How To Recycle HDPE Plastic (High Density Polyethylene) - a simple method

[@williamtheobald6010]

Hands up if you're here in 2023, learning new skills from Atomic Shrimp a decade ago!

[@robertbryant4485]

here in 2024

[@stevewilliams2895]

nearly 10 years later and this is the material being used in british army helmets. very versatile and strong material. its also considerably lighter than its equivalent rating of steel/ceramic body armour plates, typically steel NIJ III plates are around 11 lbs, ceramics are around 6lbs whereas HDPE is usually 3lbs. insanely light and very strong.

[@dr.amyanna9235]

You are such a great teacher and you keep the audience attention. I told my nieces and nephews get on my laptop and check for something to do this weekend. Guess what they asked to make? This! You have many tween fans now! Thanks 🙏

[@AtomicShrimp]

Thanks! if you're melting plastic for fun (and it is fun), please stay safe - HDPE melts at a temperature hotter than boiling water, and when it is melted, sticks to many things including clothes and skin. It is advisable to keep a bowl of ice water on standby that you can plunge your hand into in case of an accident, wear protective clothing and shoes, and make sure your path is clear to step away if anything goes wrong. Also, don't heat it too hot - there are almost no fumes within the melt range (135 to 180 centigrade = 250 to 350 Fahrenheit), but if you heat it very hot (above 300C = 570F), it will produce smoke and fumes, which you don't want to be breathing. That sounds like a load of dire warning, but as long as you exercise good sense and safety, there is much fun to be had here. Hope it all works out

[@jadetryingtochill1259]

I’ve been watching you for what feels like ages at least three years I think and I can’t believe I’ve never bothered to go all the way back this far down glad this was recommended today

[@omikronweapon]

People in the comments going "what better way is there to cut them up?", "what would be more efficient at heating?" Congratulations, you're on your way to (re-)invent large scale recycling plants XD

[@AtomicShrimp]

Yeah, they are all solved problems at a larger scale than this

[@WestAustralianadventures]

I use the bandsaw to cut up all my HDPE plastic. It's faster and easier to cut. Plus it's way more fun too, as you can collect the offcut and melt it very easily.

[@brianartillery]

Whilst enjoying this video, it struck me that the sheer quality and variety of content, reminded me of a TV show that was a real favourite of mine when I was a child, in the late 1960's and early 1970's. That show was called 'How', and was produced, I believe, by the then Southern TV company, who were based in Southampton, if memory serves. The show taught me things, that, in my adult life, have helped to win pub quizzes. Probably gained more knowledge from 30 minutes of TV, than from an entire day of school. Unlike other TV shows aimed at children, the presenters never talked down to the viewer. Your videos are just like that. I've only recently found your channel, and everything on it is of interest to me. My late father was full of odd knowledge, and enjoyed teaching me things - for example, when I was about seven he showed me how to make tea properly, and a few years later, I came in one evening, feeling hungry, and asked him if he'd make me a bacon sandwich. "No" he said - "But I'll show you how to do it." Over the years, he showed me that blue cheese was nothing to be afraid of, how to prepare Herrings, just how delicious Kippers and shellfish were, and possibly my favourite, that small, sinister looking pubs in the middle of nowhere, generally were the best ones.

[@InTheGarden1960]

Never heard of this before. So many ideas wow. This could be addicting, lol. Kids names, splash guard for kitchens, beads, how about a counter top. the list goes on and on. Thanks for the great content. Now to find a large heating element.

[@ScienceFoundation]

Laundry detergent jugs are a great source of colorful HDPE

[@anglertightlines2756]

How do you get the labels off? Some are impossible to remove.

[@ScienceFoundation]

@@anglertightlines2756 Some are heat fixed on, you just cut around them.

[@inhibited44]

Sat through a boring materials science class in mechanical engineering and never thought of such a thing. cool!

[@DemxnMNK]

I've been binging your channel and its kind of amazing to see you reply to comments on videos that you posted well over 8 or 9 years ago. A very unique KZbinr, I'm really starting to like you.

[@warrenbuitendag5286]

wow, i actually learned something from this video. i now find myself going around my house checking everything plastic for the triangle with a two! thank you.

[@softplasticrecyclingscam6186]

2

[@TheWaldocrazy]

Me 2

[@1949chefjojo]

This idea is lovely for decorative tiles for the kitchen. It might clean well

[@forvdr5231]

Reusable shopping bags sold in the supermarkets are made from recycled HDPE milk jugs.

[@hansdegroot8549]

The best tutorial for melting HDPE I've ever seen on YT. thanks for sharing.

[@heatherselwyn7604]

Thanks for the inspiration and knowledge sharing to get me started. What a brilliant material, becoming a bit of an obsession now. I have made bowls, fixed a fridge door and re-made handles for my torx drive tool now. Brilliant.

[@sailorpluto315]

This is a fantastic idea. Watching this video has made me to decide on using this material to make roofing tiles for the house i am building out of all natural and recycled materials. Thanks!!!!

[@bianca-celesteacquaviva6117]

Kitty and unicorn I wood iWeb out coo I ila sme to pu t out Sed to cavern for th Vera da protect from the sun

[@andrewbarnard2318]

Not uv resistant, will break down in a short period and start to crack

[@timlad5]

An episode of Grand Designs from the UK actually showcased roofing tiles made just like this. Although the tiles were black. It was amazing and we decided to do the same thing. Too much plastic in our lives as it is, may as well recycle it.

[@andrewbarnard2318]

timlad5 I did not see grand designs, but I am sure that if HDPE was used that uv stabiliser was added to the mix. Not sure it could be done at the temp in this example. Black does not mean UV stabilised although industrial produced recycled product will likely be black.

[@fistfulpennies5792]

DONT USE FOR ROOFING KITTY

[@Alina-fx1ck]

this is sooo cool! i’m all about being green and reusing materials, so i love watching artists and creators recycle materials and make something neat out of it. great work, and great demonstration too, everything was said really clearly and super easy to follow! i was a bit concerned at first bc i thought if the colors continued to melt and mix, it would turn into some unpleasant shade of brown, or green, or grey, as rainbow colors usually turn into when mixed. but the yellow scraps give it such a cool pop of color! definitely deserves a thumbs up and a subscribe. 👍🏼💖

[@AtomicShrimp]

I does all tend to turn into dark greenish blue if over-worked, just because those are the stronger and commoner pigments. Of course it is possible (and perhaps wise) to sort the colours and keep them separate when recycling them.

[@aparecidosilva372]

👏👏👏👏🇧🇷

[@DrDnepr]

I LOVE THIS ...a thousand possibilities ...think fishing gear, lures ect ... omg all kind of plastic fittings ....

[@michelewarnecke4535]

Thank you for the fishing gear ideas. My boys will dig it!!

[@srl413]

I'm going to use it to make knife handles and sheaths this ts awsome

[@haleywhitehall7942]

I've watched several, but this is the most helpful tutorial on melting recycled plastic. Thank you for sharing your process.

[@insolentstickleback3266]

I have several years of HDPE all kinds of colors saved up. Thanks for reminding me to make some cool stuff with it! Thanks for sharing!

[@flydisabilityfree3647]

I use a household blender...makes tiny flakes faster and melts faster.

[@garychandler4296]

I was trying to think of a way to make this work faster and you nailed it!

[@ryanmickelwait1521]

A crosscut paper shredder works great

[@PandemoniumMeltDown]

@@ryanmickelwait1521 There it is, don't you love it when people already posted your own thoughts... o.O How dare you be in my head like that, a week before I even thought about it at all! Where's my yellow tin foil hat?!?

[@ryanmickelwait1521]

@@PandemoniumMeltDown shhhh. Don't let the secret get out

[@FatNebraskaMom]

Ah ha. Here goes me to the goodwill.

[@rwalter23]

Fantastic! Love your enterprise, creativity, enthusiasm and skill! You have inspired me to give this a go with my students at my school as part of a STEM project...... awesome job "AtomicShrimp," huge kudos!

[@believeit3203]

That would make a very cool cutting board for hobby cutting and for those that seem so concerned about energy usage (though this was a hobbyist type video( I am sure there are more ecological ways to melt this if you so choose. Neat video!

[@Joshua79C]

Uses less energy than a commercial operation.

[@OnlyNotes]

This is far better than my current method of throwing a pile of inch square chunks into a toaster oven and having it burn and stick to the tin. Thanks, I'll be using this method from here on out

[@georgebrown1505]

I think a very hot clothing iron over aluminium foil can be used to fuse the Polyethylene pieces together use the food grill for intended purpose, this was my thought while watching the video.

[@hansdegroot8549]

Only yesterday I watched your video the first time. And today I watched it again and again and ag....... After that I read all the comments. Some were very constructive, to the point. And you answered to all the questions. Now and the next days I´ll watch your other videos on hdpe and I´ll visit your web-site. One day I´ll try this (I already looked around if we have some hdpe bottles or so and the answer is yes. Making the hdpe bottles will take some time. And I need to find a way to "melt" the hdpe. I do not have a toaster (yet) Maybe I´ll try another method. As long as I do not burn (overheat) the material I can try over and over till I´m satisfied. Thanks for sharing the video.

[@YoureNowOnTV]

It's nearly 10 years later but this is still a useful video. I like the nuts to give the plates the right height! Cheers 😀👍

[@emersonsrandomvideos248]

This is very educational. That finish product can be made into various items from flower vase to clothes hanger to knife handle to a non leathal weapon such as plastic dagger. Endless possibilities!

[@swizzleproxi4810]

Gr8 idea, hopefully a plantpot making company will see the potential in this and we could buy their recycled muticoloured plantpots and gardening tools..I for one would enjoy the bright muticoloured design's and it's the sign we are helping the environment too.👍😀

[@OhMegamanky]

maybe someone here could start their own etsy page with that idea

[@user-tr2dh4xx6u]

Bad idea. . . Hdpe degrades in the sun and will pollute your garden

[@OhMegamanky]

@@user-tr2dh4xx6u would be better to be able to mold it into other house hold uses

[@user-tr2dh4xx6u]

@@OhMegamanky would still eventually end up in a landfill, the energy required on small scale operations outweigh the benefit from recycling such little material. Theres a reason why we dont try to recycle it

[@OhMegamanky]

@@user-tr2dh4xx6u I agree that it still ends up in a landfill. Have you looked at recycle bot too though? What do you think of it?

[@leedevinelh]

Wow this is the oldest Atomic Shrimp video I've ever seen! 2012, awesome Mike! Didn't know the channel was over 10 years old!

[@jaymelang5047]

I am so happy I stumbled across your video. Have you discovered, or thought of, any way to melt the plastic on a larger scale? Such as boards for shelving or fencing, poles, etc? Please keep sharing your ingenious ideas and methods!!!

[@lizsummer5724]

Oh! the bowl is really pretty! On a recent trip to the beach i was struck by how many plastic water bottle tops were mixed into the sea weed and drift wood. I am looking for projects to make useful and decorative items out of water bottle tops. Your video and blog are really helpful! Especially love the bike pedals to rotate the meat grinder to shred the plastic idea! Thanks!

[@pernanjp]

I think this is a great idea for a material to use to repair and replace broken/missing parts, and great for crafts such as making beads. Maybe even embed some kind of mesh and make small decorative wall tiles for the kitchen and bath. :)

[@doveoo5]

Why not make the whole bathroom floor?

[@laurenpiantino8312]

Sounds like a good plan, Johnny Crochet; roof tiles for a clay house, or bricks for same. :)

[@hansdegroot8549]

@@doveoo5 too slippery. Wall tiles is better.

[@elsagrace3893]

I like your energy and focus on what you are doing. Seems you have a good amount of dopamine. You are reminding me to manufacture my own dopamine and GET MOVING! 🙏🏼

[@ncredbird3998]

Love anyway to recycle what hurts the enviroment for useful things. Amazing ideas and I'm now going to see what ideas I can come up with to use this idea in my home

[@Jawst]

Brilliant idea! Definitely will be trying this! I save all my old milk cartons for vacuum forming! Works great heated to 180-190. Can easily make interesting ice cube trays and chocolate Xmas tree decorations!

[@sabrina.h2737]

My dad turns pens on a lathe and recently the recycling is not being collected so, this is great I can recycle the plastic myself and make dad blanks to turn pens. 👍

[@tomhas5]

i am going to try and make a kayak for fishing with what you have demonstrated here. Feeling a bit optimistic but i think it's worth a try and costs essentially nothing beats paying $600 for a kayak. winning :)

[@rickcoona]

it's primitive, *But It WORKS!* Thank You for showing folks who can See The Way Forward. --Rick

[@GregorKropotkin-qu2hp]

Thanks AtomicShrimp-you have inspired me! I can think of dozens of uses for this stuff-I just need to collect dozens of Milk containers!.

[@ellyess7203]

Oh great! I get through tons of milk and am always looking for ways to reuse the bottles! Thanks.

[@TatyanaValdaBelindaHill]

You're a genius! The nerd that I am, it's been in the back of my head for ages to find a better way of processing all the HDPE I've been saving. (Not that I have anything to make yet.) 😜 Thanks.

[@LittleWeeWees]

There are organizations that re-use the bottle caps and turn them into prosthetic limbs.

[@seanlabath560]

Yes, that's true. I have a prosthetic dick that's made from this stuff! My girl friend LOVES all the colors!!!

[@RealisticAlternatives]

FWIW - I have an ex-office paper shredder I bought off ebay that cuts into milk bottles into strips. I just tested it - no jams or issues. I cut the tops and bottoms from about 20 bottles, sliced them to make large sheets, and fed the sheets in. It is a pretty heavy duty unit though, and, sadly, doesn't cross-cut.

[@Bikandee]

Nice job mate. Screw the recycling, I'll be keeping my plastic from now on.

[@Agamimg360]

Ive tried this tech. and it is great I could only find a small cooker wich messures 11" x 5" but have gotten some great results so far and after reading your other page and trying some of my own ways of working this stuff Im hooked Iv used an old Clothes Iron and a couple metal pans got a nice disk Have made several thicknesses My best one so far is a board 5/8" thick by 5" wide by 11" long and it is real strong I read about your boat Idea and wantted to offer this

[@Pooua]

I used to operate a plastic blow mold machine. We recycled our plastic scrap by sending it through an industrial shredder, which is like a very big paper shredder.

[@DominicUbble]

You can use an old blender to chop it up too. Saw that on another channel.

[@nickrobinson2023]

This is very instructive and makes me wonder why governments don't do this rather than incinerating it together with other garbage. Industrially, I'm sure it could be reused to make waterproof building materials to cover roofs for example... Or use it to make decorative furniture :)Thanks for sharing.

[@peterfitzwell9658]

Actually it would not be useful for making a building or covering a roof. UV rays break down HDPE very quickly becoming weak and brittle. It's very useful for a lot of things as long as those things are not exposed to constant sunlight.

[@2303scorpio]

I agree with u Nick. What did u get ur inspiration to do this.

[@2303scorpio]

Sorry that message made no sense i meant to say what does ur youtube name mean?

[@bluefernlove]

@@peterfitzwell9658 adding graphene to the recycled plastic would solve that. You'd have a super strong material, weatherproof also.

[@maxscott3349]

Traditionally, the idea was that you burn it and let the trees and shit do the work

[@hilarysoloff8936]

Continuing to be impressed and totally entertained by the variety of content on this channel. It's probably just me but at 12:48 I could see an animal face in the design (lion/tiger??) - very reminiscent of a style of jigsaw puzzle designs I have seen 😃

[@kaizersoze]

looks like good flooring material, hard plastic tiles maybe?

[@AtomicShrimp]

Could be - it would need texturing to make it less slippery - HDPE has a very low modulus of friction - in terms of common plastics, only Nylon is more slippery.

[@PHlophe]

AtomicShrimp its no bueno. if its slightly "dented" its going to hurt .

[@doveoo5]

AtomicShrimp So, I put the sheilding in a shallow pan, add the HDPE, more sheilding, and a HEAVY metal weight that has been shaped to fit the pan and tooled with grooves... might work?

[@AtomicShrimp]

Sounds like it might. Ramp the heat up nice and slowly, I suggest.

[@doveoo5]

AtomicShrimp Thanks for the quick reply! I've watched a few more vids and saw one in which the hot plastic was placed into a wooden mold and clamped for pressing. That looked promising. The bigger problem, I think(now) will be to find a caulk that will adhere.

[@chrissyliberty8117]

Just when I think I can't be more fascinated with the doings on this channel...🤗

[@g41thomas]

As much as I like recycling, the chopping and cutting is a full time job

[@heatherpage1445]

Do it while bing watching a netflix series.... ?

[@lanajantz2240]

2much for my hands! I like someone suggest, blender to cut up. Still time consuming using a lot electricity to make !?!

[@hansdegroot8549]

@@lanajantz2240 Watch DaveHakkens KZbin Channel (Precious Plastics)

[@cbrooke879]

I wondered where your funky knife handle was from. I assumed it was handmade, and I've found the video of how the handle was made!!!

[@florry7966]

This is absolutely incredible!! Cant wait to tell my friends about this :)

[@CrustyBiker]

I like this method of melting, most other people use a mini oven, but the good thing about this is that it applies pressure at the same time, It would be good if you could rig up some metal hooks onto metal chain (because of the heat) down to some bungee cords or springs secured at the floor, this way you could put the hooks on and it would keep applying force and save time. next project should be a HDPE shredder :-) ....or you could use the life hack that uses a craft knife blade and washers and 2 screws to make a long plastic cord in a matter of seconds...

[@AtomicShrimp]

The pressure does help to make a really solid end product with fewer voids and bubbles than other methods - also, the toaster is just the right temperature to melt the plastic without burning it

[@matcas4755]

awe coool. Im gonna make a milk bottle complete with lid.

[@Abaddon3x7]

Or a margarine tub.

[@macswanton9622]

douche

[@amandawilliams2266]

@@macswanton9622 🤣🤣😜

[@searcherholic3473]

Haha . Twxt

[@thedafty]

very good vid been looking into melting(smelting) plastics for a bit now and this is the best method i think I've came across yet. We go through a lot of milk in my house so i'll be trying this soon. I don't have a toaster like that but I'm going to try baking it in the oven between to baking trays and that heatproof paper you used and just compress it myself every now and then. hope it works for me thanks for the video

[@wigg1yscott554]

I’m loving this channel atm. I started with scam baiting & now I’m adding this to my “shit to do later” playlist. My sandwich toaster looks similar to yours, is there any way to test its temperature though?

[@buzzyfuzzsaw]

Yes, test your sandwich toaster with a thermometer.

[@godislove8050]

Try a cook's oven thermometer

[@RoxieRedwood]

You can use a no-contact temp gun. I have one similar to this: Infrared Ther mometer Digital Laser Surface Temperature Gun www.amazon.com/dp/B00QYX6F5G/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_D4abEbE9Q2G7E

[@jomama5186]

Very cool! They make counter tops like this too. You could make tiles too. Great video!

[@domciancibelli]

Love the table cloth!

[@MsVanorak]

my local organic shop has recycled floor/wall tiles that i guess are a small business somewhere. somehow they manage to get film wrappers for sweets/biscuits/crisps etc inside the mix, shrunken but still readable. they seem to have a softer texture than your end product and the floor tiles are three quarter inch thick but they feel so warm compared to ceramic. a nice, quirky alternative for an unheated downstairs utility or boot room.

[@chdreturns]

Hmm HDPE is used in combat robotics, interesting I wonder if I could use this method to make armor and a chassis for a 3lber?

[@AtomicShrimp]

It's very resilient to blunt or sharp impact; not so good with abrasion (so one of those robots with a circular saw weapon could cut through it - maybe a thin layer of steel or titanium to resist cutting, laminated with a thicker inner layer of HDPE to resist impact)

[@crayonsneverlie]

It was a lloonngg slow process, but the overall finale was awesome... who knew? I can see lots of uses for this DIY ! Thanks

[@teej3126]

dad why is there melted plastic in my grilled cheese?

[@Eragarev]

That's kraft cheese, son.

[@lisajarvis3820]

😆

[@pmendes99]

son, what did i tell you about using the toaster for food?

[@cortinasdemaria8478]

@@pmendes99 😂

[@emersonwallace7226]

T.J Brown lol, this grilled cheese doesn’t taste right, dad.

[@sarahh9132]

Most helpful HDPE recycling video I've watched, thank you

[@RoyAndrews82]

Awesome. Thank you for teaching us how to do this. I'm trying to make handles for lock picks that I'm going to be making out of 1095 High Carbon Steel Feeler Gauges. (+1 : 660)

[@AtomicShrimp]

4:50 in the video. And they're trigger grip clamps (or at least that's what I call them)

[@jerrypeterson2996]

Very cool you did a very good job of instruction. I think I want to attempt to make a pair of bolsters for my automatic knife. Thank you for the information.

[@ronyerke9250]

Sheet metal snips work pretty well on thicker pieces too. Perhaps some corners on your cardboard tube would be of value. You could achieve a rectangle to help pre-form your sheet. A blender might speed up your chopping the raw material.

[@1949chefjojo]

Suggestion: Cut up pieces may be easy with 1. Shredder 2. Blade Paper Cutter.

[@Parrtorias]

Hi Shrimp, I'm from the future, you're going to refer to this video in a future video soon. Just a heads up, love your channel :)

[@JoshHopkinsYT]

Great idea using the sandwich toaster! I might have to try to find a way to modify our george foreman grill lol

[@bauermobiletoolsystmfabrct8686]

Great video!! To keep the round shape in the form:maybe melt top a little with heat gun before removing the cardboard form. You might have to do that (melting top)in smaller thickness increments till its as thick as you want then remove the cardboard form & sandwich press cook it

[@DMB56]

Send it through a paper shredder to save your hands n fingers

[@Redhunteur2]

I watched a video an hour ago where a guy used his kitchen blender and it works fantastically. It was damn near a powder.

[@colenattermann9464]

I've just started using a blender it's not super quick but my hands are thankful for it.

[@daveburrows9876]

This is brilliant. I'm building a machine that's mostly complete but for a number of pieces that are in the 15mm x 15mm x 30mm range. Wood, even maple, splits too easily. I've been racking my brain about what material to use. Plastic like this HDPE would do perfectly. There are only 2 empty milk jugs around the house at the moment, so sent favorite No.1 son to look at some 5 gallon dry wall compound buckets I have from my job in construction. Sure enough, they have both HDPE and the ♴ recyclable 2 symbol marked on the white buckets, and black lids. Drywall mudders go through this stuff like crazy, so the buckets aren't hard to find. McDonalds used to use the same style buckets (green) to transport their sandwich dill slices, and they may still. I don't have a toaster like this, and I need for my sheet to be at lease 15 mm thick, so my next goal is to find something I can use to melt it. I have a table saw which I think will work nicely to cut the bucket into little bits, even collecting the saw dust as I cut it. Shrinkage isn't a problem, but I wonder about melting it outdoors in a square cake pan inside a gas grill set to low? If I could do that evenly, and without scorching, would I need a mold release of some kind, or would it's shrinkage rate cause it to pull away from the pan naturally? If you think a mold release is a good idea, have you tried anything that works well? Thanks for your hard work, and for sharing it; these of your videos that I've watched so far speak well of you.

[@AtomicShrimp]

You shouldn't need any release agent - the stuff hardly sticks to anything- certainly not bare, smooth metal. The trick is going to be controlling the temperature so that it doesn't burn.

[@daveburrows9876]

AtomicShrimp Success! Using a square baking pan as both mold, and smelting pot, and a propane grill as heat source, it wasn't much of a challenge to keep the temp low enough to avoid burning & scorching, yet still hot enough to melt the HDPE. The cooled sheet didn't want to let go of the pan, but I persisted, and it finally did. The bottom surface of the sheet is smooth, and slightly shiny, but the top surface is fairly uneven, and lumpy. I cut off all 4 edges; there are small air bubbles. Not sure if more stirring would have helped, but may have been stirring too vigorously. Thanks again.

[@AtomicShrimp]

Pressing helps - that's why the sandwich toaster works so well - it not only provides even heating, but clamping it shut helps to press out any air bubbles, resulting in a more uniform product. You might be able to reproduce this just by clamping a flat block on top of the material in the pan after removing it from the heat.

[@daveburrows9876]

Yes, that also occurred to me. I was considering a piece of plywood cut to fit the pan, and clamping that down. I'm also thinking about casting a block that's 5 or 6 cm thick; my suspicion is that even if a sandwich maker opened far enough, it might have a little difficulty melting that sort of volume. The material is a pleasure to carve, file, and sand, though, and I'm wondering what other applications might let me experiment.

[@toditron]

I think this omelette would be tastier with a bit of cheese in it.

[@ANoni-in3md]

toditron Very good! However...what kind of cheese ? Stilton? Derbyshire ? Wensleydale ? Dutch Gouda ? Red Dorchester ? Cheddar perhaps ? (Monte Python cheese shop skit reference. Sorry-yes, I'm a silly dork. Lol )

[@omikronweapon]

Hey A Noni! Why dont you write a poem and not attribute it to yourself! (Sorry, Homestar Runner reference)

[@tiffanybriley6256]

It's a real BAD shame milk jugs and tons of plastic just gets wasted left in land fills when it could easily be melted & repurposed in to other useful items, just think of how much better the world would of been if we did that! I really like your video! I've been collecting and mincing a few empty jugs to make a mallet head seeing how hard your plastic came out has me excited to get on it! 😁

[@leonrespect990]

You deserve more subscribes

[@Jan-23]

That was great. Thank you. I am looking to make soap dividers for soap slab mold which is about half a meter long, how could I get a piece that long

[@AtomicShrimp]

Tricky - I haven't managed to successfully make anything bigger than the toaster plate, so the only advice I can offer is: find some way to make it modular

[@danfrain1]

Atomic Shrimp - Nice video, sir. I wonder about the lengths of time for each melt. “A few more minutes” is not very specific, and each person’s definition will be different. To Cat 9 soaper’s question, I believe I’ve seen a similar process using an oven and cookie sheets. That would allow for larger pieces of the final product, which could then be worked with tools, as you suggested, to make still larger pieces. There are special adhesives for working with specific types of plastics, but some more generic adhesives may work almost as well. Thanks for making the video, and good luck to all with the projects you have in mind. Stay safe! Dan

[@return2earthvideochannel]

Had to admire this guy... he just happened to have handy a large piece of iron girder to flatten the plastic - where would you get that from? Not sure I would have the patience to spend so much time just to end up with a piece of flat plastic. Maybe the prison population could make good use of their recreational hobbies inside, but could they be trusted with this equipment?

[@omikronweapon]

The scissors and grill themselves I trust them with. Giving them a ready-made setup to make non-metal-detected weapons, not so much. Though, not every prison is filled with people trying to kill eachother. People sentenced for a year or so will probably be fine. (Ironically, the harsher the sentence, the more likely they'll stop caring about getting out and instead focus on other activities...)

[@michelegraham9044]

Low security prisons for non violent offenders - perfect.

[@kairosfilia]

Thank you for your accurate explanation. At last someone who cares about precise melting temperture! 190º C degrees, isn't it? Subtitles says 180 C but i've heard 190 C

[@NoneBuriedDeeper]

I wonder how that would work as roof singles?

[@AtomicShrimp]

You would probably have to add something to make it resist degradation under exposure to UV light - or it would eventually fade and start to flake.

[@marianneodell7637]

Can you control the design at all to create recognizable objects? Or use molds for Christmas ornaments or jewelry?

[@renaposton4407]

Wow how gorgeous for bath tiles!

[@dimjim2365]

Thoroughly enjoyed your video. Think I will be trying this. We use a lot of water bottles, milk jugs and coffee containers and I have seen videos on dying plastic. Thanks for the brain food.

[@lionelrobson9008]

FANTASTIC , WHAT A BIG IDEA GRETINGS GOD BLESS YOU !!!!!!!!!

[@macforme]

Fabulous and inspiring video. I don't understand why I could smell melting plastic in my house around the middle of this video, though.

[@8Veevie6]

Brilliant creation

[@josephrdupont]

I think the key is to make larger pieces. You can use plain newspaper. I imagine you could put the chips between newspaper and then some corrugated the heating on both sides and get a coordinated sheet when you get done

[@AtomicShrimp]

The newspaper would probably stick permanently to the plastic - although this might not be a problem if the surface is to be machined.

[@OhMegamanky]

It's hard to live plastic free. I'm trying but I like the idea of atleast taking all the plastic that comes into my possession and transforming it to something else.

[@OhMegamanky]

Im working towards having a bucket with my plastic pieces and then making art from the plastic i use... it doesnt feel like enough tho. (Inspired by this video)

[@wigg1yscott554]

Love your collection of 80's table cloths.

[@universalsailor]

The nastiest pizza I've eaten in quite a while.

[@somefool6409]

Something tells me this is how they're made in fast food restraunts

[@dylan522p]

"plastic milk bottle" In multiple other videos you said you get glass milk bottles delivered... We are onto you Mr. Mike!

[@AtomicShrimp]

I collected them from the staff restaurant at work

[@phiksit]

This should be required work for plastics industry lobbyists. For every hour of lobbying they do, 100 hours of hand cutting plastic into tiny pieces... for minimum wage.

[@Matikz007]

phiksit sounds fun :D

[@edenbr1dge]

Do you reckon an iron could work like the toaster? Only I don’t have a sandwich toaster.

[@AtomicShrimp]

You can melt small amounts of plastic with an iron, but don't try anything big - the iron lacks the thermal mass to do it. You can fuse plastic bags with an iron to make a sort of durable plastic fabric. Google 'fusing plastic bags'

[@bobjerome5390]

hi i save the colors up breaking it down will save a ton of space got to be wash very well

[@TheRealJamesKirk]

If you could make it in thin sheets you could make your own window blinds. Learn how to make molds and make your own plates & flatware. Use shreds as pillow stuffing. Make "Dutch" style shoes. Garden rakes. Edging. Decking planks. Garden pavers. Bird houses, feeders, baths.

[@Tinfoilhelmets]

Use an old coffee grinder or a blender to chop the plastic. Better yet, a wood chipper... lol

[@rayhorner2965]

How about paper shredder? That can use plastic cards to be shredders.

[@adhdartist1994]

I still want to find a way to not needing to cut or sand the final piece because all that plastic dust will get all over and pollute. Can't I use an oven?

[@AtomicShrimp]

I found that melting the plastic in an oven tends to scorch it and make it fume - and if you turn the temperature down to compensate, it just doesn't melt. I think ideally, it's best either to injection mould it, or to work it with sharp edged tools and collect the shavings for recycling