HDPE Mallet - AKA Milk Jug Hammer

I have been wanting to try this for a while. I started saving milk jugs several months back along with some other random HDPE containers I found. It is surprising how many containers it takes to have a have enough HDPE to make a block like I did. I would estimate this hammer took between 20 to 25 jugs. The initial block turned out very well. It more heavier than I expected and had no void. While the chips were still hot I folded them together several times and I think that worked out any air pockets. I started melting at 275 F but ended up around 330 F. Most of jugs were either white or clear/opaque. The color came different lids. I squared up the block on the table saw and then smoothed it out with the belt sander. The surface finish is smooth and feels like a bar of soap but it much harder. I guess it looks like a giant piece of candy because when I handed it to my 3 year old she immediately tried to taste it.:drool:


*****PHOTOBUCKET HIJACKED MY PICTURES SO I HAVE EDITED THE POST TO ADD THE PICTURES BACK. THEY ARE NO LONGER IN ORDER TO MATCH COMMENTARY MADE WHEN THE THREAD WAS STARTED. MORE PICTURE AT THE END OF THE THREAD

Processing the jugs:
Melting the chips:
Melted HDPE in mold:
Side 1:
Side 2:
Sanded:
Hold for handle:
Handle from shipping pallet:
Finished:

Thanks mr95gst! I've added your Milk Jug Hammer to our Hammers category, as well as to your builder page: mr95gst's Homemade Tools. Your receipt:

<div id="blocks"> <div class="block b1 pngfix"> <div class="bimg"> <div> <a href="http://www.homemadetools.net/milk-jug-hammer"><img src="http://www.homemadetools.net/uploads/128394/milk-jug-hammer.jpeg" /></a></div> </div> <div class="head pngfix"></div> <div class="left pngfix"></div> <div class="right pngfix"></div> <div class="blockover b1 pngfix"> <div class="title"> <a href="http://www.homemadetools.net/milk-jug-hammer">Milk Jug Hammer</a> <span> by <a href="/builder/mr95gst">mr95gst</a></span> </div> <div class="tags">tags: <a href="http://www.homemadetools.net/tag/hammer">hammer</a>, <a href="http://www.homemadetools.net/tag/hand-tools">hand tools</a>, <a href="http://www.homemadetools.net/tag/mallet">mallet</a></div> </div> </div> </div>

very cool I had no idea hdpe could be heated and former in this manner! my eyes are open now I will have to start hoarding plastic now with al cans now too. great use of the pallet wood its a great untapped resource for hardwood.

how does your hammer hold up after multiple impacts? any guesses as to how it would turn on a lathe? last one is there a certain number of hdpe that you use?

HDPE takes machining very well. You can turn it on a lathe or mill it. I hit the edges of mine with a router. I have banged the hammer against a few things and it has held up ok. If I slammed it against a pointy surface it would gouge just like a wood mallet. If you are not familiar with HDPE, for comparison, most 5 gallon buckets are HDPE. If you have ever handled one of those, that could give you an idea of the hardness. There is a guy on Youtube who melted buckets. Buckets have much more material than the milk jugs I used.

When you find plastic containers, you have to look for the ones that have a 2 in the middle of the recycle symbol. You cannot do it with the other numbers, with the exception of 4 which is low density polyethelene (LDPE). Most of the time the caps are made of the same material as the jug, but occasionally they are not. If it is questionable, then just toss it. Some plastic can off gas toxic fumes.

I have been trying to think about what to make next. I have little kids so I have a steady stream of milk jugs right now. The surface is slick. I could see it begin a good bearing surface. It could be used as better alternative in instances where people use two pieces of wood sliding against each other. With a lathe you could make single or step pulleys.

Very interesting.
Curious about the melting process, how many layers of melted chips to make your hammer face?
Are they all in the oven at the same time? How do you go from oven to form? Do they pour off heating pan or do you scoop them?
In my head I see it coming apart if the process is off?

Cool stuff-want to try this, how smelly does the kitchen get, could be a deal breaker for me. :)

Some people use toaster ovens, but since I had so much to melt, I used the kitchen oven. There is no smell. The first time I did it, I put the chips in the wood form while in the oven. The wood gave off some fumes. My wife wasn't happy. The next time I didn't put the wood in and you could barely tell anything was in the oven. If you look at the picture I have of the chips in the oven, I probably used 6 to 7 times that much for the hammer. When you mound cold chips in a pan they take up a lot of space. Once they heat up the mound will collapse since all the curved pieces are flattening out. At this point it is about the consistency of chewing gum. It does not melt into a puddle and they don't really melt together. You have to ball it all up together in the pan. The HDPE will stick to a bare pan but only tacky against wax paper. Once the chips get hot a sticky, I used the wax paper to fold them over on themselves a couple times. That allowed more room on the pan to add more chips. Once I got a decent amount, I folded it to as close to the size of the form as I could and peeled it into the mold (still like a big wad of chewing gum). The first night I started I melted a ton of chips and only filled the mold 1/3 after clamping. The next time, I melted chips in one pan and reheated my previously molded block on another pan (you can kind of see that in the picture). When the new chips and block were hot, I tossed it all in the mold together. It took several hours to cool. The HDPE shrank so it just fell out of the mold.

now.. if I could only find a use for all the "crate" or Injected EPS foam used in packing boxes, you know the stuff that is molded foam, used to secure medium size appliances in shipping.. :idea:

we could make a killing on it... and it wouldn't end up in a landfill, which is a waste of resources.

MORE PICTURES

Brilliant idea! Thanks..

I do a lot of ornamental blacksmithing and non-marring hammers are always on my list- I wonder how apt this is to delaminate under heavy use? Hate to do all this work and them have it come apart.... anyone else build one and really beat with it? Used one on steel?
Thanks for sharing this!
Dave

This really cought my eye. When timberframing a durable mallet is a necessity, at times heavier the better. I made large ones out of ash and maple but they always split eventually. I reuse the handle each time. The last one I made I put threaded rod with (can't think of the proper name now) flanges nuts used backwards, the flanges out. Still split. Have sense obtained some 5x8 black locusts I plan on turning on the lathe with metal bands to prevent splitting. Just may have to try this too!
Thanks
Eric

Wow, there's probably a million adaptations one could come up with. I will start saving jugs and in the meantime think of things to make. This is really great stuff. Thanks.

Has anyone used these for an extended time? Wondering how they hold up for straightening hot steel?
Thanks,
Dave

Foam peanuts melted with the right solvent make an excellent glue! Just put a little acetone in a jar and start throwing in the peanuts. They have to be the real foam peanuts, not the oatmeal biodegradable stuff. Also clean coffee cups work. Works on some plastics and fairly good on wood, especially as a temporary bond.

Is there anything on the moulding of the block, i.e. mould and do you apply pressure...how?

The mold was screwed together so that it could be disassembled in case everything stuck together. I lined my mold with wax paper so that the plastic would not stick to the mold. To get a dense block without many voids you have to use pressure. I used bar clamps.

I have got to try this. (I knew there was a reason to save all those milk jugs!) And I like the idea of cutting up a blue Lowe's or orange Home Despot bucket for contrasting swirls. Anybody have ideas on how to make the cutting/shredding go quicker & easier? Just a thought: a sheet of parchment paper -- or even better one of those silicone baking mats (like Silpat) -- might be more effective than wax paper.

There is a guy on line that has free plans for a plastic shredder. The files are made so that you can hand them to someone with a laser cutter to cut all the pieces out. I forget the guys name but he has a youtube channel and demonstrates the shredder. Its a beast. Unfortunately, I think it would costs about $400 to $500 to make with the high torque motor. I thought about it for a bit but decided I couldn't invest that much into it with it only having a single use.

I don't see why you couldn't use a metal mould. Find the shape you want, round, square, rectangle, whatever and stand it upright in the oven and continue to add material until the mould is full. Leave it in the oven to become one solid block. After it cools square the ends and machine the hole for the handle, Hammer Time...

Hi Gang:

Could you add fiber glass fiber for more impact strength? They sell it for use in concrete.

Also you could add a can of lead shot to the center and have a "dead blow" hammer.

Carl.

I've been looking for some information on this process. Thanks for the good info.

The machines and plans to make the plastic shredding/melting/forming tools are found at PRECIOUS PLASTIC

https://www.preciousplastic.com/

Making the machines is expensive, but still cheaper than buying a commercial one.