Re: Lexan Gluing..[was Pilothouse windows] [was Bow Shed]
Lexan is really a pain to glue. I dunno, maybe epoxy would stick to it
some. Solvent glues just bust it up.
Someone responded to this question by immediately talking about acrylic.
With accurate joints acrylic bonds very well with the correct solvent
glue into what is basically one piece. However, a short session with a
hammer and a piece of 1/8 material will tell you which it is and also,
if it's Lexan (almost aka polycarbonate), why you might prefer Lexan. I
have a bicycle helmet made of Lexan! In college, we applied 1/8" Lexan
(or was it thinner) behind the glass on our front entry. The glass was
busted now and then but the Lexan never was. Too bad we didn't use it at
the back of the building too! Another nice feature is that you can drill
and cut Lexan without worrying about cracks. But I think it may be more
sensitive to the sun.
some. Solvent glues just bust it up.
Someone responded to this question by immediately talking about acrylic.
With accurate joints acrylic bonds very well with the correct solvent
glue into what is basically one piece. However, a short session with a
hammer and a piece of 1/8 material will tell you which it is and also,
if it's Lexan (almost aka polycarbonate), why you might prefer Lexan. I
have a bicycle helmet made of Lexan! In college, we applied 1/8" Lexan
(or was it thinner) behind the glass on our front entry. The glass was
busted now and then but the Lexan never was. Too bad we didn't use it at
the back of the building too! Another nice feature is that you can drill
and cut Lexan without worrying about cracks. But I think it may be more
sensitive to the sun.
>"James W. Sloan" <jamessloan@...>
>wrote:
>Since we're almost on the topic of Lexan...I was thinking of making a smoked Lexan hatch cover to replace a fiberglass one. The idea is to allow more light into the cabin, sort of a skylight. The shape is pretty basic, roughly square with 2.5 inch sides.
>
>The question is, what is the best method of gluing the pieces together without clouding the Lexan? I envision just 5 pieces making the hatch (top and four sides). Any experience in this area?
>
>Thanks,
>
>James
>
>[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
>
I'm on this list, and I'd recommend it. These are all large motor vessel
(trawlers--I don't like that name) enthusiasts, not much talk about sail
boats, but a lot of the information could be used by either since it has to
do with repairs, and onboard systems: engines, electrical, etc. They have a
huge set of archives (back to 1998) that you can sort by thread, subject,
author or date. Heck you can download any month of archived messages, or
the whole 6 years worth if you want. What's nice about this is sometimes
people disagree (imagine that), and you can read the whole thread one after
the other. I suppose you can do this at Yahoo groups too, but not as easy
as this.
FrankB
-----Original Message-----
From: Roger Derby [mailto:derbyrm@...]
Google found the following message on "Trawler World List":
That's one list I don't belong to, so I've no idea as to the reliability
of
the info.
http://lists.samurai.com/mailman/listinfo/trawler-world-list
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
(trawlers--I don't like that name) enthusiasts, not much talk about sail
boats, but a lot of the information could be used by either since it has to
do with repairs, and onboard systems: engines, electrical, etc. They have a
huge set of archives (back to 1998) that you can sort by thread, subject,
author or date. Heck you can download any month of archived messages, or
the whole 6 years worth if you want. What's nice about this is sometimes
people disagree (imagine that), and you can read the whole thread one after
the other. I suppose you can do this at Yahoo groups too, but not as easy
as this.
FrankB
-----Original Message-----
From: Roger Derby [mailto:derbyrm@...]
Google found the following message on "Trawler World List":
That's one list I don't belong to, so I've no idea as to the reliability
of
the info.
http://lists.samurai.com/mailman/listinfo/trawler-world-list
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
Google found the following message on "Trawler World List":
the info.
I did glue the window back in the view finder of a camera several years ago
and the fumes from the glue clouded the whole half inch square. I think I
was using an alphacyanoacrylate (Super Glue). I don't know if the window
was acrylic or polycarbonate, but apparently the super glue fumes attack
both. 3M's 5200 will make a permanent bond (eventually).
On bolting acrylics to things, be careful. That stuff cracks/shatters
easily! Polish the edges of any holes to eliminate the tool marks that act
as stress risers. Scrape rather than cut when making holes. Make the bolt
holes significantly larger than the bolt and use washers (and caulk) to hold
the plastic without applying high pressure to any point. Lexan
(polycarbonate) is much more forgiving.
You might consider making the hatch cover from one piece with the edges
folded down. Then gluing the corners for water tightness. Try bending a
scrap of Lexan first to get an idea of the forces and the material's
tolerance for abuse. My experience is that you can beat it into a bend with
a very large hammer without breaking it. On the other hand, making a
"pretty" is more difficult. It sure would be nice to have access to a
box-brake.
Roger
derbyrm@...
http://derbyrm.mystarband.net
> I did some extensive glue up work with Lexan for anThat's one list I don't belong to, so I've no idea as to the reliability of
> application at work a year or two ago. We got a
> solvent glue directly from our Lexan supplier, and
> it worked like a charm. They also supplied a glue
> bottle with an applicator that looked like a hypodermic
> needle. It allowed us great control which is important
> since any spilled will leave a permanent mark.
> Good Luck
> Steve and Dayna Smith, "Partners'-Ship"
> 1990 Marine trader 34 DC
> at Solomon's Md Spring Cove Marina
>drplanet@...
the info.
I did glue the window back in the view finder of a camera several years ago
and the fumes from the glue clouded the whole half inch square. I think I
was using an alphacyanoacrylate (Super Glue). I don't know if the window
was acrylic or polycarbonate, but apparently the super glue fumes attack
both. 3M's 5200 will make a permanent bond (eventually).
On bolting acrylics to things, be careful. That stuff cracks/shatters
easily! Polish the edges of any holes to eliminate the tool marks that act
as stress risers. Scrape rather than cut when making holes. Make the bolt
holes significantly larger than the bolt and use washers (and caulk) to hold
the plastic without applying high pressure to any point. Lexan
(polycarbonate) is much more forgiving.
You might consider making the hatch cover from one piece with the edges
folded down. Then gluing the corners for water tightness. Try bending a
scrap of Lexan first to get an idea of the forces and the material's
tolerance for abuse. My experience is that you can beat it into a bend with
a very large hammer without breaking it. On the other hand, making a
"pretty" is more difficult. It sure would be nice to have access to a
box-brake.
Roger
derbyrm@...
http://derbyrm.mystarband.net
----- Original Message -----
From: "James W. Sloan"jamessloan@...
> Since we're almost on the topic of Lexan...I was thinking of making a
smoked Lexan hatch cover to replace a fiberglass one. The idea is to allow
more light into the cabin, sort of a skylight. The shape is pretty basic,
roughly square with 2.5 inch sides.
>
> The question is, what is the best method of gluing the pieces together
without clouding the Lexan? I envision just 5 pieces making the hatch (top
and four sides). Any experience in this area?
Acrylic lightly sanded will glue with epoxy, but it's not that strong of
a joint. I wouldn't trust it to a hatch that will get stepped on.
I've seen wood frame hatches with acrylic bedded and screwed to the wood
done that look nice and can be very strongly built. Also original
fiberglass hatch with a hole cut in the top and acrylic bedded and
thru-bolted over the hole. Clear acrylic lightly sanded makes a nice
privacy pane, yet admits daylight and then scratches don't show!
Rick
James W. Sloan wrote:
a joint. I wouldn't trust it to a hatch that will get stepped on.
I've seen wood frame hatches with acrylic bedded and screwed to the wood
done that look nice and can be very strongly built. Also original
fiberglass hatch with a hole cut in the top and acrylic bedded and
thru-bolted over the hole. Clear acrylic lightly sanded makes a nice
privacy pane, yet admits daylight and then scratches don't show!
Rick
James W. Sloan wrote:
> Since we're almost on the topic of Lexan...I was thinking of making a[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
> smoked Lexan hatch cover to replace a fiberglass one. The idea is to
> allow more light into the cabin, sort of a skylight. The shape is
> pretty basic, roughly square with 2.5 inch sides.
>
> The question is, what is the best method of gluing the pieces together
> without clouding the Lexan? I envision just 5 pieces making the hatch
> (top and four sides). Any experience in this area?
>
> Thanks,
>
> James
>
> [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
>
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Since we're almost on the topic of Lexan...I was thinking of making a smoked Lexan hatch cover to replace a fiberglass one. The idea is to allow more light into the cabin, sort of a skylight. The shape is pretty basic, roughly square with 2.5 inch sides.
The question is, what is the best method of gluing the pieces together without clouding the Lexan? I envision just 5 pieces making the hatch (top and four sides). Any experience in this area?
Thanks,
James
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
The question is, what is the best method of gluing the pieces together without clouding the Lexan? I envision just 5 pieces making the hatch (top and four sides). Any experience in this area?
Thanks,
James
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]