Hand Moldable Plastic: Find Material for Room Temp Shaping

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A user is seeking a material that can be shaped by hand at room temperature without separating. Recommendations include U Mold, a thermoplastic sold by RadioShack, which can be molded after being heated in water and can be remolded multiple times without losing quality if kept clean. Another option mentioned is Sculpey, a thermoset that hardens when baked and cannot be remolded. The discussion emphasizes the versatility of U Mold for repeated use, provided it is not contaminated during the molding process.
leilafg
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Hi,
I am looking for a material that molds/gets shape with hand at room temperature and does not separate! Does such a material exist?
(By the way I am do not have physics background!)

Many thanks for you help :)
Leila
 
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Not sure what is meant by "does not separate", but RadioShack sells this thermoplastic:

U Mold

I have used this before and basically you just pour the beads into a bowl of microwaved water, doesn't have to be boiling. You can them mold it with your hands. When cooled it is a hard plastic. It can be melted and molded again if needed. I think this is the same material used in some 3D printers.

Otherwise there are thermosets like Sculpey that are molded at room temperature before being baked in a normal oven. They cannot be remolded. But I think you already know about those.
 
mishima said:
Not sure what is meant by "does not separate", but RadioShack sells this thermoplastic:

U Mold

I have used this before and basically you just pour the beads into a bowl of microwaved water, doesn't have to be boiling. You can them mold it with your hands. When cooled it is a hard plastic. It can be melted and molded again if needed. I think this is the same material used in some 3D printers.

Otherwise there are thermosets like Sculpey that are molded at room temperature before being baked in a normal oven. They cannot be remolded. But I think you already know about those.


Thanks Mishima, could it be remolded endlessly?
 
If you are careful about not contaminating it with dust/dye/paint/etc, then yes it doesn't lose any quality after multiple hardenings. I have honestly not tried it above around 10 times though. There are probably some techniques for cleaning it that I am unaware of.
 
mishima said:
If you are careful about not contaminating it with dust/dye/paint/etc, then yes it doesn't lose any quality after multiple hardenings. I have honestly not tried it above around 10 times though. There are probably some techniques for cleaning it that I am unaware of.


Thanks Mishima, will try it,
KR, Leila
 
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