Making Plastic Rod Stock - Melting HDPE Milk Jugs

In this video I melt HDPE milk jugs to get a block of plastic from which I need to make a pulley for an electric motor. Because I had no decent plywood and HDPE is easily available and great pulley material.

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SAFETY:

Don't do anything you see me do. Stay SAFE!

Here's some things I do to make this safer, but do your own research. I ain't no chemist or doctor.
- I only use HDPE, other plastics might give nastier fumes.
- I don't try to guess if something is HDPE or not, I only use the things clearly marked.
- I only use translucent HDPE, clear or colored one might have nasty aditives.
- There are two types of HDPE, the one blown like the jugs and the one molded, like caps and buckets and such.
- I only use HDPE from milk jugs, the one made in molds might have aditives to make it flow better.
- I Keep it the right temperature and work in a well ventilated room.
- I only do this rarely, constant exposure to fumes has risks.

You... should not do this!

[nateb]

Just got a 55 gallon hdpe barrel for $10 it weighs 9.8kg, while a milk jug weighs 60-62g. Ive been collecting virtually all hdpe containers for years and just more than doubled in 20 minutes and $10. I like the vid

[NewHampshireJack]

TOTALLY AWESOME, , , the more of your videos we watch, the better it gets. In the Philippines, we often hear "out of stock" or "not available." It is a great feeling to know there is always a way when you are stuck and must make the parts to finish a needed repair.

[JohnnyWooh]

I love watching these. Very relaxing in a sense and always interesting to see things being created handmade.

[vidskitkid]

An Impressive and inspiring video showing the process going from a plastic (HDPE) jug to a pulley shown in use! Very nice, thank you!

[TalmadgesArcade]

I was searching how to meltdown milk jugs and stumbled across this without really reading (understanding) the description. When you said stock I thought you meant filament for a 3d printer. I started the video and thought "oh great another video with no narration" (people hate those) I was tapping right arrow, jumping through the video and when I saw the original part you were copying I just thought it was more material which was being melted down. You got to the part where you put it in the vice and knock off the wood plug and I thought "meh, that quality kinda sucks." And then you started turning it on the lathe and my eyes bugged out. Wow man, just wow, nice work making an identical match to the original wheel. Awesome job! Watching this made my day. Thank you for sharing.

[DylansDIYWorkshop]

That's great to know that it doesn't shatter like other plastics would

[shigatsuningen]

HDPE does flow well if you heat it more. Be ware of overheating though as it can cause breakdown of the material after completing a part.
Especially it tends to affect UV tolerance and then affect structural properties after this if one overheats plastic.

I welded an HDPE box at home with a soldering gun producing come 450 degrees temperature and it becomes fluid, clear smelling like candle wax.
You should be ok with turning the oven up to 220 degrees C max (that is 428 F for the metrically challenged in the audience). ;)

Some tips collected on temperatures for plastics

PP => 220-240 C (428-464 F)
PE => 265 C (509 F)
TPO => 445 C (833 F)
HDPE => 220 C (428 F)

Many claim HDPE should be melted at max 175 C but professional plants use 220 C.

Formulae for conversion of temperature:

(220°C × 9/5) + 32 = 428°F


The viscosity of a plastic should decrease with higher temperature.
Viscosity is a measurement not of how fluid it is but how sticky it is due to internal friction in the material.

Thus, high viscosity => less fluidity.

[TYPE-zdgm]

Great idea! I'll bet you could do this in a threaded (outside) metal pipe, cap the ends, tap the top, and rig a vacuum pump to it, producing a better piece still.

[DrLumpyDMus]

Nice job. I REALLY enjoy maker videos with NO dialog or silly dance or grunge music. Thumbs on the positive Z axis!

[clivebashford]

Excellent idea and a real life saver for some out of production rollers I've been searching for. Now I'll make them.
Thanks, and you've just got another avid follower.

[thecrazy]

If you want to get rid of the gaps, I think it might work to put it back in the oven with an all metal clamp on. Only problem is you may have to figure out a better seal between the can and that piece of wood. I would try to replace the can with a metal tube cut on the sides so it can be split in half, machine some groves so it lines up and turn/polish the inside to make it perfect and ease the release. Then you can machine a presser plate that fits perfectly and make hold together with metal clamps. With some soldering and few extra parts this could be turned into a great tool for repeat use. Man I need to get a lathe :)

[Cavemaaaan]

Wow!!! I stumbled across his video in research for HDPE plastic welding. Thanks for the great idea! I need to start saving my milk jugs for raw material. Great video...Thanks :)

[cornfusedatbest]

True craftsmanship is a dying "ART!" Please keep your videos coming. As of this date 5/15/16, there are 36 thumbs downers. My guess is, little Timmys dad doesn't want to admit how much he spent on an education that does NOT compare to a man and his wits. Yes, this IS a dig on all you so-called engineers that should have taken classes in the agricultural field, as people will always have to eat.

[julesc]

I have being trying to get stock for a largish gear, this could be the way and thank you for no bloody music while getting to the point.

[cappie]

This video will hopefully solve problems with some of my stagnant projects, thanks for posting.

[Themont]

Very nice. Not some abstract useless tip but rather a very specific application that you can then apply to your needs. Need a pulley? Make it yourself from the recycle pile. Well done.

[silvermaple]

Really great way to repurpose, reuse & recycle. Wonderful video, thanks so much for sharing!

[XXCoder]

Thanks for adding clear text, makes everything clear!

[JourneyToTheTruthandTR]

We can use this idea to make plastic bullets to help with our fight against Magneto. Thanks!

[sedenter]

I just searched your channel an hour ago to see if you added another video and it was nothing new :). But persistence does wonders :). I'm would love to have a lathe, it seems so much fun working with it. Congratulations!