some questions about Acrylic

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petertohen
Posts: 1
Joined: Sat Jan 13, 2018 1:29 am

some questions about Acrylic

Post by petertohen »

I tried my first few attempts at Acrylic this weekend.

First off, I sampled the 8x10 pieces sold at Lowes to get a feel for how to cut pieces.

I think I read a post from Tony that said he usually does .001-.003 and a 1/8 BN bit.
So I started there - the cut came out ok, but I noticed one side was slightly less etched that the other side.
I measured the table bed and all seemed pretty level. So I increased to .004 and that did the trick.

It took me 3 tries to get a good cut. Now the fun part. I ordered a led/remote/power kit from Ebay and hooked up the lights. Cut a base and turned on the leds. It was not as bright as I expected.

My first guess is the quality of the plexi and then the thickness. I believe there are .08 inch think

What thickness works best at basic size etching 8x10, 10x10, 12x12 etc?
What brands are people using for their acrylics?
Are they polished edges?
What about the acrylite brands and more expensive pieces like those? How much better are they vs. other brands?

Always up for any tips / advice.

Thanks
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Acrylic

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Kayvon
Posts: 552
Joined: Tue Oct 21, 2014 11:46 pm

Re: some questions about Acrylic

Post by Kayvon »

Sounds like a great project! Post some pictures when you get a chance--we'd love to see it.

The first place I'd look is the LED strip. They come in different densities, with LEDs spaced closer or farther apart depending what you buy. For acrylic signs, you want the LEDs placed as close together as possible because you're only use a tiny strip of them.

basecircle
Posts: 488
Joined: Fri Apr 08, 2011 2:14 pm

Re: some questions about Acrylic

Post by basecircle »

Hi Pete Kayvon is correct on the l e ds .The material you would need to use is a Cast Acrylic plastic.I buy mine on line from Estreetplastics.They will cut to size for you .Many thickness.And even Mirror.For diamond draging on back.You will see you can even do 3d carving with this product.We have alot of great people on the Fourm to help you. Basecircle

tonydude
Posts: 1581
Joined: Tue Aug 17, 2010 9:23 am
Location: Buffalo,NY

Re: some questions about Acrylic

Post by tonydude »

Hi Pete,
I get my cast acrylic from https://www.estreetplastics.com/Plexigl ... r-s/21.htm I buy the 3/8" sheets and I buy the 1/4" sheets when doing 2 color edge lit acrylics. I use a diamond drag bit from https://www.ebay.com/itm/1-4-DIA-DIAMON ... 0011.m1850 I also use a 1/16 or 1/32 ball nose bits too.

Tony
Buffalo,NY

"What will matter is not what you bought but what you built; not what you got, but what you gave”

Aspire 11.015, photo vcarve, cnc mako shark extended bed with the new upgraded HD 5 gantry with Led pendent.

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