by Izanaki » Fri Jan 21, 2005 5:26 pm
Get a wide piece of PVC(1.5" or so). Duct tape the bottom over repeatedly. This will be your "PVC oven." Boil a big old pot of water on the stove. Have a large measuring glass and tea kettle with spout ready too. Put your 1/2"-3/4" PVC piece into your larger piece, your PVC oven. Pour in boiling water till full, cover with a baking mitt or some insulator. Dump the old water and replace with new boiling hot water every 15 minutes or so. I've been able to get very easily manipulated PVC after 45min-60min with 3/4"pvc, probably less time with 1/2. You have less than a minute to bend your PVC once you remove it from the heat, however it can be easily manipulated by hand, bent over a knee, or put into a peg setup.
Another method is to fill a bathtub with very hot water and soak the PVC in that, however its very tough to maintain enough heat to make the PVC pliable.
For more gradual curves that can be flexed into the PVC unheated, you can supposedly pour boiling water in, put it in a peg setup, and then just leave it there overnight.
Bending PVC with a Peg System
There are a few ways to do this. The easiest is probably to use tent spikes or anything you can hammer into your own backyard. That way, there?s no assembly required. Otherwise, if you want an exact repeatable mold, you can get a sheet of plywood, drill some holes in it, and stick pegs or wooden dowels through it to make your desired curve.
*People of Missouri* "I'm sorry John Ashcroft, but the dead man scares me less than you do"