Return of the Vac-U-Form!

[Clipper1701]

After my resin sail pouring efforts I was reminded by Kentop of the old red box in the shop. I went on line and discovered the resurrection of the Mattel machine complete with new plastic and several inexpensive upgrades out there. So I ordered the complete rebuild kit and it arrived this week. Today I got time to dive into the project! http://www.gaugepods.com/vacuform/index.htm

First off is the new plastic available. Some of the old stock is still out there with the zillions of holes on the edges, but the new parts allow you to use undrilled sheets, more on this later



New feet may not be a huge thing, but my old machine would rock on the work bench while the vacuum was being pumped, no longer!



The neat heat trapping lid! This fits nicely over the frame that clamps the plastic sheet in place. Putting it on the opening before the plastic is loaded and letting the machine heat up for 10 minutes allows the gripping frame holes and pins to heat up enough to clamp the new undrilled sheets in place! And it does! Here it is in place during warm up.



And the final most important bit, the vacuum platten base. The stock one has a few dozen holes for the vacuum to pull the plastic down with, this open grid gives the vacuum thousands of holes and a better vacuum to draw the plastic.



Better overall view . . .



Other unseen upgrades include a better vacuum check valve for under the platten, silicone sealer for the vacuum cylinder attachment area, lube for the vacuum piston and heat resistant tape for filling the gap around the platten base/plastic frame unit. The LO-TEK website offers a lot of resources for the Mattel user and is quite inspiring. I remember being a little Clipper in the '60's and using it for the first time, ah, memories! I could not resist making my fave stock glider and sneaking it into school in my lunch bag . . .



Well worth the investment if you have a Vac-u-form. Even fun if you do as Kentop mentions and buy a used one off ebay . . . they can be found for around $50 even today. I will be working up more sails and bits like life boats etc now that my baby is back in tune! Stay tuned! And thanks Kentop for reminding me of this great tool!

[Kentop]

David, I'm glad you did the upgrade so I could see if it really helps. I'll order it tomorrow. I am working on a single piece to fit over a hull with no masts to turn it into a prison hulk. I have an idea for a solitare game for the USS Constitution to rescue American sailors from a prison ship guarded by a shore battery.

[Clipper1701]

An excellent concept and worthy effort! Let me know if I can help with any of it. Cheers!

[capncarp]

I had picked up a non-Mattel vacuform machine years ago, and it's been collecting barnacles in my basement. Following seeing this thread, I came across two boxes of forms/plastic sheets for my languishing machine at the local thrift shop. Now I have to figure out just how to adapt the blessed things to work with SoG type items. It should be great for making sails of various shapes and styles, though.

[csadn]

WHERE IN HELL WERE THESE THINGS WHEN *I* WAS A KID!?

<mutter> <grump> <gripe> <complain>

[Kentop]

WHERE IN HELL WERE THESE THINGS WHEN *I* WAS A KID!?

<mutter> <grump> <gripe> <complain>

Silly pirate, toys are for kids, NOT!

[Clipper1701]

When I think back on the"toys" we had! In my last move I sadly gave away my gas furnace and molds for making lead soldiers. I remember going to gas stations to collect used wheel weights to melt down and pour. Dangerous but fun!! How did we survive?

[Bligh]

In spite of having a workshop at home with almost everything I used to have at work, there are several things that I miss. One is a Milling Machine, but most of all I miss not having an injection moulding machine and a Vac-former.
This thread has reawakened an interest lying dormant for ten years.
Rob.

[csadn]

When I think back on the"toys" we had! In my last move I sadly gave away my gas furnace and molds for making lead soldiers. I remember going to gas stations to collect used wheel weights to melt down and pour. Dangerous but fun!! How did we survive?

Jeff Foxworthy talked about this: "We had a 900-lb. TV on a TV tray; the rule was 'Let him pull it onto his head a few times -- he'll learn'. 'Oh, you want to put that penny in the light socket, you go on ahead and do that. *OH*, that hurt like hell, didn't it? Don't do that no more.'"

[Kentop]

When I think back on the"toys" we had! In my last move I sadly gave away my gas furnace and molds for making lead soldiers. I remember going to gas stations to collect used wheel weights to melt down and pour. Dangerous but fun!! How did we survive?

I had a lot of playmates when I was young with nick-names like "Stumpy". We survived, but a lot didn't without being maimed or scarred for life. It's better now. I shudder to think what my grandchild would do with such things. I guess I would just name him "stumps".

[capncarp]

I'll have to tell you about a teacher-friend who felt that making the Mr. Potato-Head parts harder to choke on thwarted Natural Selection and allowed the herd to be unculled for Stupid.