- Only use gentle cleaners. Vannucci says you can easily clean a dirty blow mold by using baby wipes, paper towels, or a soft cloth.
- Consider LEDs when replacing light bulbs. According to Sansing, replacing the light bulb in a blow mold is easy. ...
- Repair cracks with clear epoxy adhesive. Depending on the size of the crack or split (and assuming that no part of the plastic is missing), Sansing says you can fix ...
- Replace missing pieces of plastic with a fabricated patch. Sansing says that larger holes or missing pieces of plastic on your blow mold can also be repaired, but it will ...
- Freshen up faded colors with spray paint. If the paint on your blow mold appears faded or scratched, Sansing says you can freshen it up with plastic-friendly spray paint, such ...
How do you make a blow mold?
- Add least 1 inch (2.54 cm) to each of your object's measurements before marking cut lines on your box. ...
- Out of foam core board, cut 2 walls for the width and 2 walls for the length, keeping in mind the object's height. ...
- Make a box by gluing the 4 walls together and then to the floor section with super glue. ...
What is a holiday blow mold?
Blow molds are known as traditional Christmas decorations because they started becoming popular in the 1940’s and 1950’s. Blow molds are started by a company casting a mold with a cavity in it. From there, the hard plastic liquid is poured into the cavity, and concentrated air pressure blows the hard plastic into all of the crevices of the ...
How to paint blow mold?
Things You'll Need
- Drop cloth or old newspapers
- Rags
- Gentle detergent
- Spray paint created for plastic
- Latex gloves (optional)
- Painter's tape (optional)
How does plastic blow molding work?
How Does Plastic Blow Molding Work? Blow molding, also called blow forming, is a manufacturing process that is conducted by using thermoplastics by which hollow plastic profiles are formed. Blow molding process at BEPL begins with applying heat energy to the thermoplastic resins thus which converts them into a molten state and forming them into ...
How do you restore blow mold?
Replace missing pieces of plastic with a fabricated patch. "Small missing sections of plastic can be fabricated from sacrificial broken blow molds, milk jugs, and other plastic containers as a patch," she says. "Using a clear-drying adhesive (on the underside of the patch), apply the patch, and tape it down.
Are blow molds worth money?
Smaller blow molds, the kind you can hold in the palm of your hand, might go for $30. Larger ones, nearly life sized, sell for almost $500.
Are blow molds still being made?
We've got good news and bad news. The bad news is they can be hard to find these days since there aren't a lot of manufacturers anymore. But the good news is that blow mold manufacturers still exist, and there are quite a few easily accessible retailers who sell them online.
How can you tell how old a blow mold is?
Be sure to turn your blow mold over and see if you can spot any markings. These markings will many times be embossed and if they are there, they can be seen easily. In addition, sometimes there will be a date listed there as well and that is an instant way to determine if your blow mold os old.
What happened to blow molds?
Sadly, after 60 years of plastics production in the USA, the most recognized and largest U.S. maker of blow molds closed its doors in 2017. General Foam Plastics, headquartered in Virginia Beach, shut down its production facilities in Norfolk, Virginia and Tarboro, North Carolina.
Why are blow mold Christmas decorations so expensive?
When something is rare and there is a demand for it, it's hard to come by and often very expensive. With the rarity of well-maintained blow molds also comes the fact that some of the original companies that made these products are out of business. This makes them even more collectible.
Why are they called blow molds?
The figures were called blow molds because they were made of hollow hard plastic that was formed in a mold. They contained colored plastic in certain areas or were painted after hardening.
Why are they called blow molds?
The figures were called blow molds because they were made of hollow hard plastic that was formed in a mold. They contained colored plastic in certain areas or were painted after hardening.
What is the difference between injection molding and blow molding?
In general, blow molding is used to make singular, hollow products like bottles and beakers. Injection molding makes solid parts, like plates and discs, or is used to produce solid parts or pieces for plastic products.
Who is making blow molds?
Gemmy IndustriesBig-box retailers, such as The Home Depot and Walmart, have begun to sell their own blow molds. At Lowe's, a 2-foot-tall snowman with a "nostalgic look" costs less than $40. It is produced by Gemmy Industries, of Texas, better known for inflatable decorations.
What is a blow mold technician?
Blow Mold Technician is responsible for the set up of injection and blow molding molds, programming injection and blow molding machines. Setup molds as required by production schedule.
ttcd
Hi, I am wondering how you repair a hole or crack in a blow mold. My son wants to try to repair a big hole in the forhead of one of our santa's....If anyone can tell me how to do it that would be great.
bigballo
Hi, I am wondering how you repair a hole or crack in a blow mold. My son wants to try to repair a big hole in the forhead of one of our santa's....If anyone can tell me how to do it that would be great.
ttcd
Try the search at the top left,set the search for forums and in the search box type blow mold repair.You should find several blogs on repair,stripping and repainting.Carrie posted several also Ted and others have shared the talents
ahoytoys
I've been looking at pops-a-dents at local auto stores, but am confused as to which one to buy.
Blowmold repair ideas needed
I had a lucky find. I was driving thru town here and i noticed a yard sale at a local establishment and right on the street were four Christmas blowmolds so after doing a "U" turn I made my way back to that location and saw that they were selling them for $5 a piece. (I'll post pictures later).
Re: Blowmold repair ideas needed
sorry jsut reread post and realized there were two questions. For the cracks a 2-part expoy for plastic. I would try it on an small section first to make sure it bonds the parts.
Re: Blowmold repair ideas needed
yeah I also learned on there to use another piece of plastic and a heat gun or propane torch to melt and fuse the plastic together with another piece of plastic. I did that with my dad on a huge hole on my mrs clause that fell over during testing lights. It worked great, you are going to need 4 hands though.
Re: Blowmold repair ideas needed
I too bought several broken toy soldier blow molds from a guy off craigslist. He didn't take care of them and sold them too cheap to pass up. Anyway, I repaired them with an epoxy from Home Depot. Make sure you get the one that has "Plastic" on the bottom of the package. I think it's 3M brand or Elmers, can't remember right now.
Re: Blowmold repair ideas needed
OUCH that's way too much. I usually pay about $5 to $10 for a blow mold, depending on the size.
