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I read on the internet how to bend PVC pipe using a heat
gun and I thought you should be able to use the same principle to form an
oval shape from a round downpipe. The only PVC pipe I had on hand was 50mm
(2 inches) but there is no reason the same procedure cant be used on larger
PVC pipe. In fact I found this length of PVC under our house about 2 years
after we moved in. There is a date stamp on the PVC pipe ... 1974 :o So
older PVC pipe works well too! :-)
I have successfully used the oven to form an oval mould
using round PVC pipe but I had some concerns over fumes produced by the
heating of the PVC in a confined space.
I cut a section of PVC pipe about 300mm ( 12 inches).
Knowing I would be using heat I decided to use something
that would withstand the high temperature of the heat gun. I used a ceramic
kiln shelf but you could use bricks, a block of thick wood a slab of cement
or even some ceramic tiles spread on an even surface.
I used a piece of flat wood to use to push down on the
softened PVC to form the oval shape.
A small length of thin wood slid in front of the round
tube of PVC pipe or something to prevent the PVC from rolling off the work
area. I directed the heat up through the tube as seen in the following
photo.
Photo 2 shows I have placed another brick at the end of
the PVC pipe. This traps the hot air inside the pipe and distributes the
heat more evenly. This only takes a minute or two to soften the PVC tubing,
keep moving the heat gun back and forth for a more even coverage of the
heat. I have two settings on my heat gun and I used it on the highest
setting.
Photo 3 shows me using the piece of wood to press on pipe
to check if the PVC is ready to shape. You can press the flat piece of wood
directly downward to get the shape your after, I rolled it back and forth a
little until I was satisfied with the oval shape.
The finished pipe cooling.
As you can see, it sure isn't rocket science making an
oval mould so anyone should be able to make one.
I'm thinking of using the mould even if it is only 50mm,
maybe I can just cut it into 70mm lengths and leave it oval as an oval
shaped 'bar'! I'll keep you informed....
Update... I used the 50mm oval mould.
This small oval mould lined with a piece of laminating
plastic worked like a charm. :-)
Photo 4 shows how I used clear tape over the opening of
the base then used plain old packaging tape to strengthen the ends around
the base of the mould. I rolled the laminating plastic into a tube then
inserted it into the oval mould.
This packaging tape worked fine for me although not a lot
of heat was generated in this narrow pipe it did cross my mind to make sure
the tape is very secure for larger PVC pipes which I know to heat up. I
would even take the precaution of placing the mould into a plastic bucket or
similar just in cast there is a leak. This will save you making a mess if
there is a spill and you will be able to salvage the soap if there is a
spill. Tape is cheap so don't skimp on it. :-)
The next photo shows how I even overfilled the mould a
little, the liner I used is quite firm and allowed the overfill, it went
well.
Now we see the bar of soap out of the mould and laying on
top of the piece of laminating plastic I used to line it with. This soap
slid out like a dream.
Photo 7 shows the finished bars, this was only a tiny
mould and I was testing the viability of making a mould using a heat gun, I
really liked the shape of this small oval and the 2.5 bars it produced :-)
The two larger bars in the photo are 75mm or 3 inches long
and 40mm or 1.5 inches thick. This bar fits in the palm of the hand
comfortably so I think I will make myself another couple of small oval
moulds now LOL
The FO is BrambleBerry's Mango Mango I was after that
yellow & green for a tropical look. My mistake was trying to do a swirl in
the pot . Well it did look great in the pot but as soon as I poured it down
the tube it just blended together with very little discernable swirl but Im
happy with the overall testing. Smells delicious and lathers like a champion
:-)
I get my BrambleBerry fragrant oils from Jude Birch at
Aussie Soap Supplies here in Australia
http://www.aussiesoapsupplies.com.au/
So if your looking for something different in 'bar shape' then consider making these smaller oval moulds with 50mm (2 inches) PVC and
cutting them into 75mm (3 inch) lengths.
Tutorial Provided by Terry "Nizzy" Nisbet Owner and Operator of Nizzy
Molds Please visit her site and show your support!
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