PDA

View Full Version : Plastic sheeting for making monofins?



Kanti
04-24-2012, 01:36 PM
Does anyone know any specific places to buy plastic sheeting for cheap?
I've come across PETG sheets and Polycarbonate but the PETG is the only sheeting
I can find in a relatively good size for a fluke. The polycarbonate comes in much too
narrow cuts.
I know that I should avoid acrylic sheeting since it tends to shatter when it breaks.

So:

1- Where's a good place to buy relatively cheap and nicely sized plastic sheets?
2- What types of plastics are more favorable vs others? (which are more flexible,
lightweight, durable, etc.)
3- What's a good thickness? (.080", .060",.25", etc.)

I've been using PETG sheets and .040 is just so wavy. If you want a nice flowy monofin
that bas relatively little thrusting power, that's what I used. It looked nice in the water
but it's just not strong enough.

Spindrift
04-24-2012, 08:00 PM
Have you considered making a fiberglass fin? That is what the competitor is made of.

Mermaid Photine
04-24-2012, 09:02 PM
I searched around the internet, and eventually talked to my dad about how to get the plastic sheeting. His company had worked with a plastic warehouse that he remembered the name of (somewhere in VA, I think.) so we contacted them, looked on their website, then visited and explained what I was aiming to do. The warehouse man was far more helpful than anyone I had talked to on the phone previously. (You see, I'm making this uhm...swim fin? And I need a plastic sheet that bends...but doesn't snap, and uhm... you know how bendy scuba fins are? Phone guy: ...) I brought my finis wave with me to the arehouse and asked for plastic that was not quite as bendy as it but also wouldn't snap. I left with a wonderfully gigantic sheet of UHMW! (Which actually wan't the plastic I thought I'd be getting, but it had the same qualities at a better price)

So I guess my answers are:
1- google it, talk to people you know.
2- There's nylon, there's UHMW (ultra-high molecular density, don't ya know!) there's polycarbonate and probably lots of other things that haven't yet been used.

Kanti
04-25-2012, 11:33 AM
@ Spindrift - Bleh I want to make it transparent so I'd like to avoid fiberglass for now :S
Also since I don't really know how to make one out of fiberglass either xD
I assume you just layer it on some sort of base?

Pop Alexandra
09-07-2022, 03:19 AM
You could also consider Marvec (https://revetementagro.com/en/product/marvec) as a viable alternative to other PVC sheets.