Plastic Sources

thekl0wn · 06-16-2009, 02:09 PM

I first got the idea from rdholtz's build log... He had some interesting sources for plastic listed. However, the types of plastic he was looking for is different than mine. He was in search of LDPE & HDPE, whereas I'm looking for ABS.

Does anyone know where some good recycling/trash finds would be for ABS plastic? I'm needing small sheets. I know I can buy them, but for practice, I'd rather play around with scrap first.

rdholtz · 06-16-2009, 11:58 PM

Check turbocad6's worklog here. He lists several sources, including TV cases.

seanz0rz · 06-17-2009, 07:41 PM

S&W plastics in san bernardino, ca

rdholtz · 06-17-2009, 09:07 PM

ABS is possibly the best plastic material to work with, because there are glues and solvents available, and some of them are professional grade. There are plenty of resources right on MP3Car to guide you to working with ABS.

For new ABS stock, there are probably plastic fabricators in your area, and they often sell what they consider "scrap" pieces at great prices, and those "scraps" are plenty big enough for us to work with.

If you look around, you can find used ABS parts to play with, too. ABS wasn't part of the original recycling scheme, so it has no number in the recycling series. Thus, some parts are labeled "ABS"; some have the recycle logo with "ABS" in the middle of it, and many simply are unmarked.

Here's a link at Urethane Supply Co. on how to identify plastics.

thekl0wn · 06-18-2009, 08:47 AM

Yeah, I've been through the Urethane supply site. Great info there. And I keep forgetting about the amount of detail and info some of you guys have in your worklogs!

You would think with having some of the biggest plastics manufacturing plants in this area, that I'd be able to get this stuff cheap/free, but I'm having issues getting replies from anyone locally! Then again, you would think that I'd be able to get the OEM interior plastic paint for my vehicle straight from the factory, considering that's where I work... But no luck there either!

Which just brought a new thought to mind... I have a cousin that works at a plastic recycling plant, and has the capability of getting plastics at their purchased price, which is scrap price!

Heather · 06-18-2009, 11:20 AM

Any ideas for how we could create these lists for others to use later? The wikki might be an option, but no one seems to use it -this is really helpful information.

thekl0wn · 06-18-2009, 12:11 PM

IMO, the wiki would be the best form to put this into, because it's basically an online outline. It could be broken down into the different plastic types, each with subsections listing how to ID it, how to work with it, where to locate it new, and what the known products are that use it. The worklogs, tuturials, and products could all be listed in a nice/easy format.

Heck, it'd help me out, even if no one else ever used it...

Heather · 06-18-2009, 01:11 PM

The wikki is open and free for all to submit to and organize. If it is not a great wikki, we can look into replacing it with a better one....

Also - feel free to let people know where they can buy parts and plastics, and recommend vendors so people can do this cheaply and find quality vendors. Also if there is anyone really knolwedgable who we could do a video interview with, let us know. We would even be willing to mail someone our camera so that we could get some good how to and technique video.

rdholtz · 06-18-2009, 01:34 PM

Quote: Originally Posted by Heather

The wikki is open and free for all to submit to and organize. If it is not a great wikki, we can look into replacing it with a better one....

Also - feel free to let people know where they can buy parts and plastics, and recommend vendors so people can do this cheaply and find quality vendors. Also if there is anyone really knolwedgable who we could do a video interview with, let us know. We would even be willing to mail someone our camera so that we could get some good how to and technique video.

I confess that I've completely ignored the wiki. I'll explore it and see about adding information to it.

When we find good stuff there, we should put links to the information in our worklogs, too, just to build traffic. More traffic will result in a better wiki, I bet.

thekl0wn · 06-18-2009, 02:23 PM

Not sure what anyone else thinks, but IMO there is a HUGE gap in the main page of the wiki: Fabrication. And IMO, there should be a wiki for general fabrication, and a wiki for the sub-types of fabricating for the different material types: Metal, plastic, fiberglass, wood, etc...

But those are just my thoughts.

nobb · 06-18-2009, 02:27 PM

How much of it are you looking for and did you want to buy it directly, or find old equipment and grind it down yourself? If it dissolves in acetone, then it's likely ABS. For a DIY approach, alot of things are made of ABS that can be grinded down. Lego, old toys, monitor casings, VHS tape casings, etc...

thekl0wn · 06-18-2009, 02:29 PM

My Lego's are NOT getting sacrificed... I'd burn the truck before sacrificing my Lego's!

Heather · 06-18-2009, 03:50 PM

Quote: Originally Posted by thekl0wn

Not sure what anyone else thinks, but IMO there is a HUGE gap in the main page of the wiki: Fabrication. And IMO, there should be a wiki for general fabrication, and a wiki for the sub-types of fabricating for the different material types: Metal, plastic, fiberglass, wood, etc...

But those are just my thoughts.

http://www.mp3car.com/wiki/index.php/Main_Page
Added those sections to the Wiki.
We can add whichever sections we would like - so long as you are logged into the forums, you can edit and add to the Wiki.

thekl0wn · 06-18-2009, 04:00 PM

Nice! I'll dig up my F/G tutorial I made for another forum, since it should lend itself quite nicely to the wiki format. Not that it has anything to do with the OT...

Heather · 06-18-2009, 04:02 PM

that is great - add anything you like - the wiki is pretty easy to edit - we are in need of a lot of additional sections ...

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