styrene

[djtrickdog]

i found 'styrene' and my grandpas hardware store, but it seems to be for lights, like if you have a kitchen light, that sheet of plastic, anyways, will that work for vacuumforming? its smmooooooothhh on one side and i little rigid on the other, has anyone used this? is this what im looking for?

[drcrash]

i found 'styrene' and my grandpas hardware store, but it seems to be for lights, like if you have a kitchen light, that sheet of plastic, anyways, will that work for vacuumforming? its smmooooooothhh on one side and i little rigid on the other, has anyone used this? is this what im looking for?

It vacuum forms just fine. I really like the stuff. (But I like the acrylic better; "styrene" (polystyrene) is brittle.) You can vacuum-form custom diffusers with it.

Here's a couple of fun examples. The clear one is "cracked ice" acrylic; the white one is "white mist" styrene:

http://www.tk560.com/phpBB2/viewtopi...=diffuser+mask

[djtrickdog]

alright i might wanna go with the mist stuff. its for a stormtrooper costume

[drcrash]

alright i might wanna go with the mist stuff. its for a stormtrooper costume

Then it's not the right stuff. You only want to use textured plastic if you want a textured result. The stormtrooper guys use smooth plastic.

If you vacuum form textured plastic with the smooth side out, the texture will come through (in a muted form). That can be cool if it's what you want, maybe to get a texture like beaten metal, but it isn't smooth.

You don't want it as translucent as light-diffuser panels, either.

What you want is white high-impact (poly)styrene (a.k.a. HIPS or HIS) or ABS plastic. (ABS usually comes smooth on one side, haircell texture on the other. You don't want that---you want your ABS "smooth both sides" or SBS.) If you buy 4 x 8 foot sheets from a local plastics supplier, it'll be cheaper than diffuser ceiling panels. (The HIPS will, anyway... not sure about ABS.)

The guys on the discussion board at tk560.com can tell you all about it.

They even have a vacuum forming forum that's more active than this one (which is why I know a little about the stormtrooper stuff).

[djtrickdog]

Then it's not the right stuff. You only want to use textured plastic if you want a textured result. The stormtrooper guys use smooth plastic.

If you vacuum form textured plastic with the smooth side out, the texture will come through (in a muted form). That can be cool if it's what you want, maybe to get a texture like beaten metal, but it isn't smooth.

You don't want it as translucent as light-diffuser panels, either.

What you want is white high-impact (poly)styrene (a.k.a. HIPS or HIS) or ABS plastic. (ABS usually comes smooth on one side, haircell texture on the other. You don't want that---you want your ABS "smooth both sides" or SBS.) If you buy 4 x 8 foot sheets from a local plastics supplier, it'll be cheaper than diffuser ceiling panels. (The HIPS will, anyway... not sure about ABS.)

The guys on the discussion board at tk560.com can tell you all about it.

They even have a vacuum forming forum that's more active than this one (which is why I know a little about the stormtrooper stuff).

i know about abs and hips ive been researchin for some time now, but i cant find either and i dont want to order online because of shipping :S i went to lowes and found polystyrene but it was too thick and foamy like styofoam. what is hips main purpose? ace hardware seems to have stuff that lowes and stuff wont have