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Thread: Tips for working with plexi/acrylic

  1. #41
    Woodworking unicycling bodybuilder tybrenis's Avatar
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    Default Re: Tips for working with plexi/acrylic

    Quote Originally Posted by jdbnsn
    Saw your pics, well done! As for the cutting, great question! I originally tried a table saw which didn't seem to work well, but might work better with a different blade. I use a band saw now and my cuts are much like the ones you describe and require lots of sanding. Maybe someone could throw us a bone on cutting techniques or proper blades?
    Hey guys,

    More tips and what-not. The edge sraping in your log was great, thats what I forgot to mention. Really, any type of metal with a nice edge will work, but pros use a small rectangular prism of cobalt, since it holds it's edge very nicely. You'll want to edge scrape after cutting.

    For jigsaw and bandsaw cutting, you will want to use a metal blade, one with very high teeth. These tools aren't really ideal for plexi, but with a metal blade they do pretty good.

    Always remember to never flame polish an edge that is to be glued, it screws everything up.

    And finally, you will want to cut all acrylic that you can on a table saw. This is what the pros use. You will want a blade with the following specs:

    - "Triple Chip" format, this helps IMMENSELY
    - Carbide tips
    - Atleast 80 tooth
    - 0 degree rake/offset

    Blades like this tend to be pricey, but trust me, are very well worth it. They do not melth the plexi and make nice, almost finished cuts. After they are cut you will just want to scrape them, glue what you need to, and then polish.
    Typo:
    Quote Originally Posted by DaveW View Post
    Jon has altered his cock to compensate.

  2. #42
    Anodized
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    Default Re: Tips for working with plexi/acrylic

    awesome I love this guide my new window is now complete. tahnks

  3. #43
    some custom title eh Cannibal23's Avatar
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    Default Re: Tips for working with plexi/acrylic

    ******** heat bending into tricky spots.

    if you have been worried in the past about not cutting through the handle on your side panel because you would need to bend the plex to make a new handle here is how to do it.

    take the paper off the plex

    fasten your sheet of plex to an uncut side panel that matches the one you are going to or already have cut through. soak a clean cloth in water. it dosent have to be freezing cold but a lil chilly. place that on a part of your plex that your not bending as you will need to get your hands on it quickly. heat up the area to be bent with a heat gun at close range. you should heat it enough that you see it start to deform a a bit. remember to keep moveing the heat gun arround or you will get bubbles. once its hot enough all you have to do is take the wet cloth and wipe it with a little pressure (enough to bend the plex) where you want it to be molded. this allows you to hand mold some tricky spots without burning your fingers. the fact that the soaked cloth is a lil chilly should help to freeze the plex in the exact position that you were pressing it into.

    i used this method 2 days ago and i am very happy with the results. hope that helps someone
    - The stone knows not why the chistle cleves it
    - The steel knows not why the fire scorches it
    - When thy life is cleft and scorched
    - Curse not thine evil fate
    - Thank the builder for the trials that shape thee.

  4. #44
    Fresh Paint
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    Default Re: Tips for working with plexi/acrylic

    Hi guys,
    I've been surfing; trying to find as much info about flame polishing as possible, when I came upon this site and noticed the "butchering" that you've been doing on Perspex [I'm not sure if you're familiar with this name - it's what we call it in Australia].
    I make display cases out of Perspex for customers [something to fund my numerous hobbies].
    The BEST thing to cut Perspex with is a table saw; properly set up - with a dedicated blade that you use ONLY for Perspex. I would suggest the blade have at least 80 teeth [less works OK, but you have to move the sheet through VERY slowly].
    Another thing you need is a zero clearance throat plate. If you're not sure what this is; where the blade comes through the table, there is an insert that sits in a rather large opening in the table top which can be removed [for access to the saw - for blade changing, etc]. The gap for the blade in this factory plate is quite wide [to allow you to tilt the blade for angle cuts] - make a new one out of wood - with no gap and start the saw with the blade fully lowered; then all you need to do is slowly wind the saw blade up to make a zero clearance plate [be sure that the new plate is held down safely [ie. NOT by hand!!] as you raise the blade [perhaps a few pieces of wood and clamps strategically placed]. The new plate also need a "splitter" - something to stop the material closing together after having been cut, behind the blade [this is very dangerous as the blade will grab the material and throw it with gteat force at the operator]. All this is; is a thin piece of wood [the same thickness as the blade] glued into the back of the saw groove that has been extended so that it won't get ripped out by the blade if it is fully raised.
    Lastly, raise the blade only slightly higher than what is needed to cut through the Perspex sheet.
    Just one more point; a jigsaw blade moves much too fast and will inevitably melt the Perspex [as described by another] - if you have no other choice of tool, try using a variable speed controller [available from most woodworking suppliers].
    All the best - let me know how you go.

  5. #45
    Overclocked
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    Default Re: Tips for working with plexi/acrylic

    if you have the bottle of glue with the flexible needle on it and your glue is very watery.

    you should have all of that.

    get our edges as flat as possible and set them up. take your bottle and fill it 1/4 of the way to the top. squeeze out most of the air and turn it upside-down. release the bottle from your fingertips slowly and the liquid should stay in there.

    when you get good at this practice, glue your piece. take the bottle using the same technique you just tried and put it along the edge where the two peices meet. though capillary action, the glue is sucked into the joint and you havent spilled a drop thanks to that technique.

    for those who have gotten glue on your case or may in the future, my good friend jamaul (works at eagle plastics where i interned for a summer) taught me that one.


    oh and if you use petrolium jelly on your bit while drilling it makes an opaque hole, or so im told.
    and with a scroll saw , as long as it has a speed controller, is great for detail work, but i wouldnt use it to cut anyhing big, nor straight lines.

    "you must be the change you wish to see in the world"
    -ghandi

  6. #46
    some custom title eh Cannibal23's Avatar
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    Default Re: Tips for working with plexi/acrylic

    thanks for the contributions guys.
    - The stone knows not why the chistle cleves it
    - The steel knows not why the fire scorches it
    - When thy life is cleft and scorched
    - Curse not thine evil fate
    - Thank the builder for the trials that shape thee.

  7. #47
    Overclocked
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    Default Re: Tips for working with plexi/acrylic

    A note about flame polishing.

    you CAN use a propane torch. just find a way to plug the holes on the side of the nossle so oxygen cannot enter. (I used Aluminum foil) this is what makes the flame really hot. just go over the edge as if you were painting it and you should have a really nice edge after a few passes. it it looks good, stop. you dont want to overdo it.

    Erwin could you post a pic of one of your cases? that is pretty much all i did for 3 weeks straight. well that, and clean.

    "you must be the change you wish to see in the world"
    -ghandi

  8. #48
    Fresh Paint
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    Default Re: Tips for working with plexi/acrylic

    I've been doing a bit of work with plexi lately..mostly screwing around to see what works and what doesn't..and I've figured out a few things others might find helpful.

    I've found the easiest way for me to cut designs in plexi is by using my dremel at low speed with a 1/8 inch drill bit and the line guide attachment. I've tried thicker bits, but they tend to chew up the plexi instead of making a nice cut and cause it to vibrate so much I was worried it might break the plexi. A smaller bit works well for finer lines and detail work, but tends to melt the plexi which builds up on the bit. The smaller bits also break much more easily (I've snapped 2) if you aren't careful or try to cut too quickly.

    For smoothing out edges in a cut design and adjusting the shape of cuts, I've found that a metal emory board (basically an oversized nail file with a fine grit) works really well. You should be able to pick one up for about a buck at someplace like CVS. Follow it with 2000 grit wet sandpaper to get the edges really smooth.

    I also saw someone ask about using paint on plexi and saying they were having trouble making it stick. I've had really good luck with the Krylon Fusion spray paint. It's designed to bind well with plastics. If they don't have a color you like you can also try using a medium grit sandpaper, around 200 grit, to scuff the plexi first. It makes the plexi rough enough for the paint to stick and the paint will fill in the scuffs making the plexi look smooth again.

  9. #49
    some custom title eh Cannibal23's Avatar
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    Default Re: Tips for working with plexi/acrylic

    if you must paint it remember to paint on the inside part so if it gets a ding in the side of it that the paint wont chip off. my mom used to do signs to look like stone with an airbrush some plex and i think the paint was acryic paint
    - The stone knows not why the chistle cleves it
    - The steel knows not why the fire scorches it
    - When thy life is cleft and scorched
    - Curse not thine evil fate
    - Thank the builder for the trials that shape thee.

  10. #50
    Fresh Paint
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    Default Re: Tips for working with plexi/acrylic

    i would also suggest possibly some e6000 or similar glue its basically clear Silicon sealant in a scweeze tube. Also polycarbonate would probably be the lightest if weight is an issue, for carrying to lanparies etc. some one should do an all polycarbonate / carbon fiber mod!

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