Great video Mike. I have done the same. I have several sizes of molds, I just use bean cans or tomato paste cans. Fill them up and heat two or three at a time. I make wooden presser plugs. For the cans and use my hydraulic press to squeeze the hot plastic then refill the can and reheat. I have made very colourful Seam Rollers with the rounds, the HDPE machines easily and the streams of shavings go back into the next mood can. The plastic takes threads beautifully, can’t use the plastic for pens because nothing sticks to HDPE. I use a piece of 1/8” Puck board as a glue barrier on my bench top, epoxy or glue or paint or lacquer just flake off the HDPE sheet once cured. For my toaster oven I rigged up a digital temperature controller that switches the power supply. It has a readout and controls within 3 degrees, also had to tape the timer button of the oven ON to keep it heating. I found that once the oven is at temperature the cans need to soak at temp for about an hour to get heated right through. I talked with a fellow who worked at a local plastics production facility and he indicated that the plastic has insulative tendency and it takes a long time for the centre of the pile to reach effective melting point to fuse together. It is a fun project material to work with, it just takes patience. The finer the source material sizes the better the final blank, less mini voids or trapped air. These are easily filled by using a heat gun and laying some pieces over the void, it melts to the surface and easily turn the excess away.
@@MikePeaceWoodturning I have made HDPE pen blanks, you simply drill the blank half a mm smaller than the tube diameter and use pressure fit for the tubes to stay in place. My wife still uses her hdpe pen with regularity 18 months later
I just used a small tonic water tin with the top cut off and a wooden plunger with a reusable baking parchment cover, squeezed in the vice. HDPE shrinks on cooling and the tin can be cut away with scissors if the HDPE sticks.
Hi Mike, I use a sandwich toaster for melting HDPE, different coloured bottle caps twisted, can make some interesting patterns , while still hot ( thick leather gloves) put in baked bean tins , or on a piece of plywood compress with G-glamps
Hey Mike nice video. I have been collecting soda and juice bottle caps and been wanting to upcycle them. Mainly rectangle sheets mostly to make resin molds out of. This and the linked projects open so many other doors I didn't think of. Thanks again.
Nice suggestions for uses, Mike, but there are so many more (several in the comments already that I was thinking of) but also tool handles or chisel tip protectors (mold to near size and insert chisel while still warm for perfect fit) also great for lathe tools if you travel for demos/shows or ship sharpened tools of any type. (Mold slightly over sized and you can add snapped straps for use as a reusable fitted sheath). Just a few more ideas. Long tube molds could make great covers/sheaths for saws or spoke shave/draw knife blades. A cap with a hole in it to use air to blow out the soft plastic while still warm could also be helpful. Of course air could also be used to blow out cooled HDPE as well. You don't want to risk introducing cracks beating it out if your going to put it on a lathe (just a thought). All in all, so much of our plastics end up polluting our planet, so reusing it is a great alternative where possible.
Thanks, Mike! That's both interesting and useful. I'm going to have to try this out. For the 'flat parts' of the HDPE container that you're trying to 'recycle' in this manner, I suppose you could run them through an office paper shredder. That might speed up the process some what.
Recycling HDPE milk bottles in this way is well known in England, Mike. I have not done it, but do use essentially the same mould press to recycle saved scraps of toilet soap; much easier to eject! Bernard.
Instead of using wooden plugs, get a piece of pipe with an external thread and a matching threaded end cap - that way there's no risk of the wood catching fire. Safety first!
A couple of ways I have found successful, melt onto the baking sheet as Mike described, once melted fold the melted HDPE over a couple of times creating a "demascus" then place into your mold. A second method is make your blank, turn it down and then remelt the shavings back into your blank, the colours mix nicely.
pi is approximately 3.14159, not 3.1459, so you are adding an extra 1 ounce for every 1000 ounces 😀 I wonder if a cross-cut shredder might be an effective way to reduce a bunch of jugs to small bits?
Seems like a lot of work for a small plug! BUT, I thought the video was cool. Do you think it would hold a thread and be used to make a bottle stopper?
Great video Mike. I have done the same. I have several sizes of molds, I just use bean cans or tomato paste cans. Fill them up and heat two or three at a time. I make wooden presser plugs. For the cans and use my hydraulic press to squeeze the hot plastic then refill the can and reheat. I have made very colourful Seam Rollers with the rounds, the HDPE machines easily and the streams of shavings go back into the next mood can. The plastic takes threads beautifully, can’t use the plastic for pens because nothing sticks to HDPE. I use a piece of 1/8” Puck board as a glue barrier on my bench top, epoxy or glue or paint or lacquer just flake off the HDPE sheet once cured.
For my toaster oven I rigged up a digital temperature controller that switches the power supply. It has a readout and controls within 3 degrees, also had to tape the timer button of the oven ON to keep it heating. I found that once the oven is at temperature the cans need to soak at temp for about an hour to get heated right through. I talked with a fellow who worked at a local plastics production facility and he indicated that the plastic has insulative tendency and it takes a long time for the centre of the pile to reach effective melting point to fuse together. It is a fun project material to work with, it just takes patience. The finer the source material sizes the better the final blank, less mini voids or trapped air. These are easily filled by using a heat gun and laying some pieces over the void, it melts to the surface and easily turn the excess away.
Great tips, Bert! I won't try for pen blanks. Sounds like cans are the easiest way to go for a mold.
@@MikePeaceWoodturning I have made HDPE pen blanks, you simply drill the blank half a mm smaller than the tube diameter and use pressure fit for the tubes to stay in place. My wife still uses her hdpe pen with regularity 18 months later
@@gavinarnold9233 Thanks for that tip!
Definitely less expensive than store bought chunks! Thanks.
So true!
Good idea! I made a mallet out of plastic and I used a tin can from soup to fill it in.
Great tip!
@@MikePeaceWoodturning I can only use the tin can once, but I can make another one after eating another soup :D
Been using HDPE in the shop for awhile. Tuna cans make nice blanks for pulley wheels. Soup cans for mallet heads.
I like the tuna can size idea.
Thanks, Mike.
I just used a small tonic water tin with the top cut off and a wooden plunger with a reusable baking parchment cover, squeezed in the vice. HDPE shrinks on cooling and the tin can be cut away with scissors if the HDPE sticks.
Thanks for the tip!
Nice idea...would love to see the turned product!
Thanks. I will post a picture when I do.
Hi Mike, I use a sandwich toaster for melting HDPE, different coloured bottle caps twisted, can make some interesting patterns , while still hot ( thick leather gloves) put in baked bean tins , or on a piece of plywood compress with G-glamps
Good tip, thanks for sharing!
Thanks Mike, Good suggestions for the use. I will put it on my list of projects
Glad it was helpful!
Great idea Mike.
Thanks 👍
Hey Mike nice video. I have been collecting soda and juice bottle caps and been wanting to upcycle them. Mainly rectangle sheets mostly to make resin molds out of. This and the linked projects open so many other doors I didn't think of. Thanks again.
Very cool!
That's pretty COOL. Now I know what to do with my old jugs.
Nice suggestions for uses, Mike, but there are so many more (several in the comments already that I was thinking of) but also tool handles or chisel tip protectors (mold to near size and insert chisel while still warm for perfect fit) also great for lathe tools if you travel for demos/shows or ship sharpened tools of any type. (Mold slightly over sized and you can add snapped straps for use as a reusable fitted sheath).
Just a few more ideas. Long tube molds could make great covers/sheaths for saws or spoke shave/draw knife blades.
A cap with a hole in it to use air to blow out the soft plastic while still warm could also be helpful. Of course air could also be used to blow out cooled HDPE as well.
You don't want to risk introducing cracks beating it out if your going to put it on a lathe (just a thought).
All in all, so much of our plastics end up polluting our planet, so reusing it is a great alternative where possible.
All great ideas.
Thanks, Mike! That's both interesting and useful. I'm going to have to try this out. For the 'flat parts' of the HDPE container that you're trying to 'recycle' in this manner, I suppose you could run them through an office paper shredder. That might speed up the process some what.
My shredder is not strong enough!
Shredders are not strong enough. I tried that. The best way I have hound is a strong blender. Ninja 🥷 works great.
I’ve done recycled HTPE in injection molds but the turning blanks is an even simpler idea. I’m going to try this. Thank you!
You can do it!
Recycling HDPE milk bottles in this way is well known in England, Mike. I have not done it, but do use essentially the same mould press to recycle saved scraps of toilet soap; much easier to eject! Bernard.
Good suggestion!
Thanks Mike. This video was informative and entertaining. I always enjoy learning new things.
Glad to hear it!
Instead of using wooden plugs, get a piece of pipe with an external thread and a matching threaded end cap - that way there's no risk of the wood catching fire. Safety first!
Thanks for sharing.
Small bowls or boxes. Pen blanks.
Yep. Could make some cool pen blanks.
Never thought of doing this. Thank you Mike, very cool. Could one make thread inserts for a segmented ring or cap?
Yes, absolutely
Great video, I wonder if there is a way to add color to the process with more heat I suspect and a way to mix/stir.
That would be a challenge as it hard too heat too much at one time and is thicker than molasses when melted.
A couple of ways I have found successful, melt onto the baking sheet as Mike described, once melted fold the melted HDPE over a couple of times creating a "demascus" then place into your mold. A second method is make your blank, turn it down and then remelt the shavings back into your blank, the colours mix nicely.
pi is approximately 3.14159, not 3.1459, so you are adding an extra 1 ounce for every 1000 ounces 😀
I wonder if a cross-cut shredder might be an effective way to reduce a bunch of jugs to small bits?
Mybe. Someone used a blender.
Seems like a lot of work for a small plug! BUT, I thought the video was cool. Do you think it would hold a thread and be used to make a bottle stopper?
Yes it would defitely thread.
Cut the jug into strips and then run them through a crosscut shredder.
My shredder is not strong enough but others have suggested that.