aroma... Quote "People are more violently opposed to fur than to leather because it's safer to harass people in coats than to try being nasty to motorcycle gangs." ~Anonymous
Members Riem Posted August 2, 2018 Members Report Posted August 2, 2018 2 hours ago, YinTx said: Must be time to build that outdoor forge you've always wanted, then. Perhaps a shop to keep it safe in. Must have it to save money so you can make a maul, right? YinTx Eish, this approach has potential... Outdoor pizza oven, man cave... Whatnot! Quote "People are more violently opposed to fur than to leather because it's safer to harass people in coats than to try being nasty to motorcycle gangs." ~Anonymous
Members Riem Posted August 2, 2018 Members Report Posted August 2, 2018 Another useful older post... I'm learning a lot by going through older posts! Just my "standing on the shoulders of giants" learning approach.... Quote "People are more violently opposed to fur than to leather because it's safer to harass people in coats than to try being nasty to motorcycle gangs." ~Anonymous
bikermutt07 Posted August 4, 2018 Report Posted August 4, 2018 @YinTx, I like where you're going with this.... Quote I'm not paying 80 bucks for a belt!!! It's a strip of leather. How hard could it be? 4 years and 3 grand later.... I have a belt I can finally live with. Stitching is like gravy, it's only great if you make it every day. From Texas but in Bossier City, Louisiana.
Members zfcjr67 Posted August 4, 2018 Members Report Posted August 4, 2018 I built a stitching pony out of scrap wood and a few pieces of hardware I got at the store. It was under 10 bucks US and I think better than the deluxe tandy version. Quote
Members ScoobyNewbie Posted August 4, 2018 Members Report Posted August 4, 2018 (edited) Or kool-aid. I mean, maybe you could use kool-aid for dye. It works on hair and Easter eggs... Edited August 4, 2018 by ScoobyNewbie Quote
Contributing Member fredk Posted August 4, 2018 Contributing Member Report Posted August 4, 2018 On 8/2/2018 at 5:15 PM, bikermutt07 said: I was also thinking.... If it melts at 180* then you could make molds out of wood. Right? What is your thinking on this? I find the question rather vague Quote Al speling misteaks aer all mi own werk..
Members taketothetrees Posted August 4, 2018 Members Report Posted August 4, 2018 Popped down to my local marble worktop workshop and was allowed to take a look in their skip. Two nice pieces of granite. Small one approx. 11" x 12". Larger piece approx. 12" x 21". I stuck some split leather on the back so I can place them on my worktop, or on top of each other, hopefully without scratching them. Saved me some money there! Quote
Members AndiMH Posted August 4, 2018 Members Report Posted August 4, 2018 I’m using a plastic kitchen cutting board and office clips as a stitching pony. Quote
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