I want to melt old plastic objects like boxes bottles cans etc. and make plastic plates (thin like 1/6quot;) of them. how can I do this at home and how to prevent plastic from burning while melting? also what to do if I want to add color to it?
Unless you know what your doing, what types of plastic to use (and there melting points), How to mold them know how dangerous it could be to do this (melting plastic doesn't come off skin very easily) I wouldn't go any further. The money and time you spend won't give you the finished product you seek. Sorry.
You need a mold if you are trying to thin out the recycled plastic items you wish to use - and then you need an oven the mold will fit into. By using different types of plastic in one project, you will get different melting points - and probably undesireable results (lumps/chunks along with melted plastic). the fumes are highly toxic, so, if you want to see your work when it's finished, make sure you work in a well ventilated area! You can melt an old plastic music album over a bowl/pan in the oven at about 325 degrees for a couple minutes - gravity will make it fall over the edges of the glass or metal form/bowl and the edges will become ruffled - you can further form a little more while it is hot (use gloves) as soon as you take it out of the oven. Make sure you do not use an open flame to melt any plastic!!! Once cooled, it will not be toxic and can be used for food.
Plastic molding is done with an injection molder. It heats the plastic pellets to the correct temperature and injects the plastic under pressure. Your method will not work at all.
Cautionary note-melting platics in many cases produce toxic PVC fumes. Not as much fun as sniffing airplane glue, but just as effective at destroying brain cells.You probably shouldnt try this at home.
