FishCandy Posted March 30, 2018 Report Share Posted March 30, 2018 (edited) Hi everyone, I worked out a way to recycle hdpe plastic and turn new lures out of it. The worst part of the process, by far, is chopping/cutting the stuff up. I need a way to grind up milk, soda, detergent bottles, etc-so I can melt the stuff. A short list of what doesn't work: blender, paper shredder, modified double cut saw, and probably anything that runs at a fast rpm. I have found some DIY stuff online, usually too expensive or just impractical. The main problem is hdpe is dense, flexible, and slippery. I've been trying to work out a cheap and easy method, but no joy. Maybe someone out there can come up with an out of the box, (or bottle), idea... Edited March 30, 2018 by FishCandy spelling Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OIR Posted March 31, 2018 Report Share Posted March 31, 2018 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FishCandy Posted March 31, 2018 Author Report Share Posted March 31, 2018 Just what I is looking for! I was wit it right up until the electronics. Not so great with that stuff. I could probably put together a mechanical version, though. Thanks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fishermanbt Posted April 5, 2018 Report Share Posted April 5, 2018 Maybe a cheap manual meat grinder like from harbor freight or eBay? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FishCandy Posted April 5, 2018 Author Report Share Posted April 5, 2018 I thought of using one. As far as I can tell, meat grinders work by using a screw to force meat through a die. The machine is built to grind material that is wet and soft. I think I can build a purely mechanical version of the shredder OIR posted. I can use that method of building the meshing shredder teeth, and power it with two drills. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OIR Posted April 7, 2018 Report Share Posted April 7, 2018 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5U5fa4HdzYM Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chuck Young Posted April 8, 2018 Report Share Posted April 8, 2018 Something with a pencil sharpener blade? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FishCandy Posted April 8, 2018 Author Report Share Posted April 8, 2018 OIR, I've seen that video. Thought about it a bit and decided the pieces coming out were too haphazard and too big. The smaller the bits, the easier it is to work with the plastic. Chuck, I'm trying to picture what you're thinking. How would that work? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chuck Young Posted April 11, 2018 Report Share Posted April 11, 2018 I am thinking of the kind that has the crank and the rotating wheel inside with many blades carved out of the rotating drum. They use to put two drums on the crank. Now they only use one. I was thinking you could motorize (not too fast) just the drum and use a slot feed for strips of material. I have never tried it. But I think the size of the shavings would be a good size for melting. It is at the most the start of an idea. But sharpeners are a pretty cheap starting place. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FishCandy Posted April 11, 2018 Author Report Share Posted April 11, 2018 I remember that kind of sharpener. They used to be much better at eating pencils than sharpening them! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chuck Young Posted April 11, 2018 Report Share Posted April 11, 2018 It takes patience and a gentle touch. If you try to "get the lead out" while using any type of pencil sharpener, you probably will succeed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
