I think this kind of recycling, on a home scale, is going to become more and more popular as polystyrene pollution continues to increase and access to new plastic objects begins to decrease Your drawer handle cracked? Let's go digging through the junk pile for styrofoam cups
Acetone doesn't fully dissolve PS - it only disrupts the structure - softening it. No matter how much acetone you add it will never dissolve beyond "goop". Using Xylene, Toluene or other common paint thinners you can actually make a fully dissolved liquid. This is essentially a type of laquer that is very good at waterproofing items and making a pretty hard surface. It's just not used much commercially since polyurethane generally fills this role better. Actually molding dissolved PS is not practical because - like all other solvent-based liquids it will shrink and become porous and brittle when the solvent evaporates. This isn't a problem on a thin film, but anything beyond a few millimeters will start to have issues. You can do the same with ABS, which is significantly stronger. This can genuinely be very useful as a "repair paste" on broken plastics by adding several layers. Especially any ABS plastics which include a lot of tools, auto-parts ect.
with granules of alot of diferent plastics instead of filaments... of course no mixing of the kinds of plastics but eh recycle the print with a granulator is pretty nice too
After initially watching this video, I wonder if I could make a mold for plant pots. Nursery size plant holders or nice display plant pots are something I'm in constant need of and that are highly reusable. The question is what material would the mold need to be that could hold the melted substance that wouldn't melt. More research required.
I've messed around with this and it ends up very brittle. Is there an additive or heat treating process that can improve strength? Even if it makes it more flexible?
No clue, maybe if it mixes with another more “rubbery” plastic (?) Polystyrene is hard but very very brittle in the first place, gotta keep that in mind too. Think how easy a CD case clear plastic breaks, is your project much more fragile than even *that* ? Cheers
That happens because of gasses getting trapped in the plastic as the acetone evaporates. Bubbles are the enemy. Whether it's ultrasonic, vacuum, or just a ton of shaking, you want it to be totally free of bubbles if you want something strong.
@Fate's End before it had completely hardened i kneaded it pretty good and could hear little bubbles popping. If there were a lot then itd be extremely brittle. This thing is like a rock but I can't help but think if i carve it for some kind of use, itll still break
You can remove the bubbles that contribute to its brittleness by letting it soak in the acetone for a day or more and draining off the acetone before letting it dry. It's a long, touchy process but you can cast clear plastic if you do it right.
I read a comment on youtube claiming that if you melt polystyrene with acetone you can make a good wood glue. Would you give more insight on a process like that?
Simply add polystyrene to the acetone until it has a paint like viscosity, then use a paintbrush or acetone resistant syringe to apply it. Works great for cardboard as well! Regular petrol works great as a dissolvent as well, but might be less attractive for some applications.
I do polystyrene plastic containers to in acetone and it turns white and later it makes slush you could scrape some of the polystyrene off of the polystyrene plastic
In the end process of heating it to remold and get bubbles out, it will certainly release more acetone vapor as well as some chemicals from the plastic its self. Wear gloves. I didn't and it made my fingers smell like plastic (probably took a couple months off my life lol who knows)
@@winnien7999 Yes. The acetone technically doesn't melt the polystyrene, it dissolves it. So because polystyrene is soluble in acetone, it will re-dissolve if you add acetone to hardened polystyrene.
So I am aiming of making a fun mask out of this stuff near where my Bruce Wayne job is I see this stuff get tossed allot and the thought of using some inplace of modeling plastics (because of price) this may be fun.
Y entonces, ¿porqué hay empresas que los vierten al océano / mar / ríos a toneladas, sin tratarlos? Luego van y nos prohíben fabricar tenedores de plástico, vasos de plástico, etc. Si es así de fácil 'reciclarlos', ¿porqué no les imponen multas mil millonarias a las empresas que los tiran a los ríos, mares u océanos? Resulta vergonzoso, otros materiales cuesta reciclarlos una burrada y los plásticos se reciclan hasta con productos 'caseros'.
Son principalemente unos cuantos ríos en el Mundo los que arrastran grandes cantidades de residuos, incluyendo todo tipo de plásticos de desechos. Por ejemplo el río Yangtsé. Aunque ya sabes que de China no sólo nos llegan plásticos, ....... www.scientificamerican.com/article/stemming-the-plastic-tide-10-rivers-contribute-most-of-the-plastic-in-the-oceans/ www.dw.com/en/almost-all-plastic-in-the-ocean-comes-from-just-10-rivers/a-41581484 malaysiagazette.com/en/2016/12/23/chinese-island-engulfed-waste-garbage-dumped-yangtze-river/
@@tinkerbit Gracias por los enlaces, las preguntas eran más 'retoricas' que para ser contestadas, es que me frusta mucho ver la ineptitud de muchos que dicen llamarse u ostentar cargo 'políticos' y no son para nada políticamente correctos, actún de forma 'imprudente' que solo saben prohibir y cargarnos cada vez más y más impuestos, en lugar de atajar los problemas de raíz y buscar soluciones como por ejemplo la que mostrabas, bien simple, eficiente y sencilla de hacer... una piscina olímpica bastatía para reciclar los plásticos tirados en todo el planeta, etc. Reitero, mil gracias por la respuesta y los enlaces..
El problema no es el plástico que se puede reciclar, es el que no se puede reciclar, que siempre es un porcentaje del original, y se acumula sin más hasta que alguien lo quema, lo entierra o acaba en el mar.
@@ballsxan Cualquier tipo de plástico se puede 'fundir' y volver a moldear para hacer otros elementos. El problema es que sale más barato 'tirarlo' al océano que reciclarlo. Si sancionasen de verdad con multas millonarias al que lo 'tira' al océano, se acabaría con el 'no' reciclabe. Todo es 'reciclable', el 'coste' de reciclaje es el 'problema', para ciertos 'individuos' o 'empresas' que no quieren 'pagar' ese 'coste' les es más sencillo decir, esto no es reciclable, aunque realmente si lo es aunque sea a un coste alto.
Dear Moptain. i like your video. it is very much interesting. i have tried same method but acetione is very costly here in my country. Can you kindly name some more solvent to solve the polystyrene. Please
@@hannapaakkonen8582 dear i tried that but it was not much effective. Also it was also costly here. Though it solved the EPS but it toolk very long time also the bubbles entrapped in it
Fantastic! Quick question though: Given the flammability of both Acetone and polystyrene in their liquid forms and stickiness when you mix them together, do you have any concerns that you have publicly shown anyone who watches this video an instructional on how to make napalm?
Well, if they didn’t know about napalm, they do now! This is hardly a safety threat. Not even scaleable. Maybe add the disclaimer “ do not drink” for the Americans.
Not really, it's better with gasoline and pretty common knowledge. If you do oil gas mix like for mowers and dissolve it in that it becomes more moldable, like some kind of "plastic combustible" but as it burns it gets all syrupy and sticky again. I'm sure there's ways of giving it other peoperties too.
Interesting ! Next step is to recover acetone by distillation, and get clean PS at one side, and clean acetone at the other side. See eco-dec website in Belgium ;-)
Dig this. Until now all I knew was how to make napalm out of my foam. Now Im going to sculpt with it. I didnt know that it was malleable after dissolution and hardening. I am assuming that it becomes malleable and stable only after completely evaporating out the acetone. Is that correct? I will soon find out.
Mark, he spent quit awhile processing the stuff and then doesn't give a way to use it, In order for it to be "recycled" it has to be useful for something. What you could do is just melt the styrene in an oven, maybe in a bread pan, then, when it cools, you would have a block of solid polystyrene. The block could be cut and shaped using woodworking tools and techniques. I have played with that system using hdpe plastic, but I think styrene would be better. It is harder than hdpe and would cut, sand, and file better. If you are already set up to make things out of wood, this could be useful. But don't pour acetone on it, acetone is expensive, it stinks, it will take forever to dry out and it will leave the plastic porous.
Nacho, con todo respeto, no favorezcas a los gringos, no tienes idea cuanto les ayudas al hacer vídeos en inglés, no los favorezcas, llevan años criticando a Latinoamérica. Pero como quieras🥴👍🏼. Y tu canal es chingon👍🏼👍🏼
Pianofeets porque en vez de ser tan negativo tu no empiezas a reciclar de esa manera? tu crees que los pobres de tu pais que son los que tiran todo a la basura y a la calle tienen dinero para compar los disolventes o el acetona ? Este senor debio haber dicho para que sirve el disolver el styrofoam, o icopor, o espuma, o como se llame en tu pais. Lo que queda al ser disuelto se usa como Barniz para terminar muchos proyectos o para sellar hasta techos que tienen goteras. Los gringos o cualquier otra nacionalidad critican a los latinos por su falta de disciplina, por desordenados, por bullosos, por descuidados, por irresponsables, por envidiosos, etc etc . Es por su conducta, gracias a Dios no son todos, pero si mucos posiblement como tu, pero no porque sean latinos. Asomaate a un barrio latino de USA para que veas la basura y el desorden ahi mismo.
I think this kind of recycling, on a home scale, is going to become more and more popular as polystyrene pollution continues to increase and access to new plastic objects begins to decrease
Your drawer handle cracked? Let's go digging through the junk pile for styrofoam cups
Acetone doesn't fully dissolve PS - it only disrupts the structure - softening it. No matter how much acetone you add it will never dissolve beyond "goop".
Using Xylene, Toluene or other common paint thinners you can actually make a fully dissolved liquid. This is essentially a type of laquer that is very good at waterproofing items and making a pretty hard surface. It's just not used much commercially since polyurethane generally fills this role better.
Actually molding dissolved PS is not practical because - like all other solvent-based liquids it will shrink and become porous and brittle when the solvent evaporates. This isn't a problem on a thin film, but anything beyond a few millimeters will start to have issues.
You can do the same with ABS, which is significantly stronger. This can genuinely be very useful as a "repair paste" on broken plastics by adding several layers. Especially any ABS plastics which include a lot of tools, auto-parts ect.
Hmmm...3D printing with recycled styrofoam sounds interesting
with granules of alot of diferent plastics instead of filaments... of course no mixing of the kinds of plastics but eh recycle the print with a granulator is pretty nice too
Have you got any videos on doing something useful with the resulting plastic?
We used it to seal cracks in the garage. Worked like a charm.
You can also make toys. See this.
czcams.com/video/Ew9Q-tc69YY/video.html
I saw a video where they used it as a coating for clay houses to make it water repellent
After initially watching this video, I wonder if I could make a mold for plant pots. Nursery size plant holders or nice display plant pots are something I'm in constant need of and that are highly reusable. The question is what material would the mold need to be that could hold the melted substance that wouldn't melt. More research required.
@@bluroses4 silicone
Youd be better shaping it before it dries fully, it fits into molds great
are the gasses toxic? And is breaking it down like this better than throwing it away for the environment?
I've messed around with this and it ends up very brittle. Is there an additive or heat treating process that can improve strength? Even if it makes it more flexible?
No clue, maybe if it mixes with another more “rubbery” plastic (?)
Polystyrene is hard but very very brittle in the first place, gotta keep that in mind too. Think how easy a CD case clear plastic breaks, is your project much more fragile than even *that* ?
Cheers
That happens because of gasses getting trapped in the plastic as the acetone evaporates. Bubbles are the enemy. Whether it's ultrasonic, vacuum, or just a ton of shaking, you want it to be totally free of bubbles if you want something strong.
@Fate's End before it had completely hardened i kneaded it pretty good and could hear little bubbles popping. If there were a lot then itd be extremely brittle. This thing is like a rock but I can't help but think if i carve it for some kind of use, itll still break
@@nateb4543 If it's not at least semitransparent, it probably has bubbles still. You ever make taffy before? That's why it turns opaque.
You can remove the bubbles that contribute to its brittleness by letting it soak in the acetone for a day or more and draining off the acetone before letting it dry. It's a long, touchy process but you can cast clear plastic if you do it right.
You also can use the resulting mixture from styrofoam and acetone. It becomes a kind of super glue.
I have heard this although I’m hearing it works best on porous surfaces like wood.
use it as you would with contact glue
Awesome plastic 🍪 cookie
Yummy 😋 yummy 🤤🤣👌🏻☑️
I read a comment on youtube claiming that if you melt polystyrene with acetone you can make a good wood glue. Would you give more insight on a process like that?
Simply add polystyrene to the acetone until it has a paint like viscosity, then use a paintbrush or acetone resistant syringe to apply it. Works great for cardboard as well!
Regular petrol works great as a dissolvent as well, but might be less attractive for some applications.
Yes I just came across one when searching home made glue.
Great video, congratulations
Thank you for the idea
great video! thank you for sharing
Thank u very much sir
How long do you have to keep it in the oven?
I do polystyrene plastic containers to in acetone and it turns white and later it makes slush you could scrape some of the polystyrene off of the polystyrene plastic
Thanks for you video, is there gas release during this process?
Acetone vapour can overwhelm you, so its best in a well ventilated area. Also its flammable
In the end process of heating it to remold and get bubbles out, it will certainly release more acetone vapor as well as some chemicals from the plastic its self. Wear gloves. I didn't and it made my fingers smell like plastic (probably took a couple months off my life lol who knows)
@Chidera- Only if you tend to fart prolifically while you are proceeding.
Just curious would the harden solution melts again when acetone is added again?
@@winnien7999 Yes. The acetone technically doesn't melt the polystyrene, it dissolves it. So because polystyrene is soluble in acetone, it will re-dissolve if you add acetone to hardened polystyrene.
So I am aiming of making a fun mask out of this stuff near where my Bruce Wayne job is I see this stuff get tossed allot and the thought of using some inplace of modeling plastics (because of price) this may be fun.
How could you work this back into a foam? And would there be a way to expand it into a mould shape 🤔
I found that there are a bunch of methods demonstrated on CZcams if you just search for it 👍
@@TylrVncnt Hi, I'm a french student and i need one of these videos, but I don't find anyone. So if you could help i'll be very happy
Can I microwave it as a way of drying it quicker?
Christ I hope you didn't do that lol
Hi, can anyone tell me whether you can convert regifoam into EPS granulars? Without spending a lot of money on machinery.
Nice!!
Y entonces, ¿porqué hay empresas que los vierten al océano / mar / ríos a toneladas, sin tratarlos?
Luego van y nos prohíben fabricar tenedores de plástico, vasos de plástico, etc.
Si es así de fácil 'reciclarlos', ¿porqué no les imponen multas mil millonarias a las empresas que los tiran a los ríos, mares u océanos?
Resulta vergonzoso, otros materiales cuesta reciclarlos una burrada y los plásticos se reciclan hasta con productos 'caseros'.
Son principalemente unos cuantos ríos en el Mundo los que arrastran grandes cantidades de residuos, incluyendo todo tipo de plásticos de desechos. Por ejemplo el río Yangtsé. Aunque ya sabes que de China no sólo nos llegan plásticos, .......
www.scientificamerican.com/article/stemming-the-plastic-tide-10-rivers-contribute-most-of-the-plastic-in-the-oceans/
www.dw.com/en/almost-all-plastic-in-the-ocean-comes-from-just-10-rivers/a-41581484
malaysiagazette.com/en/2016/12/23/chinese-island-engulfed-waste-garbage-dumped-yangtze-river/
@@tinkerbit Gracias por los enlaces, las preguntas eran más 'retoricas' que para ser contestadas, es que me frusta mucho ver la ineptitud de muchos que dicen llamarse u ostentar cargo 'políticos' y no son para nada políticamente correctos, actún de forma 'imprudente' que solo saben prohibir y cargarnos cada vez más y más impuestos, en lugar de atajar los problemas de raíz y buscar soluciones como por ejemplo la que mostrabas, bien simple, eficiente y sencilla de hacer... una piscina olímpica bastatía para reciclar los plásticos tirados en todo el planeta, etc.
Reitero, mil gracias por la respuesta y los enlaces..
El problema no es el plástico que se puede reciclar, es el que no se puede reciclar, que siempre es un porcentaje del original, y se acumula sin más hasta que alguien lo quema, lo entierra o acaba en el mar.
@@ballsxan Cualquier tipo de plástico se puede 'fundir' y volver a moldear para hacer otros elementos. El problema es que sale más barato 'tirarlo' al océano que reciclarlo.
Si sancionasen de verdad con multas millonarias al que lo 'tira' al océano, se acabaría con el 'no' reciclabe.
Todo es 'reciclable', el 'coste' de reciclaje es el 'problema', para ciertos 'individuos' o 'empresas' que no quieren 'pagar' ese 'coste' les es más sencillo decir, esto no es reciclable, aunque realmente si lo es aunque sea a un coste alto.
The music is creepy and reminds me of 10 cloverfield lane
I just found out that d-limonene can also dissolve styrofoam too
Yes
Dear Moptain. i like your video. it is very much interesting. i have tried same method but acetione is very costly here in my country. Can you kindly name some more solvent to solve the polystyrene. Please
You can use limonene.
@@hannapaakkonen8582 dear i tried that but it was not much effective. Also it was also costly here. Though it solved the EPS but it toolk very long time also the bubbles entrapped in it
Have you tried vinegar?
Plain petrol may work
@@condradgaute7163 No dear. Actually i am looking for cheaper solvent that can be used again and again
Fantastic! Quick question though: Given the flammability of both Acetone and polystyrene in their liquid forms and stickiness when you mix them together, do you have any concerns that you have publicly shown anyone who watches this video an instructional on how to make napalm?
With gasoline and soap it is much easier. The one who wants to damage doesn't need my video.
Lol. I hope you read the reply.
Well, if they didn’t know about napalm, they do now!
This is hardly a safety threat.
Not even scaleable.
Maybe add the disclaimer “ do not drink” for the Americans.
Not really, it's better with gasoline and pretty common knowledge. If you do oil gas mix like for mowers and dissolve it in that it becomes more moldable, like some kind of "plastic combustible" but as it burns it gets all syrupy and sticky again. I'm sure there's ways of giving it other peoperties too.
Interesting ! Next step is to recover acetone by distillation, and get clean PS at one side, and clean acetone at the other side. See eco-dec website in Belgium ;-)
What is dry foam melting agent
Acetone
What if a add ammonia nitrate and make a play dough ?
I think you’d blow up your house. (Joke)
Gasoline melts it to
Dig this. Until now all I knew was how to make napalm out of my foam. Now Im going to sculpt with it. I didnt know that it was malleable after dissolution and hardening. I am assuming that it becomes malleable and stable only after completely evaporating out the acetone. Is that correct? I will soon find out.
Any updates on this?
100% correct. You can also use it as contact glue while still soft. I haven't bought contact glue for years.
One time my family accidentally melted the trash can that looked like metal
What is that for????
Toys , furniture etc made by ps
Mark, he spent quit awhile processing the stuff and then doesn't give a way to use it, In order for it to be "recycled" it has to be useful for something. What you could do is just melt the styrene in an oven, maybe in a bread pan, then, when it cools, you would have a block of solid polystyrene. The block could be cut and shaped using woodworking tools and techniques. I have played with that system using hdpe plastic, but I think styrene would be better. It is harder than hdpe and would cut, sand, and file better. If you are already set up to make things out of wood, this could be useful. But don't pour acetone on it, acetone is expensive, it stinks, it will take forever to dry out and it will leave the plastic porous.
hey my bro, you steal the video, original ecenes from CIENCIABIT
Just watched a video of a dude turning foam & petrol or acetone or even nail polish remover into super glue lol
Nacho, con todo respeto, no favorezcas a los gringos, no tienes idea cuanto les ayudas al hacer vídeos en inglés, no los favorezcas, llevan años criticando a Latinoamérica. Pero como quieras🥴👍🏼. Y tu canal es chingon👍🏼👍🏼
Pianofeets porque en vez de ser tan negativo tu no empiezas a reciclar de esa manera? tu crees que los pobres de tu pais que son los que tiran todo a la basura y a la calle tienen dinero para compar los disolventes o el acetona ? Este senor debio haber dicho para que sirve el disolver el styrofoam, o icopor, o espuma, o como se llame en tu pais. Lo que queda al ser disuelto se usa como Barniz para terminar muchos proyectos o para sellar hasta techos que tienen goteras. Los gringos o cualquier otra nacionalidad critican a los latinos por su falta de disciplina, por desordenados, por bullosos, por descuidados, por irresponsables, por envidiosos, etc etc . Es por su conducta, gracias a Dios no son todos, pero si mucos posiblement como tu, pero no porque sean latinos. Asomaate a un barrio latino de USA para que veas la basura y el desorden ahi mismo.
I want my 5 minutes back
Congratulations, now you have made a carcinogen! PLEASE PEOPLE, DONT USE THIS.
I try it to dissolve acetone and Styrofoam but nothing happen it is not true this video. It is a fake
No, it DOES work. You did it wrong. Either you didn't use styrofoam, or acetone. Or neither.
You didn't use 100% acetone. Most nail polish removers don't work
He earned money in the youtube even it us a big lies and deceitful
What shit are you talking?