Prop: Shop - How to Make a Vacuum Forming Machine

Bill shows you how to quickly make a vacuum forming machine from cheap hardware store supplies.

Fon Davis's Vacuum Forming Video

High End Vacuum Former Stan Winston Video

Materials & Tools
Aluminum Solid Angle 1/16" x 1/2" x 1/2"

Miter Box/Saw

Corner Braces 1.5"

1, 2, 3 Block

Countersink Bits

Screws

Nuts

Styrene Plastic

PETG Plastic

Binder clips

Dremel Rotary Tool

Toaster Oven

Pegboard

Forsner Bits

Shop Vac

Wood Glue

Clamps

Spring Clamps

[HandmadeProps]

Lol, since my son watched your tutorial and built his own vac former all of my sheet stock has turned it into Poke Balls:) think ;) Wonderful tutorial!!

[ruthatguy]

I've used a many a commercial Thermoformer to make big things back in the "real world", this is a great way to make your own. Well done sir!

[jeffnovak]

I just wanted to say thank you so much for, putting out these videos. I am pretty new to casting and vacuum forming. it's nice to have a visual guide to these techniques. it makes it seem like way less of a daunting task.

[alastorfan]

I really love this video, planning on starting to make vacuum formed hockey masks soon! 8 years later and this video gives all the best info on how to make them, Thank you for this info punishedprops! I'll be having fun following these steps and making my own forming machine,

[theyarehere]

I'm very glad to find your channel. I was watching you and Adam Savage build a foam gauntlet. So I came over to Punished Props Academy to look around. I liked what I saw so I stayed around by subscribing.

[chrissharp]

Just stumbled across this video from prop shop. Just the ticket for my modelling needs, I found it informative and an easy to achieve project. Cheers mate.

[Theopheus]

I know this video is old, but it's clear, concise, not very long. I really appreciate it. If you're still watching the comments, do you need any kind of mold release? What keeps the vacuum formed plastic from sticking to the buck? Also, how thick should the plastic be?

[ThatOnePrickOnline]

also noticed the Khorne berzerker on your pc background at 4:54. building chaos armour is the exact reason I'm looking at making a vacuuformer! great video +40k awesome points.

[MadZaxx]

Awesome tutorial and excellent presentation. I really appreciate your style and down to earth personality.

[Doobie]

Always like workshops that ACTUALLY look like people work in em! Cool vid too!

[ryansizemore]

Really enjoy clear informative tutorials like this. Great links in description and simple instructions. Really look forward to trying it out.

[WillSway]

Dude you are awesome ! thank you for all your techniques ! And thank you for your good mood, it's always a pleasure to see your videos !

[StephenMattison]

6 second intro, perfect! Thx for being smart!

[soarer]

Do not forget to use a release agent like talcum powder to help get the thing apart after it cools and shrinks onto your item you are trying to mold. just a dusting of it on the mold before you vac form it is enough and helps a lot.

[personone]

Hey man - Great vid! I’m only new to messing around with all this DIY plastic stuff and this really helps, seems so simple and obvious now I seen one but you don’t know until you know, huh!
One thing, if you don’t mind me hitting you up just real quick while I’ve thought of it - I’ve been using Thermoplastic Polypropylene Pellets just trying to mould out a few ideas and get a grasp of what can and can’t be done manually without a 3D printer (which I can’t afford or justify this early into this) and it’s been good. It has pros and cons, like all things but I want to move onto other types of plastics, even silicones and resins… Yes, sorry, I’m getting to my question LOL! - It seems important to give you a little background as to WHY I’m asking as I’m sure it will help your answer :)
No doubt there is a tonne of great info out there, only the trouble I’m finding is different people use different lingo or shorten or substitute identifying nouns (“rubber” instead of “silicon” for example) and this is amplified across different global locales, regions manners of speech etc. So it can be completely discombobulating to find out after 3 months that any two “foams” are NOT the same or perhaps ARE the same but one source called it “sponge” instead of “foam” and you see where I’m going despite that terribly broad example I’ve given! Haha!

So, please, if you wouldn’t mind chucking me a link to where I might acquire a small amount of what YOU know and refer to as “Styrene” here-in, I would be that much further ahead of the rest of the “Teaching Myself Class” than, well… Me.
(About the same as you used in your demonstration in this video would be approx. ideal)
(ebay, Ali, whats-the-other-ones… you know!)

CHEERS MAN - I’ll “blackmail” you with a sub-up promise if you can!! :) (not really, you can probs have it anyway haha!)

[grafton]

I can see a use for it to make a mold for fiberglass motorcycle parts, very useful to copy parts that can no longer be bought from the makers or even 2nd hand

[Kenzie]

I would have made the frame to fit the width of the oven so you don't need the pan. Also for shapes that are glossy, sometimes it is good to use a velvet coating so wrinkles don't form. It makes a smooth matte finish that hides tiny imperfections.  Also a list of melting temperatures for the plastics and an IR thermometer can be handy.

[censusgary]

When I was a kid, I had a Vac-U-Form Toy. It had a small heating element and a hand pump to create the vacuum. This is simply a homemade version of that toy.

[coloneljacobs]

2:07 If you're more well-versed in prop making and stuff, I'd recommend that you use an old 3D resin printer tray. I had one for an outdated printer that I never use lying around and it worked great.

[Nachobullets]

JUST PICKED UP A FEW OF THE BOOKS CANT WAIT TO READ THEM