Thermoform Failure #1/2

Vacuum Thermoforming is the process of applying heat to a sheet of plastic, drawing it over a mold, and removing the air between the plastic sheet and the mold. The result is (should be) hardened plastic in the shape of the mold you drew.

Sometimes though, for various, and often mysterious reasons this process fails catastrophically, resulting in mesmerizing garbage. That being said, one man's trash is another man's treasure.

Garbage like this ends up being praised all the time, after it gets framed and propped up on the walls art museums and in the homes of the wealthy elite.

But what good is a piece of art without a story of a tortured artist?! This piece of trash art was supposed to make 4 DB-X top caps. The top cap seals the top of the buoy, and it's where the antennas mount. Forming these parts was supposed to be an easy Monday morning victory, but alas, I failed not once but twice! And after said failure I promptly retreated back to the comfort of my desk where I will inevitably shovel another $75 to McMaster-Carr in hopes of learning from my mistake.

• 24 inches x 24 inches x 6 inches
• Clear PETG (polyethylene terephthalate glycol) plastic