Water Soluble Plastic Rod Source?

I had a couple thoughts based on the title:

1) (as already mentioned above) people with dual-head 3D-printers are already using PVA as printed support material that can then be later removed by soaking in water. If the filament itself is not big enough get someone to print a simple rod shape.

2) How about making your own plaster rods? maybe inside a cardboard tube that you can peel off when the plaster sets.

3) In the "Build Your Own Machine Shop" series by Dave Gingery he makes his own cores for inserting into aluminum casting molds using sand mixed with common kitchen ingredients (maybe flour and sugar or molasses) and baking them. Those should be water soluble.

I think we need a little more information to provide any more useful answers.

Does the rod need to be machinable and held in a vise or chuck?
Does it need to support any extra weight, or just itself?
Could it be some other plastic that is soluble in some other liquid? (ABS and acetone, maybe or styrofoam?)

-brino

The water soluble packing peanuts are made from cornstarch.

Wow a lot of good suggestions and creative ideas! I’m curious what the OP is looking to do with this application.


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I have some PVA filament for my 3d printer, haven't tried it yet. There's no reason you couldn't mold the filament into a rod the old fashioned way, with a simple mold. If you could get it 3d printed, it might be better, as the 3d prints could be nearly hollow to dissolve out more readily. It could also be made to near net shape. I think that it will print on any printer that will print PLA, but again, I haven't tried it yet. You might not want to buy a 3d printer, but you might be able to find one you can use in a library or makerspace. I will warn you, 3d printers are SLOW, so if the part is large and you want a lot of detail, it could take many hours. They also have a bit of a learning curve, so if it's a one of thing for you, you might find a service online to print you some.

Thanks all for your time and suggestions. Some years ago i did a project that used a water soluble polymer. I have lost the name of the material and the source of that material. I am looking for a commercial source.

They make a water soluble machinable wax for fixturing. It dissolves quite rapidly. You can also buy solid polyethylene glycol (peg) and get the same result without the fillers. Hint: you can get it at the drugstore labelled as laxative. Just get the dry stuff.

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srfallsallot said:

Thanks all for your time and suggestions. Some years ago i did a project that used a water soluble polymer. I have lost the name of the material and the source of that material. I am looking for a commercial source.

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Ok, that is great but we need more info to provide informed answers, otherwise we are just guessing as to what it needs to do. If you are working on a super secret photon beam transporter, well, then you are probably on your own.
Brino and cjtoombs have some good points.