Plastic is a universal material. It has found wide application in the manufacture of various components and parts in both industrial and household appliances. Products made from it are used in interior design of residential premises and offices.
A type of material called liquid plastic allows you to create crafts of a wide variety of shapes and sizes. This makes it possible to implement original design solutions. How to make liquid plastic at home?
Materials for production
To make liquid plastic with your own hands, you need to prepare the following:
- container made of glass or metal;
- acetone;
- Styrofoam.
In this case, the amount of acetone used depends on the desired volume of the finished product.
If you want to make liquid plastic with your own hands, the recipe for its preparation will be based on dissolving polystyrene foam in acetone. For this, polystyrene foam is used. It is a packaging container for various household and electronic equipment.
Liquid metal: pitfalls. A look through the eyes of a chemist
I was inspired to write this article by the post NotSlow Liquid metal is not so scary.
Everything is simple: protect yourself from short circuits, apply a thin layer, screw it on and enjoy the low temperatures. But is everything really so good? First you need to find out what kind of liquid metal it is. Among the pure metals, the only one that can be liquid at room temperature is mercury. No one in their right mind would now use mercury as a thermal interface due to its extreme toxicity and volatility. The other two become liquid already at human body temperature - cesium and gallium. Cesium is “fluorine in reverse” in its chemical activity; it ignites and explodes from the slightest traces of air and moisture and even destroys glass. What remains is gallium (this is what is used in the CPDV). At room temperature, gallium is still solid, but with some other low-melting metals it forms eutectics that melt at 20.5 ° C (gallium-tin) and even 15.3 ° C (gallium-indium). Even lower - around 5 °C - the gallium-indium-tin ternary eutectic melts (62, 25 and 13%, respectively). Commercially available thermal interfaces of the “liquid metal” type are precisely alloys based on these three elements, possibly with some additional additives. Based on this, the pitfalls are also clear. The first of them is the absolute incompatibility of gallium-containing alloys with aluminum
!
At a time when chemistry lessons at school were certainly accompanied by demonstrations of experiments, among them was an experiment on aluminum amalgamation. Aluminum was covered with a layer of mercury and it immediately began to rapidly oxidize, crumbling right before our eyes. Mercury protected aluminum from the formation of an oxide layer and it formed on the surface of the amalgam, but was not able to stop oxidation, since it was not retained on the surface of the liquid in a continuous layer, it cracked, and a fresh, unoxidized surface of the amalgam was revealed in the cracks.
Gallium alloy acts in exactly the same way, with the only difference being that it can literally saturate aluminum through and through, penetrating into the intercrystalline spaces. Aluminum impregnated with liquid gallium not only oxidizes before your eyes, but also crumbles in your hands. So LM should be kept away from aluminum. And this applies not only to aluminum radiators: a random drop of “liquid metal” can destroy both the laptop case, if it is made of aluminum alloy, and any other aluminum part. At least the housing of some capacitor. Moreover, this droplet is a classic catalyst - it does its dirty work without being consumed.
But copper is also not indifferent to gallium. In the figure above, I showed the Tx diagram of the copper-gallium system (from the reference book “State diagrams of binary metallic systems,” edited by Lyakishev), which shows countless intermetallic compounds. As soon as gallium comes into contact with copper, they immediately begin to form. Liquid gallium (this also applies to its alloys) generally very readily wets both metals and non-metals, and the obvious chemical affinity greatly contributes to this. So the “liquid metal” will simply be absorbed into the copper, forming a crust of intermetallic compounds at the interface between the metals. The latter are not metals from a physical point of view, they are refractory, brittle and have poor thermal and electrical conductivity, but the main thing is that the “liquid metal” will be spent on their formation and will simply leave the gap. Many of those who have tried LM report that over time it stops working, and after removing the radiator, they discovered that the liquid metal had “evaporated.” It could not evaporate - noticeable vapor pressure for its components appears only above a thousand degrees - it simply absorbed into the copper and reacted with it. Nickel coating on copper helps eliminate this phenomenon, although it is an additional barrier to heat.
By the way, the absorption of gallium and its alloys into metals also concerns solder joints - remember about that small drop that can destroy an aluminum case? So, the same droplet falling on the solder will make it brittle and the soldering unreliable. At some point it will “work.” So personally, I would keep “liquid metal” as far away from any electronics as possible.
And the last thing that should be written about: “liquid metal,” alas, is not harmless. Gallium, according to some sources, is comparable in toxicity to arsenic; its second component, indium, is also a toxic heavy metal. Unlike mercury, gallium-based alloys are still completely non-volatile at ordinary temperatures, so you won’t be poisoned by their vapors, but due to their ability to easily stick to everything in the world, these alloys are incredibly oily. It’s easy to stain your hands with them, for example, but it’s very difficult to wash them completely. Then it all goes into your mouth. Therefore, we work with “liquid metal” and everything that came into contact with it only with rubber gloves and separately from food, drinking and smoking
. And yes, never do it like on KPDV!
How to make liquid plastic with your own hands
The step-by-step recipe for preparing the named material looks like this:
- Open the container with acetone and pour the liquid into the glass container so that its level from the bottom is approximately 1 cm.
- Polystyrene foam must be broken into many small pieces, each of which will be easily placed under the thickness of the solvent.
- You can make liquid plastic with your own hands by dropping each piece into a container and waiting for it to completely dissolve.
- Polystyrene foam should be added to the container until it stops melting. Then you need to wait 5-10 minutes for the unused acetone to evaporate.
- After this, a viscous mass is formed at the bottom of the container, which can be used to produce a variety of products.
Knowing how to make liquid plastic, remember that complete hardening of the mass lasts 20-30 hours. Consequently, the part being manufactured cannot be removed from the mold within this period of time.
The substance should be applied with a small rubber spatula. Movements should be smooth. Liquid plastic must be stretched over the surface to be treated. If you use it to fill cracks, it is better to use brushes with hard bristles. They need to “push” the mixture into the gaps. After the plastic has hardened, it is recommended to apply another layer of the substance.
The described product has long been sold in finished form. It only needs to be heated in a water bath or in special equipment. A hair dryer is also often used for this.
As a rule, liquid plastic is produced in dense packaging. Its terms and storage conditions are strict. The temperature in the room where it is located should not fall below 15 degrees. Otherwise, the product will lose its performance characteristics:
- viscosity;
- elasticity;
- hardness after hardening;
- practicality;
- durability.
The cost of liquid plastic is quite high. That's why it's better to do it yourself.
Home manual casting machines
For small-scale casting of plastic parts, tabletop machines can be used. This is compact equipment that will fit in any private workshop or garage. Plastic can be poured onto them in single or multiple forms, depending on the size and serial production. The units differ from industrial equipment only in their small size. The tabletop press is suitable for all polymers and is easy to operate.
Stages of casting at home on a machine:
- Installation of the apparatus and injection nozzle.
- Installing the mold and lubricating it with silicone;
- Loading polymer into the hopper;
- Heating and stirring the material using a screw;
- Pouring raw materials into molds;
- Waiting for cooling;
- Removing the plastic part.
Welding extruders can also be used in everyday life to fasten plastic parts to produce more complex products.
It is possible to make plastic products with your own hands individually, as entertainment, or for a one-time need. And also in bulk, for sale or for subsequent production. Homemade forms and improvised means or specialized home equipment are suitable for this. It is more profitable to entrust mass casting to specialists, since this requires expensive, large equipment and the work of experienced personnel.
Precautionary measures
Acetone is a very dangerous liquid that has an extremely negative effect on the human body. Therefore, it is allowed to make liquid plastic with your own hands only if the following precautions are strictly observed:
- Before working with acetone, you must carefully study the instructions for its use. It is indicated on the container label.
- Special sealed safety glasses should be used. They will protect your eyes in case of liquid drops and vapors. Working without them can cause serious eye injury.
- Acetone is toxic, so it should only be used in a well-ventilated area. In this case, it is necessary to use respiratory protection.
- This is a highly flammable product. Therefore, liquid plastic is made with your own hands away from sources of open fire. Smoking is strictly prohibited when performing work.
- Residues of acetone must not be poured into the sewer system.
- At the end of the process, as well as after pouring the finished plastic into molds, you must thoroughly wash your hands.
How to use ready-made material
Homemade plastic adheres well to metal surfaces, so it can be used to cover the handles of steel tools. After hardening, holding them will be much more convenient and comfortable.
To apply the plastic “paint” you will need a small brush. The composition is applied to the surface of the handles in a thick layer, and then allowed to dry completely in fresh air until the xylene evaporates. The finished coating will be monolithic and very durable.
Applying the composition to tool handles
Important! When working, it is necessary to observe safety measures, work in an open space and use a protective mask, because solvent vapors are harmful to humans.
The following must be done:
- wear special safety glasses that will prevent eye burns in case of accidental contact with the material;
- Avoid being near sources of open fire and heating devices (xylene is a highly flammable liquid), and do not smoke under any circumstances;
- Do not pour any remaining plastic or solvent down the drain;
- work only with gloves.
Applications of liquid plastic in finishing
The product has been used for finishing for a long time. After its application, an elastic film appears on the treated surface. It is highly waterproof and UV resistant. The material protected by such a film is not afraid of exposure to aggressive detergents. The smooth surface has a pleasant shine and retains its characteristics for many years.
Material characteristics
After applying this product, the object acquires all the characteristics of a metal - its color, texture, magnetic properties and thermal conductivity.
Available liquid metal options:
- bronze and brass,
- copper,
- gold and silver.
Designers use this material in many of their projects; in order to decorate the outside of a building, liquid metal requires the application of an anti-corrosion agent.
Properties and Application
The raw material becomes suitable for use after combining two components - the finished base and the hardener. The thick mass can be applied to any smooth, curved or embossed surface without any problems. After hardening, it acquires the properties of cast products. The material shines beautifully, has an original metallic texture and color. The coating is available in the following options:
- brass;
- gold;
- silver;
- bronze;
- copper, etc.
Decorative liquid metal Metoplax 2k brass
The building material has the following properties:
- does not deteriorate due to temperature changes;
- withstands heating up to +120 degrees;
- not afraid of high humidity;
- resistant to weather conditions and precipitation;
- used in exterior and interior decoration;
- has magnetic properties;
- has no joints or seams;
- capable of conveying the most complex surface texture;
- not affected by bacteria, mold, fungi.
With age, metal only becomes more interesting in appearance. It oxidizes, after which a patina and original patterns appear on the surface. If oxidation needs to be avoided, the material is covered with a special protective layer on top to prevent it from interacting with oxygen. Without proper care, metal can even rust. Corrosion can also be prevented by protecting the finish with varnishes.
Lacquered decorative coating for metal look
The disadvantages of the product include its high price (from 8,000 per kilogram). In addition, when dried, it releases toxic substances and can only be used if certain safety precautions are observed. After hardening, the finish will be harmless to health.
Liquid metal in the interior
“Advanced” designers actively use new products when arranging interiors. She can make any object completely metal or decorate its individual parts. The material can be used to decorate walls, furniture, ceilings, stucco, chandeliers, railings. It is used for sheet cladding with and without perforation, and is subjected to brushing and burning. Liquid metal is used to fill pores in other materials, such as glass and wood. Multilayer coatings that use one type of material or masses of different colors look very beautiful.
Furniture coated with Liquid metal
Using this innovative product, any product can be aged or, on the contrary, given a modern look. Due to its moisture resistance, it is well suited for finishing spa areas, baths, bathrooms, and kitchens. Wear resistance makes the material suitable for decorating stairs, halls, offices, and shopping centers.
