How to flatten PVC Pipe

Redcoat · Wed May 09, 2007 4:07 am

instead of weighting it down would it be possible to mold it around a Model made of wood and when it hardens to use the PVC as an outer shell to the gun and then put all of the working bits inside?

integral · Wed May 09, 2007 4:59 am

For the burst disc... why not try some electrical conduit. What if you heated/flattened it and then after reheating, with a rolling pin and some elbow grease flatten it?

meatballs · Wed May 09, 2007 2:39 pm

its hard to get the pvc thinner even while hot, i tried cutting out a circle after heating it a little hotter than three hundred degrees, and with all my weight on it i only made a slight indentation. it gets flexible, but not very squishable.

and it would definitely work to mold pvc and use it to house the working bits - electronics for fan and trigger and stuff like that. with the right mold you can make just about any shape you like.

paaiyan · Wed May 09, 2007 2:47 pm

Sweet, i bet that'd make a cannon look a lot cleaner if you got good at it. I wonder if you could work it enough to make a good pistol grip, with indentations for fingers and everything.

meatballs · Wed May 09, 2007 2:49 pm

maybe if you had a tight-fitting leather glove so you could squeeze it with your hand while its still hot. it would conform to the shape of your hand. you could dunk it in cold water to cool it faster. brilliant idea.

paaiyan · Wed May 09, 2007 2:52 pm

Yay for brilliance! Yea I just thought that might be a good way to do that.

hotrocks · Fri May 11, 2007 6:33 am

thank you!

i think i may use this to create a barrrel for a hockey puck.

is it okay to put masking tape in the oven? I think I am going to use 4 inch diameter pipe and flatten it out and then make a 3 inch wide piece with a 1 inch wide piece sticking up at a 90 degree angle....i would have to form it with tongs and stuff....and then do the same thing with the other sheet..and viola, i have barrel 1 x 3...perfect for a hockey puck

Abigor · Sun May 13, 2007 9:51 am

when i tried it it took 5 minutes at gas mark 9 but it was soft enough to flatten with my hands alone

meatballs · Sun May 13, 2007 6:49 pm

did you have to hold it flat while it cooled, or did it stay flat on its own? for me its always pliable and easy to flatten by hand but i put it between flat surfaces to hold it flat while it cools so it will retain the shape.

pyromanic13 · Mon May 14, 2007 12:02 am

I put it under two cutting boards and stood on it until cool..

meatballs · Mon May 14, 2007 2:14 pm

i did the same thing the first time (except plywood not cutting boards) and i got bored so i've used bricks ever since. that way i can leave it until it is fully cooled without getting so impatient.

Abigor · Mon May 14, 2007 2:22 pm

after it started to deform a flattened it flat between my hands for 5 seconds then it was ready for use

BBMG01 · Fri Mar 28, 2008 2:20 pm

Dosen't Burning PVC Release Highly Toxic Hydrochloric (HCl) gas ?

warhead052 · Tue Apr 05, 2011 11:35 am

I used this for paintball/airsoft armor, works excellently. I had a friend shoot the armor with his combustion cannon, the compound round glanced off and left a tiny little dent... Thick wall pvc ftw! Note I was not wearing the armor when he shot it, I dont know what would happen if you got shot by it, dont try it at home!

JDP12 · Tue Apr 05, 2011 1:53 pm

for a pistol grip, your best bet would probably be to use polymorph if youre in the UK, if youre in America.. use ShapeLock- http://www.shapelock.com can just heat it up, put it on some sort of frame, and then hold it in your hands like a grip. When it solidifies, you'll have a perfect ergonomic grip for your hand.