Acrylic's

[hawkeyefxr]

Are all acrylic's the same in their manufacture only i have one that seems to be very hard or gritty.

 

[Buckeye]

Definitely not all the same, some soft, some brittle, you need really sharp tools or you will get chip out.

Peter

 

[chas_41_uk]

Definitely not all the same, some soft, some brittle, you need really sharp tools or you will get chip out.

What Peter said

 

[wm460]

Some are real soft and sticks to the drill with disastrous results.

 

[Penpal]

I have bought a batch that require very slow and steady turning my first one crazed allm over but was saved, lesson learned. They are commercial circuit board blanks. Some acrylics age yellow, in fact time will tell how they last.

Peter.

 

[fortress]

Hello Ken, most acrylics are beautiful to look at and easy to turn, but some are not easy to turn, they require very sharp tools and very high turning speed. Having said that, if your not turning with sharp, your burning..

 

[hawkeyefxr]

I asked as i had one blank as i said which was gritty to turn, i have also noticed that on others the cutting changed as i went along. Both came out good though.
I do keep the chisels sharp though i am now looking at angles of different chisels. I will post this separately so as not to lead you guys off on another route.

 

[Penpal]

From advice by forum members I used the square tipped chisel, found it cruised but required diligence and because of the overall thickness difficult to drop the toolrest deep enough. Adopted the techniquie as if it was a skew on the flat angled down just slightly. Works for me.

Peter.

 

[Dalboy]

Polyester blanks are one of the worst as they can chip badly especially if you try and turn to much off in one go as said sharp tools, higher speed and gentle cuts will see a good finish.

 

[Bill Mooney]

It's all been said.

 

[wm460]

Just don't drop the bugger, some of them shatter.

 

[Penpal]

We can prepare ourselves to use Acrylic more into the future they seem to be trending.

Peter.