How to cut aluminum composite panels. Save money buying panels and cutting your own it’s easy.

[@JSwba]

Very helpful video! I was going to use my circular saw as had no idea a craft knife would cut through the aluminium layers! Happy days thanks!

[@TheAIRspace]

yes the circular saw will chip the edges horribly. A router can cut these very cleanly. And they can be shear cut, but I wouldnt imagine many people have a huge shear laying around their house :0

[@AustinIsSoTheMan]

Thank you for sharing this. I didn't realize it was so easy to cut.

[@thunder2165]

I just located some at Home depot 3mm in thickness in bare white and black finishes. Falken Design Sheet Metal. not too expensive. $98 for 36" x72"

[@LiloUkulele]

Thanks!!

[@richardlavoie2804]

Le meilleur support pour aréographie pour petite œuvres je suis débutant Merci et en passant tu fais travaille formidable je ne parle pas beaucoup j’arrive à suivre bravo à toi Richard de quebec merci

[@LargeFormat-t5z]

Thanks for the info, helped me decide on if I should buy a new material or not.

[@caseycarlson5953]

Had problems with adhesion but found it in the comments. Thanks Bill. Another great video

[@TheAIRspace]

No worries, I'm always willing to attempt to answer questions. 😀 Although occasionally I get some that make me wonder if they even watched the video 😂

[@caseycarlson5953]

@@TheAIRspace I quit using aluminum sign boards(which stinks because I have an unlimited free supply from work). I would sand and prime and my Createx would almost wipe right off to the aluminum panel. I got frustrated and quit using them after being hours into something and ruin it on multiple occasions

[@TheAIRspace]

@@caseycarlson5953 autobourne sticks like glue to the powder coated panels if sanded. I don't use them as much as I used to.. because I'm doing almost all canvas work for customers now. And demo videos for KZbin well, it doesn't matter what I'm painting for pictures.

[@caseycarlson5953]

@@TheAIRspace thanks for the great videos and reply’s. Keep up the great work. Much appreciated

[@PlatinumRatio]

very useful info. no bs

[@abbyeagle1]

I have a question about the picture of the eagle that is hanging on the wall. Did you stick the picture to acm panel? And did you laminate the picture? If you laminated the picture could you please tell us how you did that please?

[@billkennedy1220]

The eagle was one of my first attempts at grinding and painting the aluminum It is ground with Rolox grinding wheels and painted with candy paints

[@abbyeagle1]

@@billkennedy1220 i never expected to get a reply - so thank you for that. Rolox and candy paints is something outside of my expertise. The eagle looks very impressive. What i want to do is to laminate an art print either before or after i stick it to an acm board. So that i can do away with the glass in the frame.

[@toysintheclosetshop5443]

Thanks. That's exactly what I wanted to know.

[@zapshenko_]

Can i use for kitchen cabinet doors

[@ldynasty.5024]

Great video. Thank you.

[@freejojoey530]

Do you have any advice on how to cut an oval / ellipse from this material? I have a client wanting an oval, I had thought about using my scroll saw or jigsaw but am well aware of the upward cuts and potential for burring. Thanks for your advice.

[@TheAIRspace]

the preferred method is a router. Or a spiral bit on a dremel or rototool will work if you go slow and its not a huge piece. If those are not an option, the jigsaw fine toothed and file clean up is not too terrible since the fine aluminum cleans with a file very quickly The scroll saw would obviously be far cleaner even if you have the depth for what you need. You do have to cut fairly slow so as not to start melting the plastic core. But it overall is not terribly difficult to cut.

[@freejojoey530]

@@TheAIRspace Awesome! Thanks so much, you totally made me more confident cutting this stuff!

[@mjeffn2]

Check to see if there is a water jet cutting place in your area. That would be ideal. I used to have many metal and plastic pieces cut this way. Having the cut made by water jet machine would give you a finished edge and a near perfect oval, or any other simple or complex profile you might want.

[@johnpayne6177]

Thanks for taking time to make this very informative video. We all like to save money .i was not aware of this , it will defiantly help out. Thank you.

[@TheAIRspace]

I made a vid on facebook like 4 years ago.. although few of you knew me then 😂

[@dgb5820]

Absolutely 100% awesomeness video

[@TheAIRspace]

Thanks!

[@johl5137]

Nice tip buddy, thank you.

[@TheAIRspace]

Yeah math adds up.. 24 12x16 in a sheet. Even if you pay 100 bucks.. that's big savings. I was doing 24x32 panels about 3 years ago. And those would've cost me a fortune

[@bawbjusbawb6471]

Thanks for posting this video. Could you also use a jig-saw and a metal cutting blade to do curves?

[@TheAIRspace]

the edges will be a little rough however you can. the prefered method is a router.. but thats not acessible to everyone. Since a jigsaw cuts upwards.. make sure the finish side is face down and the finest blade possible

[@bertheyns5703]

Hi. Howcan you get round corners , or os it only possible with a dye press? Thanks

[@TheAIRspace]

the best way to do rounded designs is with a router. by far that gives the cleanest nicest cuts for curves and shapes. You can with a very fine tooth jigsaw blade cut them, but one edge will be a little rough.

[@gregsprinting]

thanks for sharing this - very helpful

[@terrydockery3690]

I didn’t know about using the sheet rock knife I have my own powder coater

[@TheAIRspace]

its pretty easy the aluminum over the poly core is pretty thin.

[@getitdone6694]

Thanks for the video how would you cut 4 inches radius circles inside the pane? I am building and instrument panel for a boat with 3 gauges.

[@TheAIRspace]

Fine grit holesaw like they use for tile. Easiest method. Cleanest too.

[@getitdone6694]

Would these be ok to use for instrument panel on a boat it will be exposed to the elements somewhat when fishing offshore? I plan to paint them so you answered some people about scuff pads alcohol and some type of primer, can it be topped off with paint and clear after? I have to cutthecircles and some holes for switches a rectangular hole for a fish finder and 4 little holes for screws.

[@TheAIRspace]

@@getitdone6694 yes absolutely.. These are painted all the time and used in outdoor applications. On the dash and stuff it wont be a problem.

[@getitdone6694]

So tocut a 9 inch by 6 inch rectangular hole would you use the knife, I do have routers but have never used them. Don't wanna screw them up if I can avoid it.

[@TheAIRspace]

@@getitdone6694 If I was cutting on the inside id definitely use a router if you have one. YOu use a board to run the router along to keep it perfectly straight.

[@susansinclair4914]

I just subscribed. Can anyone advise me; What's the best adhesive to use to stick these to an exterior wall? Also, how easy is it to bend the panel in a gentle curve of about 15 degrees? Many thanks for any help.

[@TheAIRspace]

epoxy adhesives or drill the corners and screw. you can use gorilla glue and glue brackets etc to these as well. It would be way beyond what I could write to answer how to bend a nice curve in these.

[@susansinclair4914]

Thank you so much! Great help.@@TheAIRspace

[@dorothysue1]

Thank you for this video.

[@conorcraig7960]

Very helpful, thank you!!

[@TheAIRspace]

You're welcome!

[@allisonkennedy9826]

All for saving money!

[@TheAIRspace]

yup

[@keithparker9380]

Could you possibly give me a link to buy this panel, please? Thank you.Great video! Keep up the good work!

[@TheAIRspace]

Keith I would if I could, however local sign suppliers are your best option. I personally use Grimco which has a warehouse near me.

[@davidsudmeier2949]

Great info! I have used aluminum panels from time to time, with occasional problems with paint delamination. I typically wipe it down with denatured alcohol prior to priming with Autoborne sealer. Any tips you suggest for prepping the panels?

[@TheAIRspace]

red or grey automotive scotchbrite, then clean with alchohol. Should stick like nobodies business with autobourne then. and if you scuff and clean you can airbrush directly on them. On raw aluminum its much the same. But you need to never ever use a chemical before paint on aluminum. On raw aluminum It is sand. and clean with plain h20. autobourne will stick to that all day long. if you flash oxidize the aluminum nothing will stay stuck to it :)

[@davidsudmeier2949]

@@TheAIRspace , thanks! Most of my work is on large wooden furniture and steel, so I’ve been looking for authoritative advice about aluminum (even from the panel manufacturers). No luck until now. You rock!

[@TheAIRspace]

@@davidsudmeier2949 raw aluminum has sooo much bad info about it. Ive been using autobourne on raw aluminum for years now.. Also simon murray, rob churchill. and gerald mendez all do the same. And yet every time it comes up people continue to say use etch primer... which is absolutely wrong. they make special primers for aluminum. that require special care and attention.. Autobourne on sanded raw aluminum is as simple as it gets. and works pretty much every time.

[@Mojjo611]

row Aluminum has so short oxidation time, about 10 min an oxidation layer will be crated an its staying between your painting and the actual aluminum, therefore you need to smooth it up a little with sand paper then wipe it with alcohol all in about 5 min (easier with sanding machine) then paint it directly and you will get a good result I think

[@TheAIRspace]

@@UncleJunior52 you really do not want to brush on a primer on anything you plan on airbrushing over. Unless you plan on doing lots of sanding. There are supposedly brushable automotive primers, but those are designed to be sanded to smooth things out. Those would be filling primers. which are designed to fill minor voids in the surface after sanding leaving a super smooth surface.

[@markjepson8647]

Can you erase when you use this? I seem to struggle. Im using Createx Illustration but it only scratches with the scalpel blade. Then it scratches too much back to the white board

[@TheAIRspace]

you can erase.. like anything else different surfaces react differently with paints. Ive done some write ups about that in patreon before. I like terraslate as far as papers go. many love yupo. Aluminum composite panels act a lot like yupo.. it holds a little tighter if you prep it by sanding with 600 grit first.

[@markjepson8647]

@@TheAIRspace Thanks Bill, I idid it with 600 as it happens as I normally scotch pad it. Paint on the board isn't a problem. But Ive got all the different erasures and nothing apart from the blade takes anything off? Even trying it immediately after airbrushing it !! Then the blade marks are too difficult to cover then

[@TheAIRspace]

@@markjepson8647 erasing and scratching are techniques like anything else and take some practice. The heavier the layer of paint you lay down and the wetter it is the quicker it will erase back to white. A lot comes down to preference. I prefer my paint to be less prone to accidental scratching and I work quickly.. So id rather the paint be harder to remove and dont mind erasing a bit harder. Some people would prefer the paint to remove easily and quickly.. and tend to allow paint to dry between handling different sections of a painting. With createx illustration paint, I have found one batch to the next may behave a little differently as well. And then when it comes to reducers again it changes. Over time I constantly evolve. On some paintings I may do a good deal of erasing and others none whatsoever. and I always make room for what surface im using. Obviously canvas is garbage for erasing. If you are adding 4030 or 4050 (as has been the recomendations of late) then erasing goes out the window. If you are reducing heavily with a hotter reducer, again it may cross link fast and make erasing gently very difficult.

[@markjepson8647]

@@TheAIRspace Thanks ever so much Bill appreciate it. Ill keep experimenting.

[@mavirek]

So we bought a townhome-style condo with a lanai with one exterior screened wall framed with aluminum. It appears self-tapping metal screws were used to tie the hollow square aluminum framing tubes together. Along the bottom, a sheet of aluminum is fastened to the aluminum frame to create a non-screened knee-high band along the width of the fabricated wall. This got us thinking that we could "4-season" the room by adding our own sheets of aluminum to the remaining screened in spaces, or adding plexiglass or such to areas where we still want to see through. The square aluminum support frame/beams could be clad on both sides leaving the interior 2-3" space a void or filling it with insulation. Is this a naive DIY, or are we--as first-time homeowners--on to something? The aluminum sheets you displayed with their finished sides would be perfect for our idea.

[@TheAIRspace]

There is cladding of aluminum composite sheeting, and you have probably seen it without knowing what it was. I couldn't see why it couldn't be used in your situation with the thicker grades. But I'm really not entirely qualified to answer that definitively.

[@mwebb-01]

Ive cut them with a fine tooth skill saw and straight edge for thicker panels.. Ive got to get these panels. I went to one sign shop and the lady didnt know what I was talking about. Fast SIgns. Corps like that suck.

[@TheAIRspace]

yeah tell them di bond or comparable. they would probably understand then.. Lots of employee issues in todays day and age nobody even knows what the company does half the time :)

[@thunder2165]

if i can find a place that will ship sheets to me I would prefer that too home depot delivers but I think we can find cheaper

[@craigminor3665]

where can you find these coated panels ?

[@TheAIRspace]

look at your local sign suppliers. Myself I go directly to grimco.

[@greenspanfx]

Hi, this composite panel only has 1 layer of aluminum right? On the other side there is no additional layer apart from the aluminum and plastic thick layer right? It is only a PE layer and an aluminum layer right?

[@TheAIRspace]

no it is an aluminum sanwich. one side is powdercoated white the other is plain coated aluminum... which incedentally can be removed and used to do aluminum grinds on.. i have done a bunch of panels like that in the past. :)

[@greenspanfx]

@@TheAIRspace thanks for the answer! Another question, what are aluminum grinds? I'm not a native speaker..

[@jimbrumm6197]

Thanks for the idea. Don't know where I would get them, but mine sure wouldn't look like yours.

[@TheAIRspace]

Look for sign shop suppliers. And cutting a straight line is not that hard . Just pull tight to the straight edge.. of course clamp it securely 🙂

[@haraldhasyou6214]

cheers

[@noam500]

What is the thikness of the board?

[@TheAIRspace]

I use either 6mm or 8mm, which one this was i couldnt remember. But either is the same

[@noam500]

@@TheAIRspace thanks

[@deeslinks9788]

How do you cut curves?

[@TheAIRspace]

Preferably with a router.. barring that a jigsaw with the good side facing down.

[@michaelthompson9127]

Thank brother

[@TheAIRspace]

Any time

[@damasydia]

What is the thickness of those panels?

[@TheAIRspace]

Airborne Mike 6mm I believe on these. 😀

[@Hillbillyable1]

What thickness or Gauge is this?

[@TheAIRspace]

6 mm I believe in this panel. there is 3 and 6