07-06-2009, 11:50 AM
[cool][#0000ff]It is easy to shape PVC with heat. I used to just hold it over a stove burner, rotating it until it softened enough to reshape with a couple of pairs of pliers. But now I use a cheap heat gun I bought at Harbor Freight. [/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]You can form almost any crazy thing you can thing of with PVC. It softens at a fairly low temperature and then you can work with it to push it into the shape desired. You just have to hold it in place until it cools enough to keep the new shape.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]To make the pliers holder, I first cut two rod grooves into the tube. The pliers fit in those okay, but were still loose. So, I put the heat gun on the top two or three inches and rotated it until I could easily squeeze the ends together...and before it melted and dripped. Then I just jammed the pliers down inside...stretching and forming the sides...and blew on it to cool it down. Piece of cake. The final touch was some forming and smoothing with the Dremel tool.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]With the Lip Grippers, I made the groove just slightly narrower than the width of the finger holds on the gripper. Then, a bit wider at the bottom. The end result was a holder that let the gripper "snap" into place at the bottom, holding firmly against loss. But, it is just wide enough and flexible enough that you can insert and retrieve the grippers when needed.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]Anxious to see how you get your new system put together. It is a challenge without the extensive frame system of most pontoons.[/#0000ff]
[signature]
[#0000ff][/#0000ff]
[#0000ff]You can form almost any crazy thing you can thing of with PVC. It softens at a fairly low temperature and then you can work with it to push it into the shape desired. You just have to hold it in place until it cools enough to keep the new shape.[/#0000ff]
[#0000ff][/#0000ff]
[#0000ff]To make the pliers holder, I first cut two rod grooves into the tube. The pliers fit in those okay, but were still loose. So, I put the heat gun on the top two or three inches and rotated it until I could easily squeeze the ends together...and before it melted and dripped. Then I just jammed the pliers down inside...stretching and forming the sides...and blew on it to cool it down. Piece of cake. The final touch was some forming and smoothing with the Dremel tool.[/#0000ff]
[#0000ff][/#0000ff]
[#0000ff]With the Lip Grippers, I made the groove just slightly narrower than the width of the finger holds on the gripper. Then, a bit wider at the bottom. The end result was a holder that let the gripper "snap" into place at the bottom, holding firmly against loss. But, it is just wide enough and flexible enough that you can insert and retrieve the grippers when needed.[/#0000ff]
[#0000ff][/#0000ff]
[#0000ff]Anxious to see how you get your new system put together. It is a challenge without the extensive frame system of most pontoons.[/#0000ff]
[signature]