Re: Working with Plexiglas

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Original poster: "Malcolm Watts by way of Terry Fritz <twftesla-at-qwest-dot-net>" <m.j.watts-at-massey.ac.nz>

Hi all,
        My experiences of working with acrylic plastic/plexi:

Cutting: a hand hacksaw works OK but it is a trick to make sure it 
doesn't wander off the mark when cutting tubing. A high speed 
circular saw works quite well as long as the blade is sharp but can 
take chips out of the side of the cut. Basically, you want a sharp 
saw with a large teeth set so contact with the flat part of the blade 
is minimised.

Gluing: chloroform or methylene chloride are the main solvents used. 
A little plexi dissolved in the solvent helps do a minor filling job. 
Too much can encourage bubble formation inside the joint. Solvents 
always cause plexi tubing to craze in my experience. Superglue is 
great if there are no gaps.

Malcolm