Heat -



WARNING! The heating of these synthetics will produce toxic off gases. One should take proper precautionery measures to ensure their own safety!

Ok, if that does not scare you off then the next step is to heat the pipe. I use a propane torch as pictured here. They are very cheap if you want to buy one. Otherwise a bar-b-que grill works too. Make sure you do this OUTDOORS. Try to stay upwind. The method I use is to try and heat a 6 to 8 inch length of pipe, all the way around. Turn the pipe often, heat evenly. Now, there will be a point when the material gets hot enough that it will give/bend. With heavy leather gloves grab the pipe and twist it, bend it, or whatever you want to alter the shape. I find it handy to have a 5 gallon bucket of water around to dip my gloved hands into to splash water onto the pipe once it is formed to 'freeze' it to that shape more quickly. Just continue up the pipe heating, bending, shaping, cooling, until the whole length is the shape you want it. Be careful around the cemented gap with the heat. I'm not sure how much it can take without opening it back up.

Another idea I have recently started executing with ABS is to heat the surface for a very short time. Enough to make it 'sticky' on the surface but not rubbery all the way through the thickness. Then I take leaves and press them into the softened surface to make perfect impressions. It is a nice effect. It makes a kind of fossil type didj. This will not work with PVC, just ABS.

Also, if you notice in the second pic here I have produced a 'bell' end. This was done by heating the end and slipping it over a bottle while it is rubbery. You may want to grease the bottle first. I didn't and had to break it off to remove it. Unfortunately it was full of bar-b-que sauce at the time. Sticky mess.

You are now ready for Finishing.

Construction of the PVC/ABS Didjeridu
Choosing the Right Size
Choosing the Right Material
Got ma pipe. Now What?
Tapering Step 1
Tapering Step 2
Tapering Step 3
Tapering Step 4
Tapering Step 5
Heating
Finishing

Author: ronsill@vividsemi.com
Last updated: Wed Mar 19 11:59:09 PST 1998