Well it has been quite a while since I have posted, let alone any tech, but here it goes. I thought some of you might find this interesting as another avenue for making your own tail lights from scratch. It is kind of involved when it comes to explaining the steps but not so bad when doing the actual work so I am going to post this in three parts. Spaced a little while apart as I make time to post them. This first installment will center around making the pattern of the tail light housing for casting and making the actual lenses, all using a vacuum former. I hope this will give you some idea of the process. Also I apologize in advance for having to do the tech in three parts but right now my spare time is at a premium. This is basically a small inexpensive version of one like I use at work. I originally made it so I could make up some thin walled patterns for casting but as you will see there are a whole lot of possibilities for its use and I always get sidetracked. Its nothing fancy, just couple evenings of work (yea, I know it looks like it) using what ever I had on hand. Its basically a framework with a heating element at the top (electric griddle wired full blast), a metal frame to hold the plastic sheet, and a wooden vacuum box (I just use a shop vac for suction). There are many ways to do this. Some are more elaborate and some are more simple, it depends on what you want. In addition there are a lot of places on the web that show different ways of making a vacuum former if you are so inclined to do so. Using this method to make a casting pattern (in this particular application anyway ) I can make a pattern in minutes rather than hours to shape a thin wooden one. Also it comes out nice and uniform in thickness. Here you can see the wooden form I made in the overall shape that I wanted the tail light to be. You can get fairly elaborate with your model if you want to (I didnt however ) as the hot plastic picks up details fairly good. I am using 1/8 inch styrene for the housing pattern. It forms great and is easy to cut and shape. My pattern is more or less just a basic 39 Ford shape. The cake pan has tiny holes for the suction and dimples to raise the form just off the surface. I have different sized pans to match the size of plastic that I want to use. This shows the point right after the hot styrene sheet was ****ed down over the wooden form. After a moment to cool and firm up, you can take it off the pattern and out of the metal frame. Here is my casting pattern after a little cutting and sanding. The object behind it is a plaster plug that I poured before I cut out the face. It will be used to support the pattern when it gets rammed up in the sand for the first part of the casting mold. I could of used the wooden pattern for this too but I purposely trimmed away some of the outside edge of the housing pattern so the wood would have been too tall for what I needed. This photo shows after I formed the red transparent acrylic for the lens. This one didnt form just right because I forgot to elevate the form a little to let the plastic **** down better around the edges. If it doesnt work the way you wanted it to the first time, you can simply reheat it and try again. Depending on the type of plastic you are using (i.e. acrylic, styrene, polypro, etc.) and the thickness, it all forms a little different so sometimes you just have to experiment a bit to get it just the way you want it. Here you can see the styrene pattern sitting on top of the lens and the behind that the clear lens to defuse the light. The clear plastic is just the diamond pattern sheet that you buy in the 2' x 4' size for drop ceilings. That stuff is fairly thin and forms effortlessly, although it can be rather brittle. Well thats all for this part. Next up will be casting the housings in Aluminum. Then the final installment will be making the tail light buckets. I have some cheap and easy, but effective, fixes for those. Latter, Smokey
Smokey ! Where have you been hiding man? Good to hear from you again.... are you taking orders for custom lenses?
OK, Now I gotta go and get my thermoforming machine from my Dad's shed, all I ever used it for was PVC molds. Any FL HAMBers need to make some tail lights?
Jeeze, Denny! Can't ya just go buy some repro 39 ford lights? No? I thought not. Are you planning on casting up some streamlined tailight buckets to go on your A-rpu?
Thanks guys. AHotRod - Well a year and a half ago or so I went back to work for a company I used to work for (as an industrial model maker)and they have been working my **** off. I haven't been making enough time for playing. But I have got a new project in mind and it's starting to get me fired up again with ideas. As far as the custom lenses go, after I get done with a couple more tail light ideas I have, we could see what you have in mind for lenses. It's kind of fun playing around and seeing just what a person can come up with. It snowballs on ya and one thing leads to ten others. Smokey
Nope, Rocky No streamlined buckets. I'm working on a building a new and different body and I am just starting with the tail lights and working my way to the front..... Got to have something new for this years Hamb drags, ya know. Smokey
[size=+2]So lets see, you build the frame to hold the plastic and it balances on the buck until it forms over it and the cake pan??? Do put the vacuum holes IN the dimples of the cake pan or in between the dimples??? Is the wired box on the side for plug ins only or does it have some other application? I'm going to build one of these machines because it looks like you can use it in so many different ways. This TECH: is killer, Reverend Jake[/size]
Thanks again to you all for your comments. Reverend Jake - in response to you questions So lets see, you build the frame to hold the plastic and it balances on the buck until it forms over it and the cake pan??? Yes, the frame holds the plastic and is positioned up towards the top (heating element) and stays there till the plastic is sagging down and is real soft and rubbery. Each type of plastic (and its thickness of course) has its own characteristics when it comes to amount of time it takes to sag but they are mostly in the same ballpark. Anyway, once the plastic is softened to your liking the frame holding the plastic is released and moved down and laid over the form. The cake pan has the suction holes, 1/16", in between the dimples and the plastic is ****ed down against the surface. Like I said before, I have different sized cake pans or cookie sheets for what ever size plastic I am using. You dont have to use the pans but it is a good idea to have that area elevated and smaller all around than the plastic to get a good seal for the vacuum. The pans were just an easy solution that I saw on the web. Is the wired box on the side for plug ins only or does it have some other application? That was simply my attempt at keeping organized. There are two plug ins and two light switches. A set for the heating element and a set for the shop vac and the power for both joins and is plugged into the wall. That way I am not fumbling around looking for on/off switches at important moments. I'm going to build one of these machines because it looks like you can use it in so many different ways. Yea, there is no end to the possible projects you can do with it. I am going to use it next to form a new dome light lense for my wagon for example. Then there are things like domed gauge bezels and so on. Also just in Aluminum casting projects alone, I can think of tons of uses. So build one, make neat stuff and post it on here. (That way we can all steal your best ideas, oh yea!) Smokey
GREAT TECH!! 2 questions though "The cake pan has tiny holes for the suction and dimples to raise the form just off the surface." Why do you need to raise the form off the surface? And where do you get the styrene sheats?
Hellbent - Why do you need to raise the form off the surface? The main reason is to increase or to help the suction around the edges. The better you can get the material to tuck in around the edges the more chance you have of getting a 90 degree corner. However if you raise it up too high, you will get the plastic ****ing under the form or pattern, then you might have trouble getting the plastic off the form. It would sort of encapsulate it. Also if you were doing an object that had depressions in it you could drill holes through it and the suction would help to form them. By suction from underneath. Say if my pattern had more complex shape to it. "And where do you get the styrene sheats?" Yea, I guess that would be helpful, sorry. So far the best place I have found to get it is this place. http://www.delviesplastics.com/vacuum_forming.htm Their stuff is high quality and they are small guy user friendly. At no cost, they will cut larger sheets down for you to be able to ship UPS which is helpful. This is also where I get the transparent red acrylic too. Real good stuff and it forms like ****er. Hope this helps. Smokey
Holy ****, this is fascinating stuff!!!! Yet another process I have no business mucking with, what could be better? Thanks for the great tech! Randy
The Jalopy Journal
