Carolina Garrison

Hey I was wondering if anyone around orange county N.C had a vacuum former?

A vacuum former is just a table with suction and a heat source. I use my oven and a box I made by drilling holes in the top and a fitting for my shopvac in the side.

I've done that too. Just when I tried it is used 1/16th of an inch polystyrene sheets and the surface was real dimpled almost like a golf ball. Any suggestions?

you mean the parts around the form you're making where the plastic hit the holes in the table? Why does that matter? That's the part you'll cut off.

Haha not those ones. When I form a buck they are like little imperfections all along the form. Kinda like air bubbles so I'm not really sure what to do about it.

Prop making is 90% sanding!

Oh wow really! I had no idea that a pull was supposed to be sanded I thought it came out smooth. That helps a ton!

I don't think the pull gets sanded, you have to bondo and smoothe out the buck till it gets how you want.

doublepost

Yeah...I would think the buck has to be perfect. I've never seen armor sanded after it's been vac-formed

OK, my bucks are smooth it just gets some bubbled surface on the pull kinda like trapped air between the buck and the plastic. I'm using a shop vac for suction, should I use a vacuum pump instead?

Yeah, as it says on Studio Creations tutorial, you're gonna mess up a lot of plastic learning what works. I've never had bubbles necessarily, but there are areas that air gets trapped. I typically think of it like if I poured water over it, where would it get trapped? That gun barrel buck has holes drilled through the indented parts to pull down there.

Do you use a shop vac or a vacuum pump for suction?

5hp shop vac

the original TK lids (movie used) were very very bumpy/rough and reworked without refining....

not to say that is the way it should be, just a mark left by the fast pace their worked on the first movie.

Also you have to watch out for points that the plastic and get locked on etc... and webbing.....

There is a lot of math knowing what shapes can and cannot be thermoforming........

Lot of skill to do thermoforming properly.....