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Do white and clear styrene have the same charteristics?


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Nube here with what seems to be a VERY stupid question, but it is my experience some materials do change a bit when color is added or removed.

Do white and clear styrene have the same characteristics in matters such as painting, gluing and vacuum forming?

 

I want to begin learning vacuum forming and one of the projects I have planned I'd like to form in clear.  This would let me avoid having to re-make and install the windshield sections.  I could just mask them off and paint around them.

Thanks

T

Edited by tedd60
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No, in my experience clear and white styrene do not have the same characteristics at all. Clear is brittle and doesn't glue as well.  Clear styrene is very hard to vac-form, the temp has to be perfect or it scorches.  PETG is much better suited to vacforming if you need clear.    

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Thanks for the info, Brett.  You probably saved this poor nube a lot of frustration.

Ted I've had pretty good luck vacuum forming with the "clear lay film"   that hobby lobby sells... not sure what it is really... probably PETG as Brett suggested.

Also for what its worth....I've had pretty bad luck trying to vacuum form the evergreen translucent color sheets... see photo:

072F3727-62B0-47B9-B859-E542B40FD743.jpg

 

Edited by Impalow
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As I understand, Polystyrene (styrene) in its natural virgin form is clear.  Colored or opaque styrene is created adding dyes and other additives. Plasticizers can also be added to make it less brittle.  As mentioned, clear kit parts are usually most brittle, but there should not be any problems with gluing it.  I have also encountered clear styrene which was less brittle. I suspect that plasticizers were added to the mix.

For vacu-forming clear styrene is not the best material to use. PETG (Vivak) or Polycarbonate (Lexan) are much easier to deal with.

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I haven't vacformed for a few years but be warned, frustration levels can be very high with clear parts! The mould for a clear part must be scrupulously clean and polished - the tiniest spec of dust will look like a golf ball!  Also, the temperature range for an effective pull is far smaller than white hi-impact styrene.  If you are doing vacforming for the first time, I would strongly recommend that you use white for your first projects so that you get a handle on temperatures, number of holes required to suck every detail down, problems with undercuts etc.

Don't let me put you off - vacforming is awesome fun and very addictive.  It is perfectly suited to drag car, oval track and land speed racer parts that don't need fine detail like grilles, handles or chrome trim but do need scale thickness.

 

Cheers

Alan

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Don't let me put you off - vacforming is awesome fun and very addictive.  It is perfectly suited to drag car, oval track and land speed racer parts that don't need fine detail like grilles, handles or chrome trim but do need scale thickness.

Cheers

Alan

Thanks Alan, yeah ... I was going to start with a belly tank Lakester ... in 1/18th scale.  I'm guessing everybody who builds a vac former trys that one first.  If that works out, I would REALLY like to build a Formula Vee in 1/18.  I bought a couple Maisto VW's for the engine, trans and front suspension.

I guess I'm letting the cat outta the bag, but I've been putting the parts together to build what you see below ... in 1/18th.  The only way I can figure out to build the body (fuselage) is by vac forming.  Carve a form, split for L & R halves.  The engine and rear suspension will come from a Honda Valkyrie,  the f/e will be VW ... and probably VW front fenders.   Something like an Elio ... except I really think this one would get built.

 

reverse_trike_build_airplane_cockpit_sid

... and this one with a traditional hot rod approach.  Both in 1/18 scale.

 

Piper_Cheroke_Fuselage.thumb.jpg.0b830ab

 

T

 

Edited by tedd60
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There you go, I have done a belly tanker myself! Let me tell you an old woodworker's trick that will make splitting your mould much easier.  Before you start carving, get two pieces of wood ( I use a timber called jelutong - great stuff if you can find it, very soft to carve but almost no grain and you can slice it beautifully in almost any direction.) Then, glue the two pieces of wood together with a piece of normal paper in between.  Clamp it tight until it dries.  Then mark out the shape on one side and start carving.  The paper line down the middle is your centre line and will stay there throughout your carving.

When you have finished your carving, sanding, sealing and priming, get a sharp chisel or plane blade, carefully place it along the paper line and give it a sharp tap with a mallet, the paper will spilt in half giving you two perfectly matched sides.

When you place the halves on the bed of the vacform, rest them on something like some popsticks or similar.  This will allow the plastic to pull down past the edges of your mould.  After cutting them free you will then be able to sand them flat and get rid of any rough or rounded edges.

Hope that helps

Cheers

Alan

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