White industrial "Teflon?" type plastic. Offcuts etc.

**Pancakes** · 12th August 2007, 13:45

We've all see this stuff around, used for industrial production lines, bash guards etc. Pretty strong and stiff. I'm after a small amount, 5 - 10mm thick if anyone works with this stuff and has off-cuts or knows where to get it in small quantities please let me know.

Thanks!

**Pancakes** · 12th August 2007, 14:30

ten chars.............

**trumpy** · 12th August 2007, 16:00

Ludowici Plastics, 12 Henderson Place, Onehunga (ph 636 2900) usually have a bin of small offcuts in their showroom. Worth a call.

**Zapf** · 12th August 2007, 16:03

I think they are called Nylon 6, they come in many colors too. I would be keen to know where to get some as well.

Pancakes, what are you using it for? Its what they use to make crash bungs out off too.

**Pancakes** · 12th August 2007, 19:12

My bike has a sloppy shift and the gear shaft is quite long from the bearing to where the other bit clamps on cos it has to clear the frame etc. There are three bolts in the same plane around the shaft so I plan to make an alloy triangle with a hole in the middle and use some small screws to hold a washer/bushing of that plastic in the middle. The aim is to clean up the action a bit and save the bearing from excess loads.

I'm not at work at the moment and want to tidy some bits and pieces on the bike up while I have the chance. Want to do that, a new chain guard out of some alloy extrusion and a new bit under the ass-end with plate/indicator holders without all the ugly factory reflector/plate bulb etc.

**Pancakes** · 12th August 2007, 19:13

****like Raj's minus the tickets!! Har har!

**clint640** · 13th August 2007, 10:14

Ya mean UHMWPE? A cheap alternative is to go buy a $5.99 chopping board from the Warehouse - not as hard or as strong as some of the industrial grades but it'd probably do what you want.

Cheers
Clint

**Pancakes** · 13th August 2007, 16:38

Your a bloody genius! (or a cheapskate with a ton of experience) Either way you've saved me a trip across town to rummage thru a bin or two. Thanks matey!

**Max Preload** · 13th August 2007, 16:56

Originally Posted by clint640

Ya mean UHMWPE? A cheap alternative is to go buy a $5.99 chopping board from the Warehouse

That's not UHMWPE... it's nylon. Still probably fairly suitable for this particular job but he should bear in mind that nylons are more hygroscopic than most engineering plastics, so allow greater clearances or you could find the shifter tightly bound at an inconvenient moment.

**Pancakes** · 13th August 2007, 17:55

Originally Posted by awful-truth

That's not UHMWPE... it's nylon. Still probably fairly suitable for this particular job but he should bear in mind that nylons are more hygroscopic than most engineering plastics, so allow greater clearances or you could find the shifter tightly bound at an inconvenient moment.

Don't need that!

I have used the teflon stuff lots when helping a mate out for a bit test assembling and trouble-shooting shicken snap freezers. I don't know its actual name but know that it is real nice and easy to machine to whatever ya want and should hold up just great. Nylon swelling doesn't sound too flash cosidering it will be in the rain and engine heat etc. I could just run a looser fit but would like to have it snug and nice.

**Madness** · 13th August 2007, 18:17

Polytetraflouroethylene (Teflon) is quite expensive when compared to other materials like Ultra High Molecular Weight Polyethylene ("Ump-fee"). UHMWPE is wear resistand and quite inert. Nylon wears much faster but has amazing chemical and temperature resistance properties.

See if the chopping boards are all labelled Nylon, then maybe go see a wholesaler like the one above. I'm picking you'd be lucky to find PTFE in a bargain bin, it's that pricey.

**Sketchy_Racer** · 13th August 2007, 18:24

haha. Yes a Madness Said PTFE is flippen expensive. As my work mate ben found out the other day. He learned that when Turning a piece of PTFE you can't let any heat get into the work, or it will hookup on the cutter! That cost the company $200 Doh!!

There are so many kinds of plastic. the cheapest around would probably be Acetal (or formly know as Delron)

Anyway.. good luck

**Max Preload** · 13th August 2007, 18:37

You could compensate for the nylon swelling in the design by using a split with a bolt through it which could be opened up if it got too tight or tightened down if it got too loose (adjustable clearance in other words). But depending on the distance from the mounting, that might be a problem too (side loading).

I think you'd be better off with bronze.

**Pancakes** · 13th August 2007, 19:44

Bronze would be ideal except for the weight! (and I want to make it myself cos I'm a stubborn bastard and don't have tools to turn bronze, would rather do it myself my way and learn!). It will get wet and dry and wet again, like most bike bits but the heat wouldn't be anything too extreme I'd imagine. Might dummy it up with a chopping board/scrap and see what problems I come into from there. Might have nothing to fix! I want a bike that shifts nicer but it's a cheap bike so the fix needs to reflect that. 2mm ally sheet scrap and some plastic will do bang on I recon. Should be light as.

**Max Preload** · 13th August 2007, 21:09

Originally Posted by Pancakes

Bronze would be ideal except for the weight!

The weight? C'mon! We're talking a couple of hundred grams, tops! If you're so worried about weight just scrape the dirt off your boots and take a leak before you go out on the bike lol!

Besides, you can make the carrier from nylon and the bronze (or even Ludowici X-Lube stepped bushes) probably come in the right sizes.