[bacteria]

My hobby is making video game console systems portable; and am active on the BenHeck forums.

Came across this forum, thought I would share something I spent time making - a cheap vacuum forming table (cost about £12 to make, about $20) and a mold out of hobbyist air-dry clay.

I have made my first casing half with the mold, using 2mm thick Plasticard (Styrene). I need to fine sand a couple of minor areas before I get my final and perfectly smooth casing.

I wanted to get into vacuum forming to make my cases look nice, better than using perspex.

My vacuum table is crude but works really well.

Details of making it, and lots of pics with step-by-step guide on my website!

Comments welcome!


My sig isn't showing for some reason, so added it manually:

[mc-motorsports]

where's the pics? What website?

[ynneb]

His site is attached found if clicking on his name.
http://www.modded-by-bacteria.com/in...p?pr=Home_Page

Good job Bacteria.
I prefer a non rippled surface appearance myself. All the same, I can see you have put a lot of thought and time. Great effort.

[bacteria]

ynneb - The rippled look you refer to on my site was not from vacuum forming, I made the casing from flat perspex sheets and used wall paint. Took bucket-loads of time. Reason for vacuum forming to to make totally smooth cases and spraypaint them. This will make my cases for my portables massively nicer! Today I will start to make a portable PSone system, then an N64 and maybe after a Retro Duo (SNES) using the casing (project step-by-step guides will be added to my site).

mc-motorsports - Sorry, for some reason my sig didn't appear (perhaps I need to post "x" times before it shows?), so added it manually now.

As you ask, my site is: www.modded-by-bacteria.com

Pic of the table - as mentioned, it is crude, but works. Very good suction. No point making the table look pretty, it is only to serve a functional purpose after all.



Clay mold, on top of table, ready:



Setup:



Result - need to touch up the clay mold and lightly sand some small areas to get this completely smooth, so my next case top will be perfect. This one was pretty good, three out of four sides perfect (imperfect one showing in pic) and tiny dips in top which need filling and sanding.

[bacteria]

Thanks guys! Had to make a change to the table:

The vacuum cleaner was destroying the 3mm fibreboard, was literally sucking it out of shape. Replaced with a fresh piece, same thing happened, lost a couple of pieces of plastic due to this.

Replaced the firbreboard with 18mm MDF. There is no way that will bend!

Got a perfect result:











The entire clay mold was completely sucked into the plastic, with a bit of jiggling the clay mold got free easily enough!

Very happy with the result - looks nice, huh?

I can start my PlayStation portable project tomorrow now!

[High Seas]

Nicely done! Mind sharing:
1. The type of "plastic" and its thickness
2. The temp used in your oven (either F or C is ok)
3. Time in oven -- ie droop or not?

I was using a similar style platten (pegboard) but have moved to a more rigid/solid one now.
Nice work - and,
:cheers: Jim

[bacteria]

Nicely done! Mind sharing:
1. The type of "plastic" and its thickness
2. The temp used in your oven (either F or C is ok)
3. Time in oven -- ie droop or not?

I was using a similar style platten (pegboard) but have moved to a more rigid/solid one now.
Nice work - and,
:cheers: Jim

Certainly, happy to share what I know!

Used Plasticard plastic, 2mm thick (0.080"), with fan assisted oven at 225 Celcius; takes about 3 mins before plastic droops a couple of inches or thereabouts, a nice sag.

My table top is now 18mm MDF as the fibreboard was being destroyed by the suction of the vacuum pressure!

[High Seas]

Thanks for that! That is a little warmer than I expected - but the results look great.
Isn't it amazing how much you can get done with a "hoover?" It looks like a Cyclone model.
:cheers: Jim

[bacteria]

Yup, a cyclone model.

BTW - case coming on nicely. Trimmed off the excess, mapped out exactly where the 5" PSone screen is going.



Progress in my step-by-step guide on BenHeck forum here although when near completion I will detail it more fully on my own website.

[bacteria]

BTW - case is coming on nicely:



More details on BenHeck forum here