Has Anyone Tried this New Vacu-Forming Machine?

[Danno]

Has anyone tried one of these vacuum-forming machines yet?

If so, how is it? 

 

New at Michaels.

 

?

 

Edited October 7, 2020 by Danno

[Dave Van]

who what where

[Danno]

New at Michaels. 

It's called a We R Memory Keepers® Mold Press™ Vacuform Machine, Item # 10648512. 

In store or online, $79.99 with free shipping.

They also have a good-sized line of plastic sheets, etc. for it.

 

?  

 

[SSNJim]

Here's what caught my eye:

We R Memory Keepers® Mold Press™ Plastic Sheets, 40 Sheets Item # 10648516

Apparently a package of clear sheets 6.75" square.  They are $40, but there is a 20% code on the web site. Might be worth a shot - I've got a homemade vacuum former, and I've got one sheet of Squadon Clear Thermoform left, and it's yellow.

I don't have the Michael's vacuum former, but I'm going to check it out.

[NOBLNG]

Interesting. Can styrene be vacuumformed?

[StevenGuthmiller]

I'll be checking that out.

I can always use new glass for my vintage kits.

Even if I have the originals, new thinner glass always looks better.

 

 

 

Steve

[Straightliner59]

50 minutes ago, NOBLNG said:

Interesting. Can styrene be vacuumformed?

Absolutely!

[Bucky]

42 minutes ago, StevenGuthmiller said:

I'll be checking that out.

I can always use new glass for my vintage kits.

Even if I have the originals, new thinner glass always looks better.

 

 

 

Steve

I'm with Steve on this. Some of the old kit "glass" is like looking through my bifocals!

I'm interested in this little machine.

[SfanGoch]

It can be had for $67.95 plus $7.50 S & H from HERE

Video showing how it works:

 

[Danno]

Thanks, Joe.  

Looks like it might have value on a modeler's bench.  I'm thinking windshields, windows, scoops, fender skirts, bumpers, hoods, bubble tops!, . . . 

?

[martinfan5]

Ha that's pretty cool

[SfanGoch]

It won't be economical unless one vacuforms multiple parts simultaneously. The sheets ain't cheap.

[Danno]

True, but I think you can use other material besides their own brand.

?

[OldNYJim]

This DOES look cool!!!  The reviews on the Michael’s site aren’t amazing, but you don’t know how much skill the average person leaving reviews on Michael’s website have at this stuff...

I’d like to try one!  If people can find a good use for those old Mattel machines I’m sure we’d find a use for this!

[Dave Van]

Not bad little machine but the 5.5 x 5.5 x 2 area is a bit small.....good for windows but I made one this size for under $10.

[Richard Bartrop]

It looks like it would be useful for making things like hoods and track style noses.  Bodies are doable, if you don't mind multiple pieces,

Styrene vacforms just fine, so there's nothing stopping you from getting a big sheet of that and cutting up your own squares, if you don't want to pay Michael's prices for materials.

[NOBLNG]

I guess the big advantage of this unit over any home made one is the ease of heating the material and getting it rapidly in place.

[Mark]

I wonder if the plastic sheets (other than the clear ones) that are made to fit the unit are styrene, or (like the Mattel unit) are some other plastic that heats up at a lower temperature than styrene.  You wouldn't use clear styrene in any case, but for parts other than windows you would want styrene. 

[Dave Van]

For plastic I'd buy Evergreen or Plastruct.....the stuff sold with the machine is WAY to costly. Any thing Evergreen or Plastruct sells will work.....clear or white. 

I made over 300 window units for my resin kits I sold years ago on my home made machine. If this was around back then I may have bought one. 

[paul alflen]

Now we need a 50 percent off coupon from Michaels! A 40 or 20  percent off might work too!

[Tom Geiger]

I have an original Mattel Vac-u-form unit bought on eBay many years ago. There is / was a company making the perforated sheets.

Mattel did try to bring back Vac-u-form in the 1980s, but with some modern safety restraints. Instead of a hot plate it had a 60 watt light bulb. The entire operation was inside the unit so little hands couldn’t get burnt. As such, the template of say the little race car slid into the side of it. That limited it to making the toys they gave you the template for, making it useless to us.

 

 

[Mark]

15 minutes ago, Dave Van said:

For plastic I'd buy Evergreen or Plastruct.....the stuff sold with the machine is WAY to costly. Any thing Evergreen or Plastruct sells will work.....clear or white. 

I made over 300 window units for my resin kits I sold years ago on my home made machine. If this was around back then I may have bought one. 

You can get sheet styrene on eBay.  I bought a couple of odd size .020" sheets from one vendor, to cut into 5" x 5" pieces for my machine.  It worked out to around 190 sheets for about $35.  

The guy had sold out of the particular size sheet I asked for, but forgot to pull the listing.  He sent two sheets of other sizes, I ended up getting over 300 sheets for around ten cents each.

[OldNYJim]

9 hours ago, paul alflen said:

Now we need a 50 percent off coupon from Michaels! A 40 or 20  percent off might work too!

https://www.michaels.com/coupons

[Mark]

I'd bet that Michael's won't permit the use of 40% or 50% off coupons on this machine, similar to how they handle Cricut machines.

Only 20% right now...I was hoping for 40% as there is a kit on the shelf that I want, but ain't paying $30 for.

[Dave Van]

If they ever did 40% I'd bite!