High density polyethylene hdpe aka hd has the distinction of being the strongest toughest most chemical resistant and least flexible of the four types of flexible plastic sheeting.
Hdpe plastic sheets for conesand kayak bliuding.
Hdpe high density polyethylene.
It is often used as the material to make plastic pipes and tubes.
It is also the most uv resistant holding up to the harsh rays of the sun without needing uv additives.
High density polyethylene hdpe is used for milk cartons fuel tanks and pipes.
Hdpe or high density polyethylene is a thermal plastic made like any other plastic from petroleum.
For bottles cutting boards dipping baskets dippers trays and containers.
Wood composite glass fiber aramid graphite rotomold thermoform and others.
Density equal to or greater than 0 941 g cm3 is a much more suitable material for manufacturing kayaks.
It doesn t sand easily so make sure your machines are leaving as good a surface as possible.
It s just hdpe in thick sheet good form.
I didn t do enough to know for sure but it didn t seem to dull cutters too badly.
By beveling and rounding the edges of the joint with a sharp object sanding and flame treating the surface with a propane torch we effectively glued this plastic together.
Permabond has developed a line of specialty acrylic adhesives which can form strong bonds to polyethylene without surface treatment.
I ve done a bit of repair work with star board.
It has high tensile strength is a stiffer material than ldpe lldpe giving a rigid feel to the boat has a good level of scratch resistance and good impact strength.
The difference between hdpe and other plastics is that the exterior surface of the plastic is very smooth making it somewhat difficult to bond with itself or other materials.
Previously hdpe could only be welded together by melting the surface of the hdpe.
The same chemical properties that make your boat extremely flexible and durable also prevent other materials from bonding to it.
Kayak building processes can be broken down by the different types of construction materials used to form the boat either in its entirety or by creating a deck and a hull and joining the two pieces together.
Interstate plastics marine board xl is a lighter more economical version of the popular marine board.
To test g flex for this type repair we simulated splits in the bottom of a thermal formed plastic hull by edge gluing 1 8 thick high density polyethylene hdpe sheets.
High density polyethylene lends itself particularly well to blow molding e g.