So today's exploits not this image this was yesterday actually

It turns out I don't have enough ceramic wool to fill the foundry insulation fully

My big ass cup of milk before bed:

I expected this to happen so I'm gonna have to use some of my funds to order more

I woke up at 6 am and open telegram to look at messages and i fall asleep immediately with phone in my hand , and i had a dream that my ex sent me an AI video of : Diddy Netanyahu VS Epsteins Kirk

Good morning tho

And thing is she totally could sent me this , so it's totally in realm of possibility

Cool

Am I ruining fun for everyone?

The one major issue with making abs epoxy(?) is that it significantly shrinks when the acetone dries which makes application complicated, on top of that the top layer dries out first leading to internal separation or extremely long cure times

I have noticed that it can form a very thin film over surfaces which will then dry quickly, and when partially dried it exhibits a sticky rubber like behavior that could be useful in some cases. A thin film surface might be useful when trying to seal materials like wood, although ABS is hydroscopic so it absorbs water which worries me that it may create an environment more favorable to mold and bacteria causing the wood to rot quicker which is the opposite of my intention

Later when cleaning out the small jar of the abs mix the partially dried leftover film in the jar quickly separated from the glass when water was added, leaving behind an extremely thin and malleable film like that of a plastic bag, except slightly sticky, no clue of any use for this though

I think that I will do more research on its properties to see if I should continue to look into impregnating hardwood with it to improve its qualities (red oak, specifically)

I'd imagine it will burn very well although it would be very toxic, people in the past have used hydrolysis or thermal cracking to turn waste plastic into low grade gasoline, that might be something to look into as well

Me asking this every 5 minutes at any group hangout

Also wondered what other materials dissolve in acetone (plenty) but I put parafin wax in it and it looks like some dissolved but not alot the uses of which I have no clue but maybe there's a chemical that can reverse the shrinkage of the liquid abs when it dries

I think a bigger priority is figuring out what the hell to do with all the failed PLA prints and PLA supports because contrary to popular belief PLA plastic is in fact, not really biodegradable whatsoever, it can be broken down with enzymes in specific industrial processes but that's about it. I don't want to send it to an landfill either that isn't the point.

After a bit of research i learned that basically only laboratory-accessible solvents can dissolve PLA of which include: DCM, chloroform, and benzene

DCM (dichloromethane) is an industrial solvent that's not readily available and while researching its safety yielded mixed results, it is a known carcinogen that can cause acute nervous system damage and is dangerous to come into contact with and requires PPE that doesn't dissolve in contact with it,
on the other hand, people have stated that DCM "isn't much more dangerous than acetone" and to just make sure your not basking in it, people have been exposed to DCM for over 30 years "with no ill effects" and others also say that "DCM is dangerous stuff".

DCM is in multiple plastic bonding products and adhesives as well.

Chloroform in my opinion is way more of a nono, iirc chloroform will decompose into phosgene gas when left to sit and chloroform also turns into carbon monoxide when inhaled which can lead to asphyxiation if not handled properly. Phosgene is one of the chemicals used in WWI as poison gas, I believe it literally destroys your lungs chemically or is a really bad nerve agent or something. I think chloroform is wayyyy more of an acute risk than DCM.

Benzene is used in gasoline, it's a know carcinogen, and it isn't as good at dissolving PLA but still might be a good candidate.

So if I am going to figure something out I will need to build a fume hood and make my garage or shed or room a safe area to do chemistry in, and while at that I have some future project ideas that also require chemistry equipment so it's might be a long time until I get to actually figure out what I'm going to do with the PLA


A note on making a small chemistry area, it isn't necessary but a separated air resistant area (like separated like a portable cleanroom, plastic bag and positive pressure) I also would like to have some sort of atmosphere control including temperature and humidity which might be possible with equipment I already have but this will allow me to 3D print more reliably as Florida humidity often reaches 90% and even with an building sized AC unit in our house the upstairs can sometimes reach 80 degrees while the AC is set at the 60s, and I've only seen the internal RH drop into the teens once, most of the time it's 40-50 which is mid for PLA but any other plastics is absolutely awful for and can ruin filament over time, I don't want to have to use my shitty filament drier all the time and I'd rather just store it in an area that already has the right humidity. So there are alot of things on the road to experimenting with home recycling PLA that will be interesting to see

Also low humidity is required for carbon fiber impregnated nylon which I have a spool of

admins can yall have me wake up to more catboys tomorrow?