Skillbuilder: Seven Tips for Working With Acrylic
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- Опубликовано: 20 сен 2024
- Acrylic is a wonderful plastic that can be used for all sorts of different projects. It comes in both transparent and colored options, and can be machined, laser cut, or heated and bent into almost any shape.
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Really cool, straight to the point with clear instructions and no talking, thanks !
J'étais sur de vous trouver ici ahah ;)
+Boba Tank lol, je me suis un peu battu avec le plexiglas ces derniers temps :)
Terrible video. Incorrect and bad practices. Good luck if you’re new to acrylics and try to follow these. You’ll likely either fail, or at best produce some kind of trash acrylic work. Nope.
You can also use a Heat Gun to bend the acrylic. Also keep some water and a sponge near you when you do bend acrylic cause you can use the water to cool the acrylic quicker to hold the bend.
Great video! When I was in middle school we had excellent shop classes which included injection molding, ceramics, and working with acrylic sheets.
Now, this is how to do a how to video. No wasting my time, just info that is essential. Thank you!
Not only was this helpful, but also it had a kick ass soundtrack. Thumbs up to the musicians and DIY'ers.👍
These little videos are so useful. I love what y'all are doing with them and hope to see more! Great work.
Some of the best tips I’ve ever seen and well executed
In my experience, when drilling holes larger than 5mm (3/16"), the best way to prevent the drill from catching on the other side and cracking the acrylic is to reverse the drill's rotation (unscrewing direction) and rev it up, letting friction with the drill tip melt away the final acrylic layer of the hole.
There was some good advice in this tutorial, but the advice regarding gluing will result in consistently below-optimum joint bonding.
Acrylic bonds using a solvent welding principal in which the two surfaces are chemically softened, and then a merging of the molecules in the two pieces takes place. Especially when using SciGrip 3 or 4 which are water thin, only the high spots in the 2 pieces will merge if the surfaces are rough, resulting in a weak joint. These products will not fill voids. Ideally the surfaces will have 100% contact before the solvent welding process is initiated.
SciGrip 16 is a product using a mixture of methylene chloride and acrylic particles, and can be used to fill voids where imperfect surface preparation is unavoidable. Sanding already smooth, even surfaces before application of this product is not required and does not improve joint strength.
Flame polishing is an edge treatment only to be used on surfaces which will not be bonded. Because of the chemical changes which acrylic undergoes as a result of heat application, crazing and joint failure are often the result where solvent welding is attempted on flame polished surfaces.
so basically with the solvent welding you want to sand the edges that will be welded together for a more stronger bond?
Really cool tips!
First time I see this channel! I learnt so much from a single video that I subscribe immediately.
Excellent video! I've been wanting to get into making stuff with acrylics, and this video gave me a leg-up on getting started in only three minutes! Love the concise, no-frills, just-the-tip format, certainly keep videos like this coming! :D
Really helpful for my business, I have business of Acrylic products but didn't know enough about how it's used to make products as I outsource it to specialist.
Now I can let him know a few things from my end
Great video! No BS and straight to the point. Need to make some motorcycle windshield extensions.
Thanks. The music drove me crazy, though.
Any tips for rounding an edge or making an edge curve? What’s best to use?
You use acrylic cement to bond acrylics and you want a smooth surface, not a rough one as indicated here. Tap plastics has some great videos for this type of work.
I wouldn't use glue on a flame polished edge though. I'm surprised they didn't mention that.
+EpicSpence I'm pretty sure they used the flame polish as just an edge finish. I'm not sure that it would really matter when using acrylic cement, though.
+Luis F Gerena exactly what I was thinking.
+Luis F Gerena To elaborate, an acrylic cement is actually a solvent that melts the acrylic and allows it form into a single object. Unlike a glue, the cement does not stick around after the bond is complete. A smooth interface helps the dispersion of the low viscosity solvent, allowing for a more complete bonding.
This is the first time I've ever seen anything but a clean, perfectly flat edge recommended for bonding (aka solvent welding for exactly the reason Stefan Buller notes). You are supposed to be able to have the edges so tight that they are capable of filling by capillary action with weld-on #4 or similar low viscosity solvent.
I've never tried bonding flame polished edges. Flame polishing alone never seemed to make them smooth enough. Typically I sand them with progressively finer grit sandpaper (to 600 or 800), then buff with tripoli followed by Fabulustre. It leaves the edge perfectly smooth and transparent, as though it had never been cut.
Very good informations.
2:50 Petroleum works very good for cooling/lubricating. It keeps the drilled/milled/grinded surface clear.
2:55 This is very important! The most dangerous part is, when the drill comes out on the back! If you push only a tiny bit to hard, you've get a 'nice' crater...!
corrections to this: use slow RPM and high feeds when drilling or milling. Chip size is critical to prevent melting. Oh and wood drills are more appropriate than metal drills. Rough edges don't weld well ... the idea is to have as little air as possible between the parts when applying solvent. The resulting bond is invisible (the two parts become one!)
Thanks this is a really great piece for the skillbuilder series! Thanks for sharing!
Man, Cloudkicker makes some awesome tunes!
So great! Very inspirational, cleared my doubts.
I would have never thought of using an oven like that to bend acrylic.....nice dude
Additional Tip: The acrylic shaving/acrylic power can be added with the glue to attach 2 pieces of acrylic, stronger bond and fills all the gap.
When drilling, use your drill in reverse with high speed. You melt through instead of drilling. You can then break off the melted bits easily. (The rake angle on most twist drills are meant to pull at the material being drilled. This cracks acrylic.)
Beautiful video. Short and informative.
I just finished a project using a ton of acrylic and polycarbonate! I could have used this months ago! Great vid.
For solvent gluing you don't want a flame polished edge but really they should be smoother than that. Also for flame polishing you need the higher temp that MAP gas provides to do it right (according to tap plastics).
isnt there chemical polish that achieves the same effect?
isnt there chemical polish that achieves the same effect?
You can use the vapours from the solvent adhesive to polish acrylic and polycarbonate however it needs a special kettle and protective equipment. Not sure of other chemical options, normal polishes can be used along with elbow grease though. btw, your comment does not appear under the video due to stupid google+
I just sand starting at 150 grit and move to 600 or 800, followed by buffing with tripoli then fabulustre. Gives a perfect transparent edge.
Good old elbow grease does work pretty well :) Scraping can also be used to get to a pretty fine finish ready for the finer grits. A single edge razor works pretty well.
An absolutely priceless video, thankyou, I'm wanting to make using acrylic but I had no idea how, I'm going to experiment with mitre bond or super glue, any suggestions on that. Thanks again.
Martin.
Great video. Thx
Huh, Make channel as a source of awesome new music recommendations, now that's something.
Wow, that music is actually pretty nice!
It's not
Drilling acrylic is a skill in itself! The tip and rake angle need to be adjusted on a standard drill bit or a drill bit pre ground to suit drilling acrylic can be purchased.. The most important thing is to keep the temperature down to stop the cuttings melting to the drill bit with friction. Drilling under running water works great. I use a negative rake tool when turning acrylic in the lathe making handles and knobs etc.
+Andrew Wilson Mineral spirits leave a great finish when drilling.
really really GREAT video! liked, commented, subscribed
Great tutorial & some great tips & music 😀
one thing to note about machine cutting/drilling is the bit you are using and the way it cuts, type of flute/direction of cut. when flame polishing sand down the surface/edge from coarse to a fine grain finish with wet sanding 500/1000 and dont over expose the plastic to the flame for more then a second. it can catch fire and you will burn the corners much faster. best to use a mini gas blow torch pen for better handling. worth asking the supplier for scrap to practice on before burning your project first attempt.
When drilling acrylic it's best to back off the cutting edge of the drill, as you would for brass, so that the drill doesn't snatch as it passes out the other side.
+Donald Sayers
In that respect its better to use a backup plate so the drill doesn't realize it has penetrated the work piece.
Oh yes do that too.
Im gonna cover my daughter's dresser with some 4ftx 8ft plastic mirrored sheet that a homeowner gave me. What electric, cordless, or hand tools will i need? i also wanna do a edge for the front panel drawers , please none of that harbor freight stuff i know i probably just use tools this one time and im cool with that. Thanks
Excelle nt, that's useful and inspiring, especially the part about drilling with a step bit. Thanks.
Keep on trucking ! (from France)
I'm planning a micro atx case for pc, more likely will use Acrylic. thanks for a video!
You guys are making some great videos.
Make sure you use a MAP GAS torch to polish acrylic edged.
Great video. Have done any work with acrylic tubing or pipe? What I'm wanting to do is form the end of a 4" acrylic tube so it forms an end that looks like the old Christmas bubble lights. That's what I'm making for my display, giant bubble lights, and I don't want the top to be flat and look as much like the real thing as possible. I've been thinking of heating up the end and then rolling it in a felt lined form, so it doesn't scratch, kind of like a glass blower would do, but I'm not sure. Thanks, and keep up the great work.
Drilling acrylic is one of those things that really frustrates people and ruins projects. Just do yourself a favor and buy the purpose made acrylic bits, and only use them on acrylic. (Unless you are a baller and can afford to keep buying more and more acrylic every time you crack holes and have to start the project all over again)
TIP: The old tymer trick is to take your regular drill bit, and blunt the tip into the cement with a couple of hammer strikes. (like it's a chisel) and that blunts the tip to keep the cutting edge of the flutes from grabbing the acrylic and causing micro shattering that results in cracked holes. And if you look closely at a purpose honed acrylic bit, it's at a different angle than a wood or metal drill bit, thus doing the same thing as a blunt tipped bit.
You can also edge polish with just an acrylic wipe. Oh, and laser cut or flame polished edges really don't bond well. It's best to run all your acrylic edges along the router table at 1/32nds of an inch clean up pass right before you glue. Oh, and use the needle bottles... if your edge is freshly routed, and smooth, the acrylic cement #3 will wick right under the seam and leave a clean uniform bonded edge that looks like two pieces of glass that met up perfectly. And if you had enough pressure, and the edges didn't move, there will be no bubbles. If your table isn't perfectly flat, you can shim under your acrylic project glue lines with razor blades until the line wets out evenly with no air lines, gaps or bubbles.
+TheBikerScout Agreed. If you are forced to use regular bits, then drilling at high speed (rpms) melts and softens the brittle plastic a little so it is less likely to crack--if you advance the drill very slowly. The part about using WD40 to reduce heat is better for drilling metals.
Another way to modify a regular drill bit is by making the tip angle much sharper on a grinder. The method described here:
acrylicsbydesign.blogspot.com/2010/10/how-to-modify-metal-working-drill-bit.html
also recommends modifying the cutting thread angle, but I've had good luck just by modifying the tip angle. I just use bits with dull tips that need resharpening and grind down to about a 60 degree angle
Thanks
Great video! Thanks.
I wish to cut 10mm diameter colored acrylic rods into 50mm lengths in quantity and polish the cut edges. These will be used in jewelry production so a finished look is necessary. A slight bevel would be nice. These could be chucked on a drill press then spun against an abrasive or buffing surface. For instance a sanding/buffing block fixed at an appropriate angle. Some guidance would be greatly appreciated.
Nice video....👌👌
Please post more detailed videos showing DIY projects using Acrylic and only tools available at general home only... so that your expertise can be used by normal and general people...please give full details like thickness, dimensions etc. etc. Thanks 👌👌
pity most of the information is wrong, Id do more research before attemping to do any of what they suggest, I was a Platic Fabricator for 15yrs and still do some on the side for little projects and wouldn't do anything the way they say.
matthew roderique sir,
Why don't you post some videos doing simple projects with acrylic.... but with help of simple tools....
This Summer i'll be working with some Acrylic This helps me a lot thank you :)
Terrific tips. Thanks
excellent video. keep this type of stuff coming
I have never had any luck drilling, I always used a pair of vise grip to hold a bolt the size of the hole I wanted and heated the end till it was red and melted the hole. Clean off the melted stuff and you done
8. Run the edge across a joiner to finish it. 9. If you're doing a lot of bending, uncoil the heating element from an old blow dryer and stake it to a piece of cement board. Place the plexi over (not on) it, holding one side of it up until it softens.
For the glue, get an applicator bottle instead of doing it as shown - it'll make the connection much neater. They're cheap and easy to get on Amazon.
Is acrylic glass by standard UV protective? What makes glass UV protectant?
Where can I purchase this glue from? Thanks for the video!
Hi, thank you for the tutorial! How would you bend large slabs of acrylic?
A heat gun on a low setting might be able to accomplish this. Having some kind of jig or form to bend the sheet over will be very important to get the shape you want.
Did you have any luck with this?
How can i go about painting it? Any special steps i must take?
If I'm planning on cutting my acrylic using the scoring and then hand snapping method, would extruded or cast acrylic be easiest to use? (My hand strength isn't super mighty!)
Yes using a heat gun works great for bending acrylic....and and air nozzle to quickly cool to hold shape desired
Want to make my next watercooled pc out of acrylic. Any tips?
I have worked a lot with the material (display cases) so no noobie. But I am concerned with its thermal properties and the risk of static.
Extruded acrylic will have cracks show up at the cutting edge in laser cutting. It is recommended to use only cast acrylic for laser works
It's awesome and practical. However, may I know, where are the 5th tips?
-On gluing; fill with glue to form a meniscus. As the glue drys it will suck in the glue and you get a joint with no air bubbles
- On bending; a strip heater works best
- On drilling; acrylic bits use a steeper angle bit to prevent blowout. Been while so I forget what it is.
- On flame polishing; Regular wheel polishing is slower but looks better, and is more consistent.
Hi, thanks for the video. I'm planning to make a wall clock but I need a glossy black material from which i can make the outer circle. Can you suggest some material? It should be glossy and doesn't matter if its a fingerprint magnet. I'm quite new to materials but good with electronics.
How do I make acrylic rods thinner? They are very hard to sand or grind. Trying to fit into a hollow fuel injector rail.
When drilling, wouldn't it be better to use a drill bit without the positive rake, to avoid cracking?
Great video and useful tips. keep it up!
Is the clear acrylic on the thumbnail and @2:03 .5 inch or .3 inch? what's a fair market price for 48in wide x 36in high of that? and how much would that bend?
FYI: Brad point drill bits and forstner bits are ideal for drilling acrylic.
So awesome! Thank you.
Cloudkicker ftw!
Flame polishing will go much better if you use a draw knive beforehand to remove the sawmarks...
A clothes iron and some parchment paper also will make the edges perfect .I was surprised when I tried it.
I am a wood worker with no experience with plexiglass. I can not find a video to cut 1/4 + slots for a hex bolt to slide up and down inside for a table saw jig. I tried twice and it blew up , wrecked the plastic. No CNC machine but have several routers and 1 down cut bit . You covered all but that. Any plans to do so ? OR , Anyone got a quick tip ?
Flame polishing acrylic is unwise. It has a very low flash point, it bubbles, and it is unsuitable for creating optics of any kind. It blurred the optical quality face to smooth and bubble the other. Use sandpaper grit series 220 or 400 to 2000 and then headlight polish. If you need an optical flat face, use a piece of appropriately flat glass and lap with sandpaper, then headlight polish on painter's tape on flat glass. You will then have an optical quality that is mirror flat and no bubbles or solvent fumes. The bigger the face, the easier it will be to achieve a flatter face when lapping.
You can simply use water for drilling, no need for any chemicals. For DIY gluing weld on 16 is a better choice, no so runny.
Superglue (cyanoacrylate - the brands are all basically the same) is actually really good at gluing acrylic together, and it works best with smooth edges/sides.
if you hold a stanley blade in your hand and run that over the edge you can get a very smooth edge fast, but ideally touch it up with emery paper after, it'll give you a perfect square edge over the rounded flame polished crap (can you tell I'm biased yet?)
Great music, and well made vid. Love it
great video. thanks for the tips
how do you remove excess or droplets of weldon 4 from acrylic. Can't seem to find how to clean up that mess?
Sir for backlight what type of acrylic is good?
cool tune too!
Many thanks! It target me many things!
Here a quick question I'm planning on making a computer case and watched your video and would it be possible to bend the acrylic and use it in place of metal brackets because don't want to use glue
Drill and saw at low speed. Razor sharp drills will cut into and pull up the work piece. Resurface the cutting edge of your drill bits into an L shape rather than a wedge so that the business end is more like raking the plastic up rather than biting into it. Mark that set of drills for plastic and brass.
Thanks for the advice and tips!!!
Good stuff 👍
Hello sir
Mujhe acrylic id card banana hai
3 layer hogi
1 layer transpant acrylic sheet
2 layer printing paper sheet
3 layer Acrylic sheet not transparent (Back side)
Pasting kiss se kare or better ho oasting
The manufacturer says a smooth edge is better for joining because it's actually not gluing but welding so gaps will not be filled.
Would it be possible to make a desk with an acrylic top?
+OomegamanoO acrylic is actually too soft for most desk tops and it will become scratched up with use. Unless the desk is a service desk and heavy things are constantly being dropped on it, I usually cover the desks with glass.
You can also use choloform for fast gluing acrylic
Superb video! Extremely handy tips.
Question: do all those tips work on all kinds of acrylic?
+J Thing All clear plastic is not acrylic, some is polycarbonate which bursts into flame and smokes with a laser.
+Mentorcase I just wondered if all the tips worked on extruded and cast acrylic? But thanks for the heads up. Appreciate it.
I have tried cutting several types of clear plastic I have around all 6mm and it is all polycarbonate and all smokes crazy black soot that covered the inside of my machine and stinks like hell.
I always heard that since acrylic glue does not fill, you need a perfectly flat surface. Are you using a special glue or are they just smoking stuff?
+dsheckx they are smoking stuff. a quick googling of "gluing acrylic" gives many references showing you need a smooth surface because you're actually not gluing but solvent welding
+todbot so you're saying Make is wrong here?
dsheckx If in the video, they're using standard acrylic cement (which does solvent welding), then they're wrong. If they're using epoxy or crazy glue, then maybe standard gluing rules apply like roughing up the edges. But the video shows them using solvent cement. So yes, they're wrong.
+todbot Cool, thanks!
How easy is it to use hole saws on acrylic?
Do not use a rough surface for gluing. You need a perfectly flat, 90-degree edge. Use a router table to take off around .01" per pass. Then feed the acrylic though smoothly with no stopping, if you stop it melts the acrylic slightly. While you are gluing, do not clamp the acrylic. I can't explain why you can't, but you get a much worse edge if you do. Use weld on 4 for the gluing, and a hypodermic applicator.
Hey I am willing to know how we can paint acrylic with translucent paint so the light can pass through it.
Cool! Thanks man.
What is the brand of the "flexible" blue work surface? And where can it be purchased? Thanks
So acrylic is polished clear plastic?
i have another tip i never saw mentioned before, easy for people without other tools.:
you can form acrylic in boiling water (85-100deg C), it gets soft so it can be bend easily into shape using water resistant gloves (or wear 2 pairs). You can dip it also then bend fast (it gets hard fast), guarateed no bubbles.
Video was great exept the last tip was wrong. The RPM was way to fast so the WD couldnt cool xD,
if the acrylic gets gummy its to hot /fast drilled.
At 21sec what are those corner pieces inside the box called?