#2 plastic (HDPE) project

[Lucas Daniel Smith]

I recently began attempts at molding recycled #2 plastic (HDPE - high density polyethylene).

First I looked for #2 plastics (most are marked), here's a Tide laundry detergent and a milk jug that I made use of:



Then I used Black & Decker cordless electric scissors to cut the plastic into smaller chunks:





I then built a wood mold to form the plastic into a rectangular brick shape:

[Lucas Daniel Smith]

The next step was to bake the #2 plastic in the kitchen oven.

I forgot take pictures of this.

At any rate, you'll need some baking paper (parchment paper). I used Reynolds (the same company that makes foil for my tin foil hat!) Parchment Paper:



Preheat your oven at 350° Fahrenheit (or about 175° Celsius). You can also use a toaster oven.

From what I've read there aren't any toxic fumes created when heating #2 plastic (HDPE) at this temperature. However, I turned on the vent hood over the stove just to be safe.

Place the baking paper/sheets (parchment paper) on, for example, a cookie sheet and place your chunks/pieces of #2 plastic on top.

Bake the #2 plastic for approximately 5 to 10 minutes. Pull out the sheet and, using a simple utensil such as an old butter knife (don't ever eat with it again!) to roll the plastic over on itself and pad everything together into a loaf of plastic.

The #2 plastic should be warped and pliable like clay. Some it it may be gooey and some, perhaps, may have become almost liquid in form (if so, it will dry to a pliable clay in a number of seconds).

Be sure to wear some sort of leather palm gloves when working (even with the butter knife) hot #2 plastic. I used a cheap pair of leather palm gloves (less than $10):



With gloves on I was able to pick up the clay-like #2 plastic and bend it into a knotted rope of mixed colors.

I didn't have too many colors because all I used was a tide detergent bottle, milk jug and a white-colored vitamin supplement bottle. Moreover, I only used a few chunks from each of these items (not the entire plastic containers) in this first attempt at molding #2 plastic.

I then packed the hot clay-like #2 plastic into my wood mold and clamped (using C-clamps) the top plate down as tightly as possible:

[Lucas Daniel Smith]

I let it cool for approximately 30 minutes at then removed the clamps and the lid:



This was my first attempt so it didn't come out as nice and uniform as it could have. So I used some sandpaper to smooth the surface a little and then trimmed off two of the edges with a miter saw:

[AMERICAN ADVOCATE]

LUCAS , I have it much easier than this . In Florida , each city has a truck that picks up all materials to be recycled . We have a large blue container for recycle and a grey one for trash . The blue can gets glass bottles , plastic bottles and other items , cardboard , paper all in the same can . It is picked up once per week and we get points credited to an account . My account recently had more than 15,000 points .

[bsteadman]

Interesting!

Do you have any particular types of objects that you would eventually like to mold using the melted, recycled HDPE that you would care to make public?

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A brief search indicates that the below-linked company, Maycoat, appears to be very knowledgeable about mold releases for HDPE:

http://www.mavcoatmoldrelease.com/ro..._plastics.html

They list GMS Industrial Supply as a U.S. distributor for their products at:

http://www.gmsindustrialsupply.com/

Unfortunately, purchasable quantities of the Maycoat mold release may be much too high for a small user who is just getting started in the field.

[Lucas Daniel Smith]

Bruce, I'm still not sure what objects I should mold with HDPE.

If made into blocks or boards (like the one in the picture, but longer) its much like wood/lumber. You can work it the same way that you would a piece of wood. It will cut and sand (and can even use a file on it). You can even take a heat gun and bond two previously molded 'boards' or 'blocks' together by warming the surface with the heat gun and then clamping them together (much like you would glue two wood boards together and then clamp).

You can also put of block of HDPE on a wood lathe and shape it just like you would a piece of wood.

In stores (e.g., Home Depot) you can buy "composite lumber" (plastic lumber) which is sometimes #3 plastic (PVC) and sometimes #2 plastic (HDPE):



Do you have any ideas? I'd like to make something useful that serves a purpose, not just some knicknack or ornament or paperweight (or some other item that may be considered worthless).


One nice thing about not turning the recycled #2 plastic entirely into a liquid-like material (instead just get it hot enough to form like clay) is that the new product comes out in multiple colors swirled together (depending on much you twist and mix it).

However, sometimes it may necessary to melt the HDPE into a near total liquid-like material. For example, here is a video of a company turning milk jugs and oil jugs (both are typically made of #2 plastic) into wood-looking fencing:

Please let me know if you have any ideas.

[Lucas Daniel Smith]

Carl, the point system you referenced sounds interesting.

However, I'd like to make a tangible product (and perhaps sell that product) myself with the #2 plastic recyclables.

Btw, the points that you earn from recycling, can you use the points to purchase things (or get cash or some discount somewhere?) from the company?

Or is that they will donate to your favorite charity? I've read of some recycling programs that their point system is only redeemable in the sense that the points are donated to charities (you can pick from a list of charities) in which your points then equal cents and dollars.

[Lucas Daniel Smith]

Today I found a large hunk of HDPE (#2 plastic). I don't know what this thing is (I could google it) but I'm happy that I discovered it. I can add this with some other colors of HDPE and make something fairly large. This is the first piece of black HDPE that I've got my hands on (although I know that most common black automotive oil jugs are HDPE):

[Lucas Daniel Smith]

I obtained this cool looking blue colored HDPE (#2 plastic) yesterday. I don't drink coffee but this is a Maxwell House coffee container. I forgot to take a picture before I cut it up to today:



Please keep in mind that many contains/jugs/bottles made of HDPE (#2 plastic) have lids which are NOT made of HDPE.

Discard lids which are not marked as #2 plastic (HDPE).

[Lucas Daniel Smith]

Here's me today baking the blue HDPE (from the item above in last post), the black HPDE (from the item above in the 2nd to last post) and transparent HDPE (half-gallon milk jug):



Here's me handling the hot HDPE (with leather palm gloves):

[Lucas Daniel Smith]

(continued from post above)



I decided that I should add another color so I threw in a few scraps of red HDPD (Tide detergent bottle):



I then molded all of it in the same wooden mold shown further up in this thread.

Here's the finished block/board of HDPE (#2 plastic):



I think that this particular block/board looks better when looking at it with the naked eye. The two pictures above (nor other pics that I tried taking) just don't do it justice.