Recycling HDPE: An Optimized Method

Plastic milk cartons made from HDPE can be easily melted down for reuse without releasing harmful vapors or odors. However producing a solid material that can be machined is a bit tricky. The method I found to be the most effective is to use a makeshift piston to compress small pieces into a solid block which can be easily turned on the lathe.

[@BoingotheClown]

I have mostly been using empty soup cans as forms for blanks and compressing the HDPE with C clamps, but I am hoping to come up with a more consistant method.
I just use my regular oven.

[@TinkerPrepper]

Great video. It would be better to use black pipe. Galvanized items can give off poisonous gases when heated

[@thehutchworkshop5891]

Heating it to hdpe melting temp won’t mess with the metal much

[@mavigogun]

I see "method"- but where is the "optimization"?

[@aussiezombie]

I use a paper shredder for milk bottles. I spent 5 mins using scissors and gave up.

[@pedrooscar1890]

That music is beautiful and reminds me od Edward Scissorhands

[@fringestream990]

Pedro Oscar yup, I had the same thought

[@wafflebeaver]

Thank you for sharing. This video got me thinking and I’ll be trying something with recycled plastic soon.

[@hyperhektor7733]

yesterday i had the exact same ideas , shown in this video xD
same pipesize and so on lol
but i would thought that maybe a cylindrical weight of iron on top of the plastic might be beneficial because it pushes the material down while its melting. (not airtight)
maybe a adjustable metalspring can be added

[@cassiemacleod3634]

Why don.t you heat the bottles with boiling water to take off labels it will yield more plastic. This works for me.

[@KamiCrit]

That or a heat gun as well

[@sacriptex5870]

i like to make plates with a bottle jack and a form

[@calvinkotval5956]

Knew shit was getting real when u brought out the toaster oven

[@John-gj1jr]

I saw the temperature was about 350, but what about time? I wish you'd given an idea on that, knowing it would vary with size.

[@nullsnaggle5198]

The optimal temperature is below 160°c not positive on Fahrenheit but that black bit on the bottom was the plastic burning so if you don't want that to happen try 160° for until it is squishy

[@John-gj1jr]

@@nullsnaggle5198 OK, thanks. 160 C is 320 F, so I'll start somewhere below that.

[@nullsnaggle5198]

@@John-gj1jr good luck my man

[@1992Lachlan]

What do I do with the cylinders of hdpe? Melt them again for another purpose?

[@SnowmanTF2]

Cylinders seem best for if you have a lathe, which then could make various items from the cylinder blank.
Otherwise, they can also be formed into blocks or sheets, then basically any woodworking tool could be used on them.

[@Ratchet4483]

Is it possible to melt HDPE fluid enough like melt aluminum to pour into a cast?

[@kendarr]

Nope, HDPE will go as further as a very sticky gum, imagine a piece of gum that was left in the sun and you step on it, kinda like that, i belive the only plastic that gets to a fluid point is PU in resin form, such as used for making skateboard wheels, usualy plastic is molded in injection machines that, well inject that soft plastic into a mold

[@mavigogun]

Injection under pressure is necessary.

[@jesussanchez-gm4wq]

Can this procedure help me to store HDPE and reuse it in other projects?
Thanks in advance

[@jacobkudrowich]

Yes?

[@calimeroproject3787]

Nice and fast

[@barisozkalan4144]

Is it POM?

[@sexyfacenation]

It is hdpe

[@pinkgoth6]

i dont feel ok putting wood in an oven/toaster oven

[@helmsscotta]

It's fine as long as you keep it below 450°F.

[@eugenetswong]

Just make sure that the wood contains no extra chemicals.

[@thefrankperspective4247]

Remember the book Fahrenheit 451? That's the temperature where the books burn. As Scott said, 450 and under, and you are good to go, ALTHOUGH it should be noted that, unless you keep a VERY close eye on your oven's calibration, you want to stay far below that. You might see 437 degrees, but it's actually 452, and that's a massive problem. This is about 330 though, so you'd be fine, as long as (Eugene's point) it's not pressure/chemical treated.

[@joesbarbecue1]

Less than :30 in.......That's wayyy to much fuckin' work.
Throw those jugs in your Dad's office paper shredder!😁

[@antontzar6846]

The amount of time and energy used in this video does not equal the output

[@gamersquidtv5000]

But I need bricks not tubes

[@devinmanor74]

I saw someone using bread baking pans. They just cut a rectangle of wood and pushed down on that. I used a soup can and just let it cool for an hour, the HDPE pulled away from the sides and easily slid free, so I think that should work on the bread thing too.

[@soonersciencenerd383]

what? your goal?

[@bones2430]

I must be funny because your Laffin. Also where is the optimization, you still have to shave some off on the lathe and if I wanted to get a clean cut of HDPE i could just mold it then sand.

[@privategramcracker01]

An optimized method would be using a blender.

[@TheBaconWizard]

Doesn't work. A meat-mincer does though.

[@athrunzala5337]

I didn't know you could put steel in a microwave

[@guitarwi3rdo]

That's a whole lot of cutting by hand there