Introduction: DIY Material Guide: Polymorph Plastic ( a Thermal Plastic With Low Melting Point)

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This is not so much an instructable, but a guide on what you can do with this incredibly useful plastic for DIY projects.

The low working temperature of 60 degrees Celsius makes it as easy to work as Playdoh, when cooled to room temperature, it has similar properties as nylon, useful for tidy little bit of odd jobs you need for your projects (so long as it is not temperature sensitive). Not to mention this plastic is biodegradable!

See more information at:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polycaprolactone

For purchase in UK, Mindset (Previously known as Middlesex University Teaching Resource) is an excellent source, and for other DIY stuff as well.

http://mindsetsonline.co.uk/Catalogue/ProductDetail/polymorph?productID=d2096150-e298-4dd2-adfa-2d599245f038&catalogueLevelItemID=00000000-0000-0000-0000-000000000000

Product Information:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GW4aSJjXoAI

For purchase in the US and A, the trade name for the product is 'Friendly Plastic' as genial as a happy meal ;)

Below are some of the ideas I had for using this plastic.

1) Rubberband Gun
2) Coat hook for the cube farm partitions
3) Single AAA battery holder
4) Some reusable chunks of polymorph plastic

Step 1: Another Idea: Camera Mount for a Mountain Bike

Here's another project, you can do with the plastic, a screw on camera mount that fits onto your mountain bike handle bar.

The common screw thread for compact film/digital camera is:
1/4" diameter coarse thread - 20 UNC, or in metric 6.35mm, if in doubt bring your camera to the hardware store!

A trick when using this plastic is not to let two pieces stick together before it is cooled to room temperature, applying a thin coat of vaseline prevents sticking, it is useful when making a negative mould or imprint of an object.

It is also easier to work the plastic with a heat gun, where you can apply gradual and selective heating to specific area, a hair dryer isn't hot enough, not a solution.

Step 2: A Toy Maybe?

Here's a Lego size figurine made with the fantastic stuff, the idea was to embed a flashing led powered by a button cell battery for a fickering heartbeat, cute? Never quite got on with that.

Step 3: Another Idea: Actuator Mount for a Kite Camera

This thing was flown with a power kite to take aerial landscape photos, the mounting is made with the plastic to fit a compact Canon Powershot snugly, even the actuator cam driven by a servo is made from the plastic!

And for convenience, how about a battery spacer made from two screws?