How to Make a Vacuum Former

Vacuum forming is a way to heat plastic and shape it into a variety of items such as masks, fake body parts or figurines. Once the plastic is slightly melted, you place it on a form and use the vacuum to suck the soft plastic onto the form.

Instructions

1. Draw a grid of 1-inch squares on a heavy-duty cookie sheet. Drill a 1/16-inch diameter hole at every line intersection. Drill more holes every 2 inches along the top of the cookie sheet.

2. Slice a hole in the middle of a 19-by-13 1/2-by-1/4 inch sheet of Plexiglas, and be sure the hole is large enough to hold a Shop Vac vacuum hose adapter tightly. Glue the adapter in place, leaving no more than 1/8 inch of the adapter through the top of the hole. Seal around the adapter with a silicone caulk.

3. Build a frame for the vacuum forming table from a 1/2-inch thick sheet of plywood. Make the frame 12 inches high, 19 inches long and 13 1/2 inches wide. Cut an arch-shaped hole in the bottom of one of the side pieces large enough for a vacuum hose to fit through.

4. Place the Plexiglas sheet on top of the wood frame, with the adapter facing downwards. Drill holes through the sheet and wood, and fix the sheet in place with screws. Attach the Shop Vac hose to the adapter, and lead the hose out through the arch-shaped hole.

5. Make six blocks of wood 1/2-by-3/4-by-1/2 inches, and attach them to the top of the Plexiglas sheet 4 inches apart. Affix them to the Plexiglas with silicone caulk. Place the cookie sheet upside down onto the blocks of wood and check for a good fit. Apply silicone caulk to the blocks and attach the cookie sheet, then screw the cookie sheet into place. This is the surface on which you place the forms that you vacuum the plastic around.

6. Cut four pieces of aluminum angle stock 3 feet long. Attach them to the corners of the wood frame so the metal is flush with the bottom of the frame. Lay two 1-by-4-by-13 inch pieces of wood, one on either side of the angle stock, at the very top of the 3-foot pieces.

7. Use only the heating element and heat shield from a rectangular electric grill. Turn the shield inside out and attach it to the bottom piece of the grill, under the element. Hang the grill upside down at the top of the angle stock, and attach the grill to the pieces of wood with screws. Use this to heat the plastic before it's formed with the vacuum.

8. Assemble two screen window frame kits. Place the frames inside the angle stock on top of the cookie sheet. The frames should slide freely up and down inside the angle stock. Use these frames to hold the sheets of plastic that you soften and shape around your forms.

9. Create three holes in the front of your vacuum forming table for an outlet and two switches. Cut another small hole for the power cord. Remove the temperature controller from the power cord to prevent shutting down your machine in the middle of vacuum forming. Wire one switch directly to the grill, and wire the other switch to the outlet.

Tips & Warnings

• Plug the Shop Vac into the outlet on your forming table and leave the machine in the "on" position. Control the power with the switch on your table.