Skillbuilder: Seven Tips for Working With Acrylic

[@goodairin]

Now, this is how to do a how to video. No wasting my time, just info that is essential. Thank you!

[@LaFabriqueDIY]

Really cool, straight to the point with clear instructions and no talking, thanks !

[@bobatank1735]

J'étais sur de vous trouver ici ahah ;)

[@LaFabriqueDIY]

+Boba Tank lol, je me suis un peu battu avec le plexiglas ces derniers temps :)

[@tomkennish3630]

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.

[@MagnaRyuuDesigns]

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.

[@electronicsNmore]

Great video! When I was in middle school we had excellent shop classes which included injection molding, ceramics, and working with acrylic sheets.

[@luisgerena6649]

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.

[@EpicSpence]

I wouldn't use glue on a flame polished edge though. I'm surprised they didn't mention that.

[@luisgerena6649]

+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.

[@petearon1027]

+Luis F Gerena exactly what I was thinking.

[@hikingpete]

+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.

[@michaelclark4876]

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.

[@justinrogers746]

Not only was this helpful, but also it had a kick ass soundtrack. Thumbs up to the musicians and DIY'ers.👍

[@ShivamSethiofficial]

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

[@randallsemrau7845]

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.

[@assassin93]

so basically with the solvent welding you want to sand the edges that will be welded together for a more stronger bond?

[@daveyt4802]

Great video! No BS and straight to the point. Need to make some motorcycle windshield extensions.

[@LancelotDuCatt]

These little videos are so useful. I love what y'all are doing with them and hope to see more! Great work.

[@martinmeasures829]

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.

[@MikeTheMaker1]

Some of the best tips I’ve ever seen and well executed

[@RobotJeeg]

First time I see this channel! I learnt so much from a single video that I subscribe immediately.

[@gofast8144]

Any tips for rounding an edge or making an edge curve? What’s best to use?

[@andrewwilson8317]

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.

[@MrEh5]

+Andrew Wilson Mineral spirits leave a great finish when drilling.

[@mendebil]

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!)

[@fabioteixeira868]

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.

[@jfrunn]

Or use a dulled bit

[@th1rte3ndb]

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.

[@jcrt1]

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.

[@iSylvan]

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

[@LaupDown]

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.

[@littlestworkshop]

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).

[@pt2091]

isnt there chemical polish that achieves the same effect?

[@pt2091]

isnt there chemical polish that achieves the same effect?

[@littlestworkshop]

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+

[@michaelclark4876]

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.

[@littlestworkshop]

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.

[@donaldasayers]

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.

[@TruAnRksT]

+Donald Sayers In that respect its better to use a backup plate so the drill doesn't realize it has penetrated the work piece.

[@donaldasayers]

Oh yes do that too.

[@TheBikerScout]

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.

[@sciencetoymaker]

+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.

[@michaelclark4876]

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

[@danepowis]

Thanks

[@Packless1]

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...!

[@turtlepine6460]

So great! Very inspirational, cleared my doubts.

[@ibrahimal-khalaf8008]

Where can I purchase this glue from? Thanks for the video!

[@sshuggi]

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.)

[@sondrew5426]

really really GREAT video! liked, commented, subscribed

[@ScrapwoodCity]

Really cool tips!

[@YonniFui]

How can i go about painting it? Any special steps i must take?

[@LVL1Yo-YoGuy]

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

[@WatchesScreen]

I just finished a project using a ton of acrylic and polycarbonate! I could have used this months ago! Great vid.

[@wjf213]

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.

[@alexwaln1053]

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.

[@gasgiant7122]

Great tutorial & some great tips & music 😀

[@audunjemtland8287]

Is acrylic glass by standard UV protective? What makes glass UV protectant?

[@stephanietom_md]

Hi, thank you for the tutorial! How would you bend large slabs of acrylic?

[@Not_TVs_Frank]

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?

[@thomasparson8610]

Man, Cloudkicker makes some awesome tunes!

[@nhatguy5543]

I would have never thought of using an oven like that to bend acrylic.....nice dude

[@RATANKUMARRateria]

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 👌👌

[@matthewroderique7468]

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.

[@RATANKUMARRateria]

matthew roderique sir, Why don't you post some videos doing simple projects with acrylic.... but with help of simple tools....

[@scottbrennan6450]

Thanks. The music drove me crazy, though.

[@valtercapo3496]

Beautiful video. Short and informative.

[@samuelrosen137]

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.

[@camerongereau7633]

You guys are making some great videos.

[@Fireflyproperties]

-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.

[@noneNone-mw1px]

Sir for backlight what type of acrylic is good?

[@geraldweissburg8618]

How do I make acrylic rods thinner? They are very hard to sand or grind. Trying to fit into a hollow fuel injector rail.

[@caryandrae9952]

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

[@laurenswenson5082]

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!)

[@Robonza]

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.

[@centurion726]

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

[@petearon1027]

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.

[@skyroll-uc6rb]

So acrylic is polished clear plastic?

[@Harudian]

On 0:21 can someone tell me what is that white part on the edge of the acrylic box?

[@ecstaticbanana1063]

Make sure you use a MAP GAS torch to polish acrylic edged.

[@EchoDelta822]

FYI: Brad point drill bits and forstner bits are ideal for drilling acrylic.

[@alexw.3981]

Thanks this is a really great piece for the skillbuilder series! Thanks for sharing!

[@sGeforce]

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.

[@waicheeleung8147]

It's awesome and practical. However, may I know, where are the 5th tips?

[@greenhornjan7600]

0:20 what is that material inside holding the 3 screws?

[@PlainAndSimpleToday]

how do you remove excess or droplets of weldon 4 from acrylic. Can't seem to find how to clean up that mess?

[@shelby50411]

Yes using a heat gun works great for bending acrylic....and and air nozzle to quickly cool to hold shape desired

[@xl0xl0xl0]

Wow, that music is actually pretty nice!

[@dreamyrhodes]

It's not

[@treefarm3288]

The manufacturer says a smooth edge is better for joining because it's actually not gluing but welding so gaps will not be filled.

[@TheRealObiWahn]

Flame polishing will go much better if you use a draw knive beforehand to remove the sawmarks...

[@Dennis-kj9qx]

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 ?

[@jfrunn]

Expensive blade, 80 tooth 3 way, 0 kerf blade

[@IrishSkruffles]

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?)

[@TK-lj4oq]

At 21sec what are those corner pieces inside the box called?

[@slinkyhed]

How easy is it to use hole saws on acrylic?

[@Labolas2Glasya]

the acrlylic in this vid looks kinda thin... i have a 4mm thick piece of acrlylic and im struggling to work with it. since it almost never breaks where i score it. any ideas what i am doing worng ? ^^ edit: i also dont have one of these fancy scoring knife. im using a normal cutter.

[@philjohnson796]

Using the scoring method is difficult at best. I've had best luck with a circular saw and a plywood blade mounted backwards. Everything else I've tried has been hit or miss.

[@Labolas2Glasya]

@@philjohnson796 mhm okay thanks. i bought a special scoring blade wich works way better now but its still a "hope for the best" method. i'll keep your suggestion in mind :)

[@jackofkinrowan]

What kind of glue is best here?

[@MAKE]

+jackofkinrowan The glue we used is called Weld-On 4 - you should be able to pick it up at a plastics supplier like tap Plastics (or online)

[@pt2091]

+Make: does it have an odor after it cures

[@Robonza]

+pt2091 No odour at all

[@arnoldrimmer8008]

+jackofkinrowan Methylene chloride is very good. Sand edges to be bonded to a smooth finish then soak in water to re-hydrate the edges. This creates a perfectly clear joint.

[@turboslag]

I've been looking for the method to create perfectly clear joints for ages! So, could you describe this method in detail please?

[@jakekerr7340]

To those of you who have cemented acrylic successfully: On the four brand new sheets I will be using, each one has a sort of "lip" on the longest edge. While all sides are perfectly square/straight/gapless, do I need to prepare that one side by softly sanding it down. I can provide pictures incase I'm not making too much sense. Thanks!

[@dsheckx]

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?

[@todbot]

+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

[@dsheckx]

+todbot so you're saying Make is wrong here?

[@todbot]

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.

[@dsheckx]

+todbot Cool, thanks!

[@averagegamer9975]

can I use a jigsaw to cut acrylic? also what glues work can just use super glue?

[@tsubirdman21]

Average Gamer yes.

[@archy1590]

superglue will craze the acrylic

[@enelgaragedemartincho]

Great video. Thx

[@jonathanturner8881]

does a heat gun work to form the acrylic around something like a mold?

[@andygaras]

+Jonathan Turner no you need a sandwich oven

[@m.chantideepak5574]

which one is the best sheet for lighting cast acrlyc or marga sheet rep me plz

[@12vLife]

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?

[@ExtantFrodo2]

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.

[@gauravagarwal2774]

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

[@FrozenThai]

When drilling, wouldn't it be better to use a drill bit without the positive rake, to avoid cracking?

[@OoPvPing]

Would it be possible to make a desk with an acrylic top?

[@petearon1027]

+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.

[@EGL24Xx]

Extruded acrylic is actually better for laser etching. I do it all the time with a 75 watt laser and the etching doesn't show up nearly as well with cast acrylic. Also, you need proper drill bits designed for plastic for thick acrylic or it will crack. Masking tape will do nothing to help. You do not want a rough edge for solvent welding, that's idiotic. The solvent doesn't fill cracks so you want the surfaces to be relatively smooth or else the bond won't be very strong. The bond made in the video is likely very weak.

[@prathameshchavan8436]

Hey I am willing to know how we can paint acrylic with translucent paint so the light can pass through it.

[@SatansLtlBaby]

excellent video. keep this type of stuff coming

[@Dimanson91]

acrylic and the plexiglass is the same thing or not?

[@KarlEller]

+ΔΗΜΗΤΡΗΣ ΜΑΡΤΙΝΟΣ Yes, Plexiglass (as well as Perspex, Acrylite, Lucite, etc) are just trade names for (usually clear) acrylic made by different manufacturers. They're pretty much all exactly the same thing.

[@Dimanson91]

KarlEller ok thanks man!

[@Kevinsung12]

can anyone please tell me, the name of the tool??? is there any other tool to polish beside flame polishing?

[@katykab00m]

Awesome info! Thank you!

[@hyperhektor7733]

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.

[@tyrellstout6607]

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

[@wrenbrighton2358]

Great video and useful tips. keep it up!

[@Thatguy-cf9qj]

A clothes iron and some parchment paper also will make the edges perfect .I was surprised when I tried it.

[@ragraphicsartsigncompany7245]

Hello my friend what is the glue name and cost?

[@_ninjax8]

You can also use choloform for fast gluing acrylic

[@ETILHK54]

I'm planning a micro atx case for pc, more likely will use Acrylic. thanks for a video!

[@TheMarcball]

Excelle nt, that's useful and inspiring, especially the part about drilling with a step bit. Thanks. Keep on trucking ! (from France)

[@pavelusov3061]

Друг, когда сверлиш акрил, убавляй обороты. Раза в четыре. И, сверло заправлять надо по другому, градусов на 85 - 80(примерно), для акрила. Поэкспериментируй.

[@MartinBgelund]

Any tips for tapping threads in acrylic?

[@ihaveshitonmyhead9821]

Where can you the cutting acrylics??