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Step 8Notes and Tips
With the gluing, make sure not to make it too thick. Because the glue dries from the outside in, the dried coat outside slows down the drying process for the glue inside. This is one reason I keep a greater plastic to acetone ratio for the glue.
Another reason for the ratio is because acetone is not plastic, thus, making the glue liquidy means the bulk of the glue is acetone, and not plastic (which we'd want). Another thing about adding too much acetone is the the glue bubbles. If you're laying the glue on thick, the acetone might bubble out and expand the glue as well as making the plastic that reconstitute porous.
You can lay thick glops of plastic goop, but it's not recommended. If you have too much acetone, the extra acetone bleeds through to the hard plastic you're applying the goop to. If you want thicker reconstituted plastic, try applying multiple layers.
As for the 3D model's resolution, the reason why I suggested low resolution is because this method might require a bit of sculpting. Bending thick plastic is prone to inaccurate bends; and it's almost impossible to bend thousands of tiny polygons of plastic. However, sanding is always an option. Thus, making the plastic model low res is not bad. From a sculpting standpoint, more than half the task is over. Just reinforce the insides of the plastic with layers of plastic glue and sand down the outside. Make points which needs to be curved curvier, sand down the edges if it's a fillet, etc.
Which leads to my last tip. When using Pepakura, you can decide where the model can be broken up. Keep fillets as one flap, this way, the fillet can be bent easily with the heat strip.
Another reason for the ratio is because acetone is not plastic, thus, making the glue liquidy means the bulk of the glue is acetone, and not plastic (which we'd want). Another thing about adding too much acetone is the the glue bubbles. If you're laying the glue on thick, the acetone might bubble out and expand the glue as well as making the plastic that reconstitute porous.
You can lay thick glops of plastic goop, but it's not recommended. If you have too much acetone, the extra acetone bleeds through to the hard plastic you're applying the goop to. If you want thicker reconstituted plastic, try applying multiple layers.
As for the 3D model's resolution, the reason why I suggested low resolution is because this method might require a bit of sculpting. Bending thick plastic is prone to inaccurate bends; and it's almost impossible to bend thousands of tiny polygons of plastic. However, sanding is always an option. Thus, making the plastic model low res is not bad. From a sculpting standpoint, more than half the task is over. Just reinforce the insides of the plastic with layers of plastic glue and sand down the outside. Make points which needs to be curved curvier, sand down the edges if it's a fillet, etc.
Which leads to my last tip. When using Pepakura, you can decide where the model can be broken up. Keep fillets as one flap, this way, the fillet can be bent easily with the heat strip.
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