Plastic

Scrap plastic into 3D printable filaments.
http://www.gizmag.com/filabot-plastic-recycling/25848/

http://www.filabot.com/collections/filabot-systems/products/filabot-wee-kit-un-welded

Wikipedia
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plastic_recycling

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PET_bottle_recycling

Platic bearings

mcmaster
http://www.mcmaster.com/#standard-steel-hollow-tubing/=l9vohz  6 mm tubing OD fits inside of

5/16'' plain bearing flanged

http://www.mcmaster.com/#3/16"-shaft-drill-bushings/=l9vnhn press fit drill bushings

http://www.mcmaster.com/#standard-flanged-sleeve-bearings/=l9vn5r plastic flanged sleeve bushings

http://www.plasticsintl.com/ptfe-rod.html teflon rods

http://www.mossplastics.co.za/nylon-slide-bearing-with-flange

http://www.engnet.co.za/p/b.aspx/5669/14004

http://www.maizey.co.za/

Platic building blocks
I first heard about stewing plastic bags to make new things from Dave Huebsch's book " Village Assignment " - http://www.highlightpublishing.com/ - about interesting adventures had while running a charity/NG

http://www.instructables.com/id/Making-Blocks-out-of-HDPE-milk-jugs/ use this rather

http://www.instructables.com/id/molded-mouthpiece-for-blowgun/

http://www.instructables.com/id/Waste-Plastic-Injector/

http://www.instructables.com/id/HomemadePlastic/ Plastic Smithing: How To Make your own HDPE Plastic Anything (DIY plastic lumber

All you really need for that is an electric oven (or other kind of oven if electricity is available, you just need to be able to control the temperature precisely and keep impurities out) and a compression mold in a shape similar to a lego brick (pegs on one side, holes on the other). You make the side-walls on the mold taller than the finished block will be thick so that you can overfill the mold slightly. Put it in the oven and heat it up until the plastic is thoroughly melted, then put the top plate of the mold in and crank it down. The top plate should have relief holes to let the air out. Once you stop getting air and start getting plastic, you screw some plugs into the holes, and then put some more pressure on the mold just to make sure it all sticks together well. If you use a consistent weight of plastic every time and crank it down to a fixed point, you should be able to get a reasonably consistently sized block.

preferd: ac-dc:--- melt plastic in coffee tin with lid on to keep oxygen out.

This may work, but there is a better way even if you don't have the equipment to achieve the correct melting temperature and not higher so the fumes and fire doesn't result. Heat the bags until they melt completely. The thing others are not seeing is there are minimal fumes to worry about and no fire if you do it outside and cover the pot, metal coffee can, whatever, so there is no new oxygen. THAT is the key. Oil or wax? Not needed with the method I propose, it would just make a mess. As we know, you can heat it well past the melting point if you have no new oxygen to allow it to burn. After it's melted and swirled around a bit to mix the colors, let it cool enough that it's just above the flash point and then pour into a pre-heated mold. If you take the cover off too soon and it catches fire, just put the cover back on and wait a bit longer. Obviously cover needs to be metal and to make a reasonably flat seal against the top of the metal pot or can. A pie pan and coffee can will suffice.

1) Either use thicker metal to spread heat better, or a heat source that is spread out more. A grill outside is a nice option. 2) Cover the top of the pan or pot. Fire requires oxygen, without which it won't burn. By cover I mean just a lid, do not make a bomb by making it a tightly sealed container that won't allow the expanded air and plastic pressure to escape.

-

What I would do is put some plastic in the can and start to heat the double boiler slowly, gradually increasing the heat until the plastic melts, then maintain that heat as you add the plastic you want to melt. To hold the coffee can off the bottom, you could try putting a collar around the top - maybe several hose claps joined to make one big one - and use the collar to clamp some coat hanger wire prongs on the can. Set them up in such a way that they will rest on the top of the pan you have your oil in, with the bottom of the can being about an inch off the bottom of the pot. BE REALLY CAREFUL if you are doing this on a gas stove. Have a class B fire extinguisher right close at hand. If you over heat, any oil bubbling out of the pot WILL ignite! I would rather see you using an electric stove, or using a propane camp stove outside on a cement surface. Still with the extinguisher at hand. Now, if you had a deep fryer, you could suspend your coffee can in that. It would be much safer. Just make sure the deep fryer doesn't get too hot and burn your plastic. If you do start to burn your plastic - beware the fumes - the fumes off most plastics can be quite toxic. NEVER NEVER try this with a NYLON plastic. Burning nylon gives off cyanide gas. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deep_fryer

http://www.instructables.com/id/Super-cheap-strong-castable-SULPHO-PLASTIC/ sulpher and ldpe

http://www.instructables.com/id/Making-Blocks-out-of-HDPE-milk-jugs/

http://www.instructables.com/id/Waste-Plastic-Pump/?ALLSTEPS

Plastic molding
http://www.instructables.com/id/Plastic-molding-with-grocery-bags/

http://www.instructables.com/id/Plastic-molding-with-grocery-bags/step2/Preparation/

http://www.instructables.com/answers/Expertise-needed-on-melting-and-remolding-plastic-/ Polystyrene plastic, number 6, forms when dipped in acetone. White EPS foam, coffee cups, solid plastic cups, yogurt containers, all will turn to playdoh, then solidfy when the aceton evaporates. You can hand form it, stuff it into a mold, extrude it like playdoh, etc. Wear latex gloves.

http://www.instructables.com/id/HomemadePlastic/?ALLSTEPS

1 Best way to shred the plastic better would be to put the bags in a large Rubbermaid type trash can and go to town with them using a weedwhacker. Just be prepared to spend some time untangling some of the shreds from the whacker head.

2 A document shredder might also get plastic wrapped around it's cutting wheels, they are best used for materials that aren't easily stretched. Earlier I proposed a method to more fully melt these bags, that it be done in a covered (metal) container so they can be heated higher to their melting point without bursting into flames because no air (oxygen) can get to them. If they are heated to full melting point there is no need to shred them, then can just be compacted (to melt faster, they would melt either way) by placing something of weight over them, like a piece of metal, glass, etc, something you don't mind ruining by coating with melted plastic or that you wil reuse for the same task in the future. However it is not very necessary, with a covered container the internal air temp rises much more than an open container so plastic will melt faster regardless of whether in direct contact with the hot sides of the metal container it's placed in to heat it.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Resin_identification_code http://www.timberplasticsevalast.co.za/ timber plastics uses polyethylene coke bottles to make tables. Will also be suitable for solar mirror solution

http://www.atomicshrimp.com/st/content/plastic_moulding_2/ grinding plastic into chips.

http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20080904143036AAiAKGw

http://www.ehow.com/how_8199089_melt-plastic-bottle.html double boiler with hot water

http://www.ehow.com/how_6797957_make-molded-plastic-parts-home.html

http://www.ehow.com/how_7894629_melt-plastic-bottles-molding.html Moulds are at craft stores, use those lined with aluminium

http://www.ehow.com/how_6786132_mold-plastic-home.html Pre-heat oven to 200C and melt plastic in pot

http://crafts.creativebug.com/melt-plastic-bottles-1769.html

http://makezine.com/2010/06/12/recycling-plastic-bags-into-plastic/

Plastic molding 2
http://solarcities.blogspot.com/2010/06/you-can-try-this-at-home-working-toward.html  videos, melt plastic in oil so that it does not stick

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plastic_lumber

Injection molding
http://www.rutlandplastics.co.uk/moulding_process.shtml

http://www.pitfallsinmolding.com/

Plastic lumber
http://www.healthybuilding.net/pdf/gtpl/guide_to_plastic_lumber.pdf  Guide to plastic lumber

videos
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W_XUJwINdLw  hdpe melting plastic, triangle with 2 inside. Melt plastic milk bottles at 180degree c into flat piece from http://www.atomiccube.com

suppliers
http://wasteworx.co.za/

http://www.petco.co.za/ag3nt/system/recycling_06_drop.php recyle

http://www.open-sky.co.za

http://www.ecosmartgroup.co.za/contact.htm

http://www.remade.co.za pta plastic recycle

http://www.plastixportal.co.za/css_pages/a_and_d_plastics_recycling.html

http://www.recycleme.co.za

links to various plants selling paletized bags of plastic chips.

http://www.adrecycling.co.za

remade
Commodity	 Plastic
 * Address	 240 Edison Street Pretoria West Pretoria
 * Office phone 1	 012 386 7039
 * Office phone 2	 086 073 6233
 * Fax	 012 386 4361
 * Cell phone 1
 * Cell phone 2
 * We collect	 no

Links
Plastic to oil