Acrylic "blacksmith" wanted

I'm sure we've all been victim to the "sticker shock" for te asst hang on refugiums, sump baffles, sumps, wet/dry boxes, overflow boxes or any and all things plexiglass...but I've actually made a few "primitive"things using a bandsaw and that weird glue (kalk-reactors, sump baffles, et)_ ...seems to me us DIT'ers could save a few bucks crafting our own probe hangers et...I'm thinking the various plastic crafting techniques can't be all that top secret

so Hey can anyone out there school me/us on how to work acrylics? (plexiglass, Lexan, blah blah) ...specifically:

• the properties, specs and differences between the named brands and commonly named "plastics"
• How to glue & assemble (and BTW the name of that "cold" highly evaporative plexiglass glue and where to get it and the applicator)
• How to flame polish the ends
• how to bend it using that "electric wire" heated thingie
• span distances for various thicknesses before it bends/flexes
• Suppliers of 4"-6" clear tube (all I know is US plastics)
• How to assemble disimilar plastics like plexiglass to clear PVC if possible

Anyway, could be a nice sticky if perchance outta the few hundred users someone knows....

 

I am pretty knowledged in using acrylics. I do want to say first hand to stay away from Lexan. One of my buddies on here first warned me about Lexan as well. The compounds of the material will break down over time.
As far as cutting, it's best used with a high count teeth table saw blade made for plastics. The feed rate will be trial and error to get a nice enough edge to work with. I *lightly* sand the edges. If you sand too hard or too much, you risk rounding out the edge where it's not true anymore, which can lead to serious problems later.
To bond together acrylics, I use Weld-On #4. If I have pockets that need to be filled, I use #16. This stuff can be purchased at any plastics distributor/reseller.
As for gluing acrylics to PVC, styrenes, ABS, etc. I really don't recommend it. They don't make a strong bond, but if you are using it in lower pressure settings (like a frag rack), then you can use Weld-On #1802.
Flame polishing is an art and takes a lot of trial and error to get the burn rate down. If you go too slow or torch too closely, you will bubble the edges. If you go too fast, not much happens. I use a MAPP gas torch that I bought at Lowes. It's a Bernzomatic TS8000. Make sure it's MAPP gas and not propane.
Bending it is easy with the right tools as well. I use an acrylic bender heating strip. It's all by eyeball. I heat it up and watch for the consistency to change on the surface of the acrylic. With thicker material, you will need to flip the piece to heat up both sides. When it starts to sag in the middle, I remove it and bend (so the heated side is stretched) and hold it until it sets. I use a carpenter's square or something with a true 90º to make sure I keep the angle constant when it cools.
I have gone away with using my saws now. I've since purchased a laser cutter for my business and use that now. The results are much nicer and takes much less time. I may put some one-offs up if there is interest, like probe/heater holders, frag racks etc. And if there is enough interest, I'd love to sponsor 3reef and put these items up regularly.

P.S. I agree with you about the sticker shock, I felt it too. That is why I built my own stuff. But stock materials aren't cheap either. 1/4" stock of cell cast (not the cheap extruded) acrylics are fairly pricey, especially when you factor in shipping costs. When I buy a couple sheets, the shipping usually costs $30.

 

TAP Plastics has lots of info and how to videos for what you are asking about. They give the full chemical properties, max/min temps, all sorts of stuff.

here is a link to some how-to videos
http://www.tapplastics.com/info/video.php

Data sheets
http://www.tapplastics.com/info/datasheets.php?

 

Big thanks....I need to remember to add to folks Karma

 

Tigermike, have you ever posted stuff in the DIY section?
bulb mounts/standoffs, probe holders sump baffles...gheez the list of things for the reef tank made from acrylics is almost endless

 

No problem. If you need any pointers, feel free to contact me.

 

I have made stuff actually. I posted a few things in the "I made this" section, ranging from a frag box to heater holders and more.

 

I work in a denture lab and cast dentures out of acrylic everyday so working with this stuff to make useful things for a tank seems very cool to me.

Working with sheets is much different than working with the raw materials so I haven't made anything yet. I'm still in the research and reading stage.

 

i'd really looove to do this some day myself. I fear that day is either a looong way off or may never come though. I'm guessing my next upgrade (prob around a 150-180ish) will probably come through Craigslist.