One of the other projects enhanced by the Variac is the vacuformer. Â It consists of two parts: a box with a heating element that melts plastic (background) and a perforated box which sucks the softened plastic down over a heat-resistant form (foreground). Â Prior to the Variac, we’d had problems damaging the plastic sheet, because it was heated too rapidly. Â Now, we can adjust the heat very precisely and results are much better.
Note: The reason for the incomplete formations in the black plastic (Sintra) is that both the objects used as forms were heavy, metal and cold; The plastic cooled too rapidly, before a good impression could be achieved.
The vacuforming equipment (both the heater box and vacuum bed) are stored in the “TOOLS” cabinet. Â There are several shop vacs to be had, typically stored below one of the benches in the “less clean” area.
