document updated 12 years ago, on Feb 21, 2012
Thermoplastic fabricating totally revolves around how you heat it up. Fortunately, there are lots of ways to heat thermoplastic, even at home:
heat sources
- soldering iron (for plastic welding)
- kitchen oven
- kitchen stove
heat moderators
- a double-boiler with oil in the bottom
- one or more cast iron skillets (stacked)
- anything on this list that has a higher thermal conductivity than water
- graphite (highly conductive, 1lb costs ~$25)
- concrete (varies a lot.... low-density concrete is lower than water... the more stone concrete has in it, the higher it is)
- red brick
- any stone, especially stones that are more dense
- "paving stone", available in the 'outdoor' section of Lowes/Home Depot is pretty cheap
- Pyrex glass