Nice Alternative to Fiberglass

H

hecklejk

Been Around the Block
Hi all, just wanted to put this up for all to see!

I have been working on my seat for a while now and didnt want to use fiberglass to cover the Hump,
072108_180301.jpg

so I scoured the interweb for some alternatives and found this!
http://www.instructables.com/id/How-to-%22make%22-plastic/?comments=all
it is the step by step instructions on making PLASTIC!! I was rather skeptical at first, but after making my first batch, and forming it over my seat hump I was pleasently suprised!! This stuff is awesome and CHEAP! the only down side to this process is that it takes a while to dry! I have put 2 layers of PLASTIC on my seat hump for a nominal cost of $6 (for the acetone). Mind you, I will be covering the entire seat with vinyl or leather, so the plastic covering is simply to protect / cover the foam mold and maintain the shape of the hump. This is a very very simple process for making a mold of just about any shape!!! I will post some pics of the seat later when i take some!

Cheers,
Kevin
 
I've used that method a few times (ran across that 'Instructable' before) and it works quite well. I hadn't thought to use it on the bike though........
Hmmmmm <rubs chin>, it certainly has potential. Be aware, you're essentially making the same kind of plastic used in model cars and planes. However, if it's made thicker it could be strong enough. I'll be messing with this, this weekend!
 
Any pics of this?

How hard does it get? Is it difficult to shape correctly? God I hate fiberglass, this would be awesome.

Also how does it deal with primer/paint? That could be a problem.
 
I used to reinforce the tails of my skateboards when I couldn't afford a new deck by breaking up a styrofoam cup, laying the pieces over the tail, and pouring a little gas over it. It was actually REALLY strong.

I figured out this method because my riding lawn mower ran out of gas at the far end of the yard and rather than drag the gas huge can 400 yards I thought I'd just take a cupful of gas to the mower and ride it back to the garage... the cup melted within about 20 seconds all over the driveway and there was a chunk of super-hard plastic there for the next 5 years.
 
heckle, do you have any pics of your seat? id like to see how it came out. i keep forgetting to make some of this stuff when im at the shop.
 
milwaukeephil said:
I used to reinforce the tails of my skateboards when I couldn't afford a new deck by breaking up a styrofoam cup, laying the pieces over the tail, and pouring a little gas over it. It was actually REALLY strong.

I figured out this method because my riding lawn mower ran out of gas at the far end of the yard and rather than drag the gas huge can 400 yards I thought I'd just take a cupful of gas to the mower and ride it back to the garage... the cup melted within about 20 seconds all over the driveway and there was a chunk of super-hard plastic there for the next 5 years.
Click to expand...

I was jut reading the replies on the instructables site and you were creating Napalm. Sweet! :D
 
how maliable is the plastic if it is moldible not pourable? what ratio did you use in your foam cover? thanks for any help!
 
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