How to Make a Heat Sealer

Step 8 Now for some tips and tricks

The best bags for heatsealing are polyethylene or polypropylene bags. The more they stretch when pulled, the better. The bags can make a big difference in how strong a seal you get. The bags I use are polyethylene, 2 mil thick, 9x12" bags made by Uline. They work alot better than a seemingly similar polyethylene bag I was using before!

Here is a pic of 4 different ways to use your heat sealer.

But how good can these seals hold? See on.

Comments

[MixMasterM]

Wow - very nice results with that! I like the hand-held design like that vs. the stationary bar type designs of the pre-made ones.

BTW, scoring Plexi with a Dremel is probably not the optimal method (at least for me, as I have lots of trouble keep the Dremel from jumping around and actually getting a straight line!) Most plastic workers just use a very sharp carpet knife and a steel straight-edge. A couple swipes with the knife using the straight-edge and you have a deep enough score to snap the Plexi.

Anyway, great instructable with good pics and write-up. I also love the powdered sugar example ;⁾

[klee27x]

I never tried a proper carpet knife. I typically use an exacto knife on 1/8" plexi. I have also done it successfully on a large pane of 1/4" plexi, my first time. But I had to put it over the edge of the sidewalk and then practically jump up and down on it a few times to get it to snap. Trying to break off a strip of 1/4" plexi this thin with just a score line might require a bench vice, would it not?

[MixMasterM]

Yeah, it takes a pretty sharp rap to break scored sheets. I've seen the Plexi placed over a triangular bar (wood or angle iron) to assist. Personally, I've never gone much more than 1/4" on anything "larger" and up to 3/8" on small (9 inches per score/snap), so it wasn't too bad. But yeah, it took some effort. I suppose more experience and/or tips/tools would be useful if I did it more often.