How To Make Lacquer From Styrofoam
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- čas přidán 17. 05. 2016
- I started with one idea in the beginning of this video (the battery charger was going to be Hal, talking to me and watching me do a project, while I became increasingly unsettled), but decided to go in another direction part of the way through when the foam idea came to me.
While dissolving the foam, I thought it would be interesting to use it as end grain sealer on the log pieces, so added that in.
Normally, I have the video planned out before I get started, but went with the flow this time.
The "lacquer" itself is not bad, for what it was made from. I think it make a fairly good clear finish, if it was filtered. It dried surprising hard and glossy, and since it's plastic, would be fairly water resistant.
I used roughly half of the 1 gallon can to dissolve the foam, and did it outdoors for ventilation. Lacquer thinner is a strong solvent and very flammable (especially in combination with the foam), so keeping it away from open flames or sparks will help to keep it from becoming a much more interesting day. - Jak na to + styl
I love it. You have a section of siding that isn't finished and you decided to start another project. I need to show this to my wife..."You see honey, its not just me. We are everywhere."
I started with one idea in the beginning of this video (the battery charger was going to be Hal, talking to me and watching me do a project, while I became increasingly unsettled), but decided to go in another direction part of the way through when the foam idea came to me.
While dissolving the foam, I thought it would be interesting to use it as end grain sealer on the log pieces, so added that in.
Normally, I have the video planned out before I get started, but went with the flow this time.
The "lacquer" itself is not bad, for what it was made from. I think it make a fairly good clear finish, if it was filtered. It dried surprising hard and glossy, and since it's plastic, would be fairly water resistant.
I used roughly half of the 1 gallon can to dissolve the foam, and did it outdoors for ventilation. Lacquer thinner is a strong solvent and very flammable (especially in combination with the foam), so keeping it away from open flames or sparks will help to keep it from becoming a much more interesting day.
interesting format John. keep up the creative story through the camera.
+John Heisz It was a beautiful video. Everything was super well done!! I hate to say it, this was my favorite one of yours and you have many!
+Adrian Higgins
Thanks :)
+John Heisz I have a question, did the foam actually dissolve into the thinner or did it just soften inot lumps which you used? I tried this with acetone and all i got was a big lump of soft goop, I guess it couldve been used just as well but the goop was so thick that it wasnt really appliable with a brush :D
I may be a tab bit late but you should have made little stoam people (styrofoam people) then started the dissolving proses
You have single-handedly put the lacquer industry out of business whilst clearing up the oceans of plastic pollution. Not a shabby effort resulting from an idle whim of "going with the flow"!
Great shooting and editing on this one. Loved a the little cuts and shots of simple tasks.
Good idea. Why didn't you just start with the thinners in the pail and add the foam there?
John, your editing is spot on. Great work!
What a great Idea that is useful. Now I have a way to recycle my Thiner. Love your experments, Thanks John
Very clever recycling, John. Thank you for sharing!
The camera work is beautiful! I love you're projects but lately I've been getting an even better experience from those great shots. Keep it up the fine work my man, oyou've got style
I always learn something from your vids. Cool stuff, man.
Great presentation style, it stimulated my sense of curiosity.
I really enjoy your creative camera angles and editing!
This was an interesting project... especially as I try to figure what I want to do with all this styrofoam I currently have.
WOW!!! Love the video and the experiment! Yeah, if filtered it should be a quite nice gloss finish for waterproofing.
How would you filter it
I tried the same thin with xylene but it takes days to dry. Awesome editing it was a pleasure to watch.
If you see this, when you say days, do you mean a week or so?
Good use for a kick plate.
Your productions are getting better all the time and I think your having fun with just that.
Cheers
i totally respect your camera work... I don't have even half of this time for my working videos... it needs to be done... so sometimes no video... ;)
Sure enjoyed watching you sweep and spread caulk . Such little details like hearing you huff and puff are an essential part of the video.
Fun Idea one shop I use to work at had a 55G drum of thinner we would put the foam in to get rid of it. that brings back memories!
You made a crude napalm, and very hard to put out. Super dangerous. Ridiculously so. And probably all kinds of illegal.
very nice editing! No words spoken, still entertaining. Thanks!
Awesome product i was wondering what kind of shelf life does it have before it yellows? thank you
Hace varios meses, casualmente descubrí que la espuma de estireno se disolvía con solvente para polyuretano, y al ver su consistencia tan parecida a este material lo apliqué a mi mesa de taller para ver que resultaba. Desde entonces lo aplico a mis jigs y a la madera que aun no uso, y aun a las partes ferrosas como protección contra la humedad y la oxidación. Es excelente.
Amílcar De León T. A donde lo compró el solvente de poliuretano?
I've been trying to decide on what to use to seal the top end grains of my 4x4 posts that I used in my trenches to mount my electrical boxes and hose bibbs. I was thinking roofing tar but that would be very ugly. I think you have helped me find a better solution.
Awesome Editing & Camera work! Can't imagine doing this alone.
I love the artistic camera work and the whole feel of the video, non of that "how to make a pb&j sandwich" bull stuff, great work. Always enjoy your videos
Great video. I have a jar with acetone that I use to dissolve take out boxes and packing foam for similar use. Keeps it from going in a landfill.
Same! The stryrene goo is awesome for anything from filling in holes to making napalm. And you dont need a alot
Cool way to recycle styrofoam! Thanks for sharing!
I like your attention to detail, in your talking videos the way you explore and share all your ideas throughout a process, including the failures, because it shows ways to approach problems that can be applied by your viewers in their own endeavors.
And in videos like this, without commentary, it is concise and conveys all the information needed to reproduce the results for ourselves. I know you find the video editing to be tedious and a less enjoyable part of running your channel, but your skills are much better than the "average" CZcams content provider.
As viewers, most of us aren't able to appreciate all the techniques you use in editing, the use of multiple takes and cameras, the hours spent researching things like homemade mics, etc. But we all benefit from the high quality of your production that is so obvious in the resulting videos. I look forward to every video (on both channels), John!
+b1gdawg
Thank you, that's high praise :)
Thank you so much for this and doing a demo on wood it looks amazing, I was using polyurethane but it turns yellow on wood after a while hate that going to try this
Brilliant use of imagination, and recycling John, and a darn site cheaper than shop bought sealer for logs. Great video mate :)
Cheers
Mike
+Mike Waldt
Thanks Mike :)
I made something similar when I was a kid when I tried to weigh down the nose of a model airplane by filling it with Testor's cement and lead weights. :)
slick shooting - obviously well thought out. I'll try this
This is a great idea John !
Cool video. Interesting camera angles. I like this type of video of yours.
CT had a sale on Mastercraft Max drills?
John, that is some next level mad scientist stuff right there! awesome!
+Billy McCord
I've strayed into Peter Brown territory :D
this video is really calming to begin with
Neat idea, the title Napalm lacquer might get more views.. ;) cheers
+EmancipatedSquirrel But then he gets on a watch list. Now, he can share the ideas to help Allah's followers without being suspected of anything. Cheers!
+EmancipatedSquirrel Reminds me of the olden days when me and my buddies used some gasoline and foam to make it. That stuff is scary... but it works great if you need to set something on fire lol.
Really enjoyed watching!
How is this lacquer rather than simply polystyrene? (Starts out as expanded polystyrene, dissolved, and solidifies after the dissolving agent evaporates... you're basically taking the air out of the styrofoam.) It'd probably work awesome for end sealing, though I'll keep using my $3 slow cooker from Goodwill filled with old candle stubs.
FYI, acetone does the same thing and is less bad for you than lacquer thinner. You can actually cast small parts by using this same technique, only pouring the gel into a mold and letting it harden.
I really enjoyed this video, the shots are clear, the editings great. The formats wonderful, like a mystery, what's he doing? What's going to happen next? It's a journey, thank you for sharing!
Nice. Home made napalm if I remember correctly, is styro dissolved in regular gas.
this is awesome ! thank you
I nominate this for the best video award because.. Content make does not do the following:
1. Make excuses
2. Apologize for anything
3. Has all elements needed for the production
4. Does not wave at the camera and blows kisses, say he loves us, begs for subs and likes.
5. Includes his dog, cat or kids, etc which had nothing to do with the topic
6. Did not presume or assume or offer any safety disclosure
7. Did not say, without further adue or let's get into it.
8. Did not blind us with an arc welder.
9. Did not play music
10. Did not say words or phrases like: this is easy, you don't want that, simply, I'm going to move the camera. Detailing every micro movement he made.
I tried the mix but did not get the same result. The foam became like gum. Should I be using a special kind of thinner? I used sprayers and tools type.
I tried this recently as well and also came along the exact same problem. I think there’s more than one type of styrofoam that can be used, because I did it with acetone and got a slippery goop.
Is there a certain ratio of thinner to foam or it doesn't matter? Also, any other uses you have found for it?
Very cool John. Great use for this uh em product I for one enjoy your videos and think they are incredible. Thanks for making them.
Take care my friend and do a kindness
Mark
Dear John, Thank you so much for such a great video. Could you kindly share whether or not the container has to be made of metal like the one you’ve built for this experiment? Thank You 🙏🏻 👏👍
Love this!!
Great Idea... I will have to try it. Just a thought; your camera shorts were pretty close, but have you got the logs off the ground?
was the custom pan truly necessary or could you have just made everything in a single bucket?
I want to try this.... looks like fun
Lacquer Thinner is a mix of solvents. Styrofoam reacts best with acetone, which only makes up 15-20% of most lacquer thinners. It would work fastest to dissolve it in acetone
That was beautiful
I like it and will try it. I have also used a small 3.2oz tube of silicone bathroom caulk dissolved in a quart of mineral spirits as a sealer which worked well. ;}
Thank you for the pointer. 🙏🏻
Another awesome video from an awesome channel!!
"Will help to keep it from becoming a much more interesting day". That cracked me up! 😜
I love it! Though, I do question the cost savings of a gallon of lacquer thinner vs the pint of lacquer you got out of it. :-)
+Chevee Dodd
Something off about your math :D
The thinner was old and partly contaminated from cleaning saw blades. Even using new, thinner is half the cost (or less) than the same amount of lacquer.
+John Heisz I like your math better. Also, for some reason, I never considered recycling my thinner.
Acetone can be used as well. Fingernail polish remover. Not all fingernail polish remover, the kind that claims to be 'mild' does not have acetone in it.
Richard Smith acetone is paint thinner bud
'paint thinner' is usually Naphtha or Toluene or sometimes acetone. However, Lacquer thinner is usually methyl ethyl ketone.
Whats the need for sealing the end grain of those logs? Is it to keep it 'fresh' till you eventually use them?
Hey John, great video! Is Mastercraft a new sponsor or did you just buy out your local Canadian Tire? Either way, gotta love boxes of brand spanking new tools!
Question about the impact driver, is that literally a dewalt driver that's grey instead of yellow??? Looks exactly the same, I wonder if the batteries are interchangeable?
Camera work is fantastic. Are you doing this solo? If so... spot on. Like other people have said, It feels like I got to hang out with you on a typical shop day. Good stuff!
Any paint thinner will reduce polystyrene into a clear free flowing liquid. To turn it into a safe art paint or decoupage gloss you should use orange oil or gum turpentine. To make it stick to plastic etc... click on the logo
Impressive filming and producing efforts, very confortable to watch, in my list you go with mathias wandel (or can't remember the exact name haha) for the 2 best produced(by that I mean the time allowed for mounting, camera angles, time lapses at the right times and such) carpentry projects
Also great idea
Doesn't acetone work as well for dissolving styro?
Can this be used in multiple coats and sanded to a mirror finish? OR
Is it just a utility finish/sealer you can make/use to save money?
Thanks for the video
Even if i have tried dissolving foam (in acetone) i have never found a use for the goo, till now.. :) I paint endgrain with melted bees wax, works well for me..
Just what do you think you're doing, John?
This was cool, all the commenters had points, but as for myself this solves my problem of fighting with the garbage and recycling guys about what damn cans I'm supposed to put that crap in. Thank you John.
I am late to this video but so appreciative of it. Many many many thanks for an informative and riveting presentation without the intrusion of a music soundtrack which, other than annoyance, would have added nothing beyond what you've presented. Thanks.
Hey do you think you could do a tutorial on how to make a metal otf knife but a lot smaller than the wood one you made
Hi john. is it possible to use such a product to impregnate wood fishing lures by immersion? How long it will take to "dry" ?
So, how is the sheen of this lacquer? Is it something you would use where you are concerned about looks, or would you just use it for utility purposes?
i was looking for a cheaper alternative for waterproofing my half-log wooden cabin. This is brilliant and will save me a bundle... I will add some teak solvent based wood stain to the tub... Thanks a million!!
Clever idea John! Thanks for sharing.
A quick safety note. Building insulation styrofoam (the blue stuff) usually has a flame retardant in it. I wouldn't recommend using that. Packaging foam like you used should be safe to use.
...thanks for this note
Misread as 'low grade liquor'. Now have stomach ache. ;) great video
I don't have much use for a law grade lacquer, but the quality of production and editing on this video is excellent, and I really enjoyed it. (For what it's worth. :) )
Very interesting professor!
Watching this is probably SO much better than actually doing it yourself! I imagine that it's sticky and smelly as hell.
Side note: that fist couple minutes was extremely accurate in capturing the "feel" of a day in the workshop. Top notch edit ;)
Pocket! I love your videos mate, nice to see you here!
+pocket83
It wasn't too bad, outdoors. I wouldn't want to do it inside, that's for sure.
Thanks and sorry you can't be at the event on the 28th. The bs involved with getting a passport is what's stopping me from travelling outside the country. Too bad it went that way between the US and Canada.
Great job...looks like a movie special effect ... RoboCop (1987) comes too mind
thanks for sharing
Could this work as a fiberglass resin?
Great video! My questions are:
1. How do you filter it, or will it continue to dissolve over time and not need to be filtered?
2. Can this be bottled/canned/jarred for future use safely or does it have to be used right away?
3. if this is filtered and allowed to set up, would this be a better quality than what you purchase in the store?
This is a new invention. Further research is needed. Lets get a hold of NASA.
I saw on the net that coffee filters work fine but requires patience.
that impact driver is sold under the Erbauer brand in the UK and it's not half bad. I did find it got a bit hot when driving in 50 or so self drilling/tapping screws into mild steel in fairly rapid succession. Sounds a bit nasty compared to the makita but at a third of the price I really can't grumble.
LOVE this!
tyfs
did the other makita impact driver survive the plaster ?
Wow, what an impressive video!
+Stephan Pöhnlein
Thanks :)
This is so briliant
I wonder how fast new thinner or even acetone would have dissolved it.
Thinner seems to be much less aggressive than aceton, as it has stuff adde to work in wider variety of applications.
A new driver, John? I hope you get to try the Hal idea another time - I really like the thought of that!
I also like that you found a way to recycle polystyrene - I wouldn't like to think how much of it must be buried beneath the earth... I hate how we can manufacture products like this but won't recycle them simply because it's more cost efficient to bin it and make some more.
+Olly Parry-Jones
Had a few "free" tools sent out to me for promotional consideration.
I was pretty surprised at the quality of the finish this can make. Nothing to put Deft out of business, but surely good enough for some simple builds.
also works nice as molotov cocktail:)
Great idea John, until I saw the comment regarding recycling, I had written this off for two reasons, firstly, here Lacquer thinner is very expensive and secondly you have to be registered, and can only buy 2.5ltr at a time, as it is used in bomb making! I've got a bad enough reputation, without adding that to the list...lol
this is very unique project. Does it hold up in the wet?Thanks for sharing.
+michele vitarelli He's dissolving polystyrene in a solvent. When the solvent evaporates it leaves behind the polystyrene, which is extremely water resistant. Coat something with this mixture and when it dries it will be coated with a thin plastic layer. Not UV resistant though.
Impressive camera work, congrats
would acetone work?
I see in the comments where you say how much of the thinner you used. Is that the amount that *needs* to be used for that volume of foam, or is there even any real specific ratio that gets the result you want?
Can you use this lacquer for plastic?
Can you use acetone instead of lacquer thinner? Also, Nice, interesting video and you have good production values. You tell a story AND you don't have annoying music distracting the viewer. This one gets an A+.
Acetone only partially dissolves polystyrene, it leaves the long strings of hydrocarbons together, it just dissolves the bonds holding them to each other. That leaves you with a snotty mess floating on top. It could still be used though, you just can't paint with the snot. However, even if you toss the snot, the acetone left over can be painted and when it dries, it will leave a hard film, it just won't be exactly the same thing.
The snot from using acetone makes a great napalm though, which is what most people are talking about in the comments.
If you are using acetone, I would suggest you dissolve ABS in acetone instead.
Cellulose thinners
@@rich1051414, hmmmmm, long strings of hydrocarbons left over. I’ll have to look into that. Does this “snot” dry out and harden?
@@jmikronis7376z Acetone actually makes it into a super strong glue (for porous surfaces only). Maybe the coolest part is that the "polystyrene snot" is not sticky and messy, so it is suprisingly hassle-free to work with. Once dried it makes a semi-opaque plastic solid. Because it is so easily handled you can make any shape you want, or use it as a casting material. as long as the mold is non-porous it will come out easily. This is possibly the easiest way I know to make a custom plastic shape at home.
After I learned so many great uses for polystyrene I never throw it out anymore. Instead I pick it up whenever I see some :p
In used acetone and it did not mixed into to the acetone like this video with laquer thinner so there is a slime film of styrofoam at the bottom of the acetone 😩
Really nice movie, man!!! I was wondering...; did you try the best possible lacquer from styrofoam?, which should be the best possible solvent?, which kind of filtering material to get the best possible product? Pro lacquers are terribly expensive here! Thx a lot for your time, i enjoy your art a lot.
That's pretty neat, I had know idea thinner and styrofoam would react like that:)
Shop built grammar
It’s actually not a chemical reaction. Styrofoam “melting” into lacquer thinner, acetone, gasoline, ether, or whatever organic solvent you choose, is actually the same concept as salt dissolving in water.
It’s just another example of “like dissolves like”.
Styrofoam can be dissolved, but that isn't always what happens. Acetone, for instance, only dissolves the 'glue' holding together the long strings of molecules, which leaves you with like a snot floating on top. Others can also break down those strings of molecules, which seems to be happening here. That makes it a poor napalm but a great lacquer :P You want it to be snotty for napalm, not paintable, like here.
Either way, you can use acetone, and then toss the snot, and the left over acetone, when it dries, will leave a hard film.
What do you think they did to make the 'acid' in Alien eat through everything it touched? Use real acid? :P
Just how water proof is this stuff? Like for a boats sake?
Interesting trick!
Such a satisfying video...
nice job on video production john !!
+TRUMP2016 Local187 WallBuilders Union
Thank you :)