Lighttrick
New Member
So for those of you who don't know, HDPE stands for High-Density polyethylene, You can also recognize it by the little recycling triangle with the number 2 in the middle. It comes in many shapes and forms and some of you may even use it several times a day without even knowing it. But did you know that you can use it to cosplay? HDPE is mainly used in plastic containers that store edible liquids such as milk or juice. (most motor oil containers and chemicals use it but I HIGHLY discourage use of those containers for they contain harmful toxins that may still be there when you process the plastic, so please recycle those containers properly with your regions waste management authorities) as for making the plastic more manageable for costuming I recommend taking a craft knife or scissors, and carefully cut the pieces into long straight(ish) shapes, after you have cut your materials you should wash them off, removing any remaining fluids or foreign contaminants, using rubbing alcohol you can remove any wrapper and adhesive still on the container leaving you with nothing but your HDPE pieces . Afterwards place a sheet of parchment paper on a cooking sheet , making sure the paper covers the sheet with little to no overhang. This causes the plastic to be removed from the sheet without it sticking to the metal (so to avoid accidents I suggest using an old cooking sheet that wont be missed if it is ruined). After the parchment paper is placed on the sheet you can start placing your plastic in an even and well distributed order, make sure not to go crazy and stack them super high as the plastic will most likely become difficult to work with. Pre-heat your oven from anywhere of 350 Degrees Fahrenheit to 450 Fahrenheit, Those are the optimal temperatures to safely work the plastic, once you heat the plastic for several minutes (depending on the thickness and temp) you will want to remove the cooking sheet from the oven with oven mitts or gloves rated for high temperatures, once removed you will want to either put it straight into a mold for pressing (video reference at bottom of thread) Or you can let it cool and store your new plastic plate for later use! Once you have your plastic melted to a soft consistency, move it to the press by using gloves or scraping it straight from the paper , your going to want to have your press lined with parchment paper as well and the frame can be made from lumber you can get from your local hardware store, The best dimensions for the press for me is 12" x 12" once you press it into a flat even sheet you can draw out your desired shape with a permanent marker, Once marked you can take it to the cutting stage with a ban-saw or a Dremmel with a cutting tip. For curved parts remember to account for the curve when cutting your shape. when all desired pieces are cut, they can be assembled with plastic cement or a heat gun. (pictures to follow this is an incomplete guide)
Thank you for reading this and I hope you all have a safe fun time working with HDPE
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oW-gkYHlJbQ (HDPE slingshot)
Thank you for reading this and I hope you all have a safe fun time working with HDPE
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oW-gkYHlJbQ (HDPE slingshot)
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