That’s a HUGE sign! I bought my acrylic through estreet plastics, they have great prices, great acrylic and fantastic customer service. I bought an acrylic cutting jigsaw blade through them too and it worked really good. Not sure what’s special about it, the teeth look pretty standard but it worked great. If you don’t already have an acrylic supplier I highly recommend them! This was my first venture into acrylic and backlighting, I think there will be more in the future because it’s not particularly hard and the results are really cool but it was very time consuming.
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@GaltsGarage I bought 5 sheets from regal plastic in Dallas for 138 dollars a piece. 4x8. 5 different colors. Is that comparable to what you had to pay?
What size and thickness? I bought pieces, from 12"x18" to 24"x36" all 1/8" thickness. I paid between $7-$18 depending on the size. All of their prices are on the site if you want to make direct comparisons and they are out of Dallas, TX too.
Here’s what I bought:
Meter - Proster Digital Thermocouple… Amazon.com
Thermocouple - PerfectPrime TL0500, K-Type… Amazon.com
The clip on thermocouple idea was a stroke of luck honestly. Was testing the new oven and could not get the metals up to temp. I was messing with tons of stuff. Then I grabbed my old oven thermometer that I used in my old oven (a mechanical thermometer in a thin metal housing) and tossed it in there. It showed my oven was working perfectly, but still my gun said the metal wasn’t hot. Then I used my gun to read the temp of the thermometer (it’s encased in a shiny metal housing) and the gun disagreed, and that’s when it hit me. So I tossed a coated part in and suddenly the gun was showing same temp as my oven. So then I bought the thermocouple to prove myself correct.
It was such a happy day because I could stop pulling my hair out
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I bought 5 full sheets that are 4ftx8ft and 1/8 thick. I wanted to just buy cut pieces but they charge u for a full sheet then a $130 dollar cut fee on top of that and they keep the drop so it definitely is not a place to buy smaller pieces. I’m going to go check ur place out because in the past I could never find shippable pieces larger than 24 inches. I live fairly close to Dallas so it was worth it to me to go pick up the five full sheets but it would be nice to be able to order smaller pieces to be delivered at a reasonable price.
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I live nowhere near Dallas so I had everything shipped, they shipped fast and the shipping was by FedEx so it came pretty quick. Side note, my order they forgot one piece and accidentally sent two of another, they shipped out the right piece the same day I emailed them about it and I had it in less than 48 hours. Their customer service is excellent in my limited experience, so are their prices. They don’t list full size 4x8 sheets on their website but if you email them they might actually sell them and just not list them. Looks like 2x4 is their largest stock size, I would reach out to them.
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@GaltsGarage There is what I got done on the 8x8 today. Indexing cut came out nicely.
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That turned out great!
Thanks. Never have index cut before. I was really dreading it but I took my time and was very methodical. Worked out ok. I documented it with two videos I am uploading to you tube now. I searched and searched but never found super helpful videos on that particular topic.
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Post a link to your channel! I just finished editing the video for that sign, it will go live at noon tomorrow. I don’t want it to go live before I can give it to my uncle. Driving a couple hundred miles to his place in the morning.
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I made an entire new post under tips and tricks with the two video links but here is my channel https://youtube.com/@Dnkfabrication
Not a whole lot of content yet but the more I learn the mor I have to share! I bet you uncle is thrilled with his new wall art!
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This turned out better than I thought it would.
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Fantastic video!! Looks like you’re getting that powder coat down!!! What is the name of the tape that is not tape? The sign came out Amazing!!
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The little miniature vacuum attachments for your shop vac work well for what your trying to do here.
lot of guys use them when two toning wheels.
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This is the adhesive I used:
https://www.protapes.com/products/uglu-500-strips-roll
I bought it at Hobby Lobby but now that I see it is available in a roll of pre-cut “dashes” I will order that fro now on. Knick 100% agree, also I learned the hard way that brushing off excess requires a VERY smooth surface or tiny powder bits get trapped in the uneven surface and cook speckles into your piece…
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@GaltsGarage Kevin, did you actually use that product or that brand? when i follow that link it says not recommended for use on plastics?? i put in quotes their little blurb on that page.
" Mounting, bonding, securing, temporary holding and carpet installation. UGlu® is often used in the arts & crafts industry. This product adheres well to all woods and metals. Not recommended for use on plastics (see Pro® EHB Series for use on plastics)."
I’m sure, it says right on the package “bonds to plastic”, but I suppose time will tell. It has worked great so far but it’s only been on a few days.
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Been really busy lately but I did this one a month or two ago and never edited it. It was a mixed bag as far as results, but fun all the same.
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I learned a couple of things on this one, first and most important I learned how to fix the file when your drops don’t drop and stay tabbed on. Second I learned how to powder coat textured!
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Why did you heat part before Paint?
How much time do you think you had in this start to finish?
Looks very nice!
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