Perspex Screen

[colcreate]

Spent all day Saturday cutting and shaping a piece of 5mm tinted Perspex, heated and bent it to form a screen for my console. Polished the edges, curved the corners and drilled the mounting holes..... then cracked it right across the middle!!!
Aaa agh!

Anyone know of somewhere where I can get this done properly?

[Dirk Diggler]

You're using the wrong material for the job, you need polycarbonate, very forgiving, and very easy to work.

[colcreate]

Here's a photo

[kerny]

Originally Posted by colcreate

Here's a photo

Get nugent on here to make you one.

Take your old one off and draw the outline of the base (either side) onto some paper, then tell him how high you want it and Bob's yer uncle

[colcreate]

Originally Posted by kerny

Get nugent on here to make you one.

Take your old one off and draw the outline of the base (either side) onto some paper, then tell him how high you want it and Bob's yer uncle

How about it Nugent?
PM me with a price if you can do this, I have a spare console top and paper templates.

[kerny]

Originally Posted by colcreate

How about it Nugent?
PM me with a price if you can do this, I have a spare console top and paper templates.

Just in case he misses this thread
http://www.rib.net/forum/private.php?do=newpm&u=1084

[cptsideways]

Yep needs to be polycarbonate, perspex is nasty stuff & sharp when it breaks

[nugent]

Originally Posted by cptsideways

Yep needs to be polycarbonate, perspex is nasty stuff & sharp when it breaks

Perspex can be horrible , I use impact modified genuine ICI products only,
Should of used a blunt drill and put a good clearance hole in it sir, I can send you some makralon if you wish, just give me a size,,, and will post it out,

Or I can do you one but am really busy at the mo, just made 14 today various types done my brain in,

Specially this fecker

[nugent]

Today's designs included some other fun


I am not trade before it kicks off,
simply help Ribnet members out at more than a fare price, I have possibly given away as much material and posted at my own cost, as I have sold

[paddlers]

Hi Nugent, I hope you don't mind if I pick your brain for a moment. I have a 1965 Glastron Sportsman V171 that I restored a couple of years ago and the perepex is complete but opaque. It's got awkward curves on the corners of the screen, I quite fancy having a go at bending it myself. Would the best way forward to make plywood templates and gently heat the Perspex to the shape & let it cool ?
Thanks in advance.

[colcreate]

Originally Posted by nugent

Perspex can be horrible , I use impact modified genuine ICI products only,
Should of used a blunt drill and put a good clearance hole in it sir, I can send you some makralon if you wish, just give me a size,,, and will post it out,

Or I can do you one but am really busy at the mo, just made 14 today various types done my brain in,

Specially this fecker

I could do with enough to make two (in case I mess up again) @ 1150 x 400mm each, dark grey tint and either 4 / 5mm or whatever you recommend. Happy to collect from you and pay. Could do with knowing how to bend the stuff, I used a hot air gun and bent it over a piece of 4" drainage pipe. Let me know the cost and if it's ok to collect.

[nugent]

Originally Posted by paddlers

Hi Nugent, I hope you don't mind if I pick your brain for a moment. I have a 1965 Glastron Sportsman V171 that I restored a couple of years ago and the perepex is complete but opaque. It's got awkward curves on the corners of the screen, I quite fancy having a go at bending it myself. Would the best way forward to make plywood templates and gently heat the Perspex to the shape & let it cool ?
Thanks in advance.

No problem
I use insulation board as its easy to cut, and screw them together, but ply wood would do fine, hot air gun and patience is all it takes to be honest, make curves longer than required and cut afterwards much easier,

You say it's opaque! You would be suprised what will polish up , car mop it I've saved loads over the years , use brasso not car polish , get some brasso and try it on a piece with A rag, nothing ventured nothing gained

[nugent]

Originally Posted by colcreate

I could do with enough to make two (in case I mess up again) @ 1150 x 400mm each, dark grey tint and either 4 / 5mm or whatever you recommend. Happy to collect from you and pay. Could do with knowing how to bend the stuff, I used a hot air gun and bent it over a piece of 4" drainage pipe. Let me know the cost and if it's ok to collect.

Will have to check stock we only keep clear in polycarbonate as a rule, 5mm is the way to go, nothing wrong with your method at all, needed bigger holes and a blunt drill, you would of been fine, a cushioned seal behind it prior to tightening it up helps also ,draught excluder type works fine,

[falcon0310]

iff edd to busy i have guy that does it all the time for job just down road from me

[paddlers]

Thanks for that. It's covered in hairline cracks where it's been bent so I figured better to replace. I built a replacement based on a more modern model using right angle stainless & flat Perspex to get me on the water last year but would like to put it back to original one day so no rush this year as I've got lots of other jobs to do on it !
Thanks again for the advice.

[jyasaki]

So how do you guys heat and bend polycarbonate sheet without getting bubbles from absorbed moisture?

jky

[nugent]

Originally Posted by jyasaki

So how do you guys heat and bend polycarbonate sheet without getting bubbles from absorbed moisture?

jky

Bring it up to temp gradually it's fine hit it red hot to quick it can bubble and mark, same goes once heated if the radius is tight it does actually make it brittle polycarbonate or not

[jyasaki]

Thanks Nugent. What do you use to heat it? Heat gun?

jky