| Gallery, Projects and General > Project Logs |
| Building a New Lathe |
| << < (168/171) > >> |
| vtsteam:
Cool method, Norman! :beer: |
| russ57:
I remember an electrician showing me something similar for conduit. A Milo tin with diesel soaked rag provides the heat source, put the lid back on when done. -russ |
| vtsteam:
I formerly occasionally straightened PVC pipe into usable flat stock by careful heating with an oven, or for smaller pieces, a heat gun. But these methods are easily susceptible to burning and blistering, and they produce plastic fumes. This is just too hot on the plastic's surface. Heat migration through plastic is slow -- it's a good insulator. I figured out boiling water works better last year when needing to make a small plastic fitting in a place that had no oven and only had an electric kettle. I poured boiling water over a piece of pipe in a coffee mug a few times, and it worked for what I needed. Using water, heat transfer is slow and even, though actually better than air, and temps never get above the boiling point of water. The salt raises the boiling temp a little, so that's helpful. So, that's my method. |
| awemawson:
When I was a youngster they were building a new estate of houses on the cornfields behind us. Loads of off-cuts of PVC down pipe, gutting and underground pipe to be gleaned and turned into 'things' I used your method Steve - gently simmering water - pull it out when floppy and let it sit between two boards with a weight on top to flatten. I remember make an oxy-hydrogen generator - six inches of down pipe, two flattened bit of gutter for the ends, brass screw for the electrodes and a gas tap to release the oxy-hydrogen when accumulated - worked well but goodness knows how I didn't blow myself up as if course the mix is EXACTLY the explosive ratio ! (mind you that pails into insignificance compared to the sodium chlorate and sugar experiments :zap: ) |
| philf:
--- Quote from: awemawson on January 05, 2021, 11:33:06 AM ---.......... (mind you that pails into insignificance compared to the sodium chlorate and sugar experiments :zap: ) --- End quote --- That was until the spoilsports put an additive into Sodium Chlorate weedkiller to render it useless for such purposes! |
| Navigation |
| Message Index |
| Next page |
| Previous page |