It's Friday, I'm back, and I'm pretty excited about today's find - the ultimate trash-to-treasure Instructable on recycling styrofoam into a useful, craft-worthy material.I'm building up a nice little styrofoam collection for just this purpose and can't wait to try it out. According to the tutorial, the soft, malleable result is perfect for sculpting or pressing into molds - it takes detail very well and cures to a hard plastic.
Toxicity. This is definitely a grown-ups only project that should be done outside or in a well-ventilated area. The process requires acetone - a fumey paint-stripping chemical easily found in the paint aisle at hardware stores. You don't want to breathe this stuff and should probably avoid skin contact. I'm a safety freak, so I'll probably geek it up some more with safety glasses, dust mask, and gloves for extra precaution against splashes and fumes. (The acetone evaporates as the plastic cures, so your finished piece should be safe.)
Color. The instructable writer used white styrofoam and got white plastic. I have no idea if colored styrofoam will retain it's color after you add the acetone. The tinted stuff is relatively rare anyway, so it will be interesting to see if acrylic or dry pigment color can be kneaded in before curing.
Mega possibilities. I'm thinking this would be great for making plastic cameos, charms, and gems from jewelry molds. Or ornaments or sculpture, you name it. Check it out here and let me know what you think. I'd love to see any plastic treasures you make!
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2 comments:
this is great! I have often been caught wondering what to do with/how to properly dispose of styrofoam ...
Glad to help, and thanks for commenting! Interestingly, I just saw this same method featured a few days ago on G4's Attack of the Show as a way to reduce waste. You still have the melted plastic to throw away if you don't use it for crafting, but it takes up a lot less space than huge chunks of polystyrene.
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