Making sheets from plastic bags -low cost!
jack-apotsos
| Updated 8 months ago
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Making sheets from plastic bags -low cost!

In this How-to, I describe how to make plastic sheets from HDPE bags. This process was also developed under an extremely tight budget and should be affordable for those looking to start a small business or do it as a craft.
< 5 hours
Medium
HDPE
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6 steps

1

Video tutorials!

If you prefer I also made a video on my process that offers extra details that this How-To doesn't provide however either one should give you a clear understanding of the process. I encourage visiting both if your interested in trying it for your self.

2

Item check-list

• Carbon Activator gas mask • Wood Working tools to cut, glue, and screw together wood. • 2 clamps, refer to image • Heat-resistant gloves • Wood glue • 6 screws • Wood 2x4s and other scrapes • HDPE Plastic bags • An Iron or panini press • Parchment Paper • Toaster oven

3

Building the mold

In this step I'll show you how to build a special mold I use to compress the sheet with only 2 clamps, I recommend viewing the images for further details. Step 1 cut your outside pieces to length. Step 2 make your 2 inside pieces so that you can sandwich the plastic in the mold. Double check then triple check that your 2 inside pieces fit as tight as possible, the plastic will find any gaps it can before reaching the corners. Step 3 glue your outside border with one of the inside pieces in the middle to ensure the tightest fit possible. Step 4 After letting the wood glue dry for 12 hours drill a screw in all four sides for extra strength. Note: I recommend sanding the top and bottom pieces used to sandwich your plastic after every use.

4

Building the clamp holders

This build isn't necessary but will make the process a whole lot easier. The only purpose of this is to hold up the claps to prevent them from sliding down while you set your mold in place. It also helps keep them vertical so your plastic is evenly distributed within the mold. All you need for this build is a few screws 2x4s and some scrap wood. The build is fairly simple and is covered it in my mold build video, you can also refer to the pictures for further instructions.

5

Preparing the bags

Congratulation's! the mold is the hardest part of this process. In this step I'll show you how to prepare your bags to be melted, because of how thin they are this step is vital to the process. Step 1: Fold each bag enough to fit into your panini press, if you’re using an iron just fold them into squares. Step 2: Press the bag for 3 seconds and let cool under a heavy object to avoid curling, if you’re using an Iron just perform a few quick passes on both sides. That's it their all ready to go! 22 seconds into the YouTube video I go over this step.

6

Melting the bags

For this step you will need a toaster oven and your mold. Just to give you an idea my mold (length 5.5in width 3.85in height 0.2in) uses 10-12 bags or 62 grams worth. Step 1: Fill your toaster oven with as many ironed bags as possible and turn it on to its maximum temperature, usually around 400F to 450F. Step 2: Add more plastic bags as the others melt till you reach your desired amount. Step 3: Once the bags melt together take them out of the oven and directly into the mold. Step 4: Tighten the clamps and let cool for around 5 minutes. Step 5: Once your plastic has been through the mold it should start to resemble a sheet. To make a perfect sheet you will have to run it through the process at least once more and let it cool in the mold for 15 minutes, on average it takes three attempts to get the sheet to fill all four corners.
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