[TriEmbed] RadioShck U Mold Pellets?

[Glen Smith]

I got about a pound of the pellets from Makershed and a small container of
the branded Insta-Morph pellets. It's all Polycapralactone.

The stuff is marvelous for making small plastic things, with a couple
caveats.

Unless you are Leonardo da'vinchi reincarnated, your end product is likely
to look like a 4th graders ceramic project (or maybe it's just me). Flat
surfaces and straight lines are a challenge.

Mess around with it before jumping right into your final piece, it sticks
to itself and other things differently at different temperatures, pay
attention to the translucency to get an idea of the material temp. I have
better results forming it when it is cooler rather than at its warmest /
clearest.

Resist the urge to heat it in the microwave. It is possible to superheat
this way, there is no way to know this until you touch it and it bonds to
your skin. Heating in a pan of almost boiling water does not take long and
the water limits how hot it gets. The chemistry/physics of the stuff is
interesting, its specific heat is such that you can handle it at a
temperature that would burn if you touched the same temp of water.

Recommended tools include parchment paper, rolling pin, bamboo skewers of
different diameters, kitchen scissors and or tin snips. Work on the
parchment paper as nothing sticks to it. The rolling pin can be used in
conjunction with the skewers to make uniformly thick 'sheets' of material.
The scissors will cut fairly well at certain (cooler) temps. Be sure it is
fully cooled before stressing it, it's easy to think it is solid, but
thicker parts cool more slowly and you may introduce play it places you
don't want it. (Like the USB power plug for instance.)

It is fun stuff to play with.
Glen
On Mar 1, 2015 1:13 PM, "Ruth Suehle" <rsuehle at gmail.com> wrote:

> The end result is pretty solid. Google "polymorph pellets." You may or may
> not find a better deal. The RS ones are pricey, like all their stuff. And
> if you think you'll use it a lot, the pellets drop in price fast when you
> buy in large quantities.
>
> For this purpose, you might also check out Sugru.
> On Mar 1, 2015 1:00 PM, "Joe Fair" <joe at fairanswers.com> wrote:
>
>> Group,
>>
>> Does anybody have experience with the UMold pellets from radio shack?
>> I'd like to make a custom phone charger stand that fits my phone while
>> inside the case.  I'm curious how difficult they are to use, and if the
>> finished product is rubbery or hard.
>>
>> They are %50 off at Radio Shack through tomorrow.
>>
>> Thanks,
>> Joe
>>
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