# Making an Acrylic Frame



## Hrawk

Hello everyone,

I took a heap of pics last time I made a Clear Acrylic frame and have decided to put them together in a tutorial of sorts.

The same techniques and methods used here are pretty much identical to making a board cut.

I hope you find this useful.

WARNING : Always wear a dust mask !

*Step 1 - Masking the work piece and attaching the pattern*
Usually when you buy a sheet of acrylic, it has a layer of paper protecting it from scratches that is then peeled off later. In this instance, I am recycling an old piece from an old sub woofer box. To prevent unnecessary scratching, I have covered it in masking tape. This also gives me a surface to glue the pattern onto or draw the design straight onto the tape.










*Step 2 - Secure the work piece*
No matter what you are working on it is always a good idea to secure the work piece as firmly as possible. This makes cutting much easier and safer. Here I have used a pair of C clamps to secure the piece to the workbench. Most importantly, ensure that you are not going to be cutting into the workbench by accident. You want it close to the edge to be as firm as possible but you don't want to go cutting the corner off your bench either.










*Step 3 - Prepare for your cutting and check your tools*
When using any form of power tool, safety should always be your first concern. Here I am using a jigsaw to make the cuts. Before I even switch the power on I make sure that the blade is secured tightly, still sharp (replace if needed), give the arm a drop of oil or two and make sure there are no obstructions to catch on the power cord and there is no chance of the power cord pulling under the work while cutting.










*Step 4 - Plan your workflow*
When working on a piece like this and cutting from a larger sheet, there are a few things to take into consideration to make your job easier. Take a minute and think about the order of your cuts. You want your piece to stay attached as long as possible to the main sheet. It is much harder to secure a small piece to the bench, even harder when using a jigsaw as the clamps will get in the way. I plan my cuts so that the piece is attached to the main sheet until the very last cut.










*Step 5 - FInal cut and removing the piece from the main sheet*
As you can see in the previous photo, I have left the final cut to be the one that removes the piece from the sheet. Remember to get ready to catch the work piece as you make that last bit of the cut. Acrylic can chip very easily if dropped on a sharp edge. A bit of tape can really help here, tape the work piece to the main sheet.










*Step 6 - Sand and shape using a disc sander*
A disc sander is a great tool to have. This allows me to get perfectly straight and parallel fork tips as well as nice clean lines on the handle. I use this to shape the fork tips, handle sides, bottom of the handle etc.










*Step 7 - Bring on the almighty WASP sander*
This is by far one of my favourite tools. A combination spindle and slack belt sander that attaches to a standard drill press. This allows me to quickly and easily sand inside the forks, round out the finger grooves and bring the whole piece to shape.


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## Hrawk

*Step 8 - Rounding over the frame*
Using a plunge router attached to a home made table and fitted with a piloted round over bit, I carefully round all the edges of the frame. This can be extremely dangerous if you are not careful, you will loose then end of your finger before you even feel it. Take your time and make sure your fingers never go anywhere near the piece.










*Step 9 - Cutting band grooves*
Replacing the round over bit with a 1/4" round nose cutter I then set up a temporary fence to ensure my band grooves are straight and at equal distances from the fork tip.










*Step 10 - Hand sanding*
Once the piece comes off the router, its time to start hand sanding. First of all, this must be done 'wet', ie using water on the paper. This will stop the paper clogging up almost immediately with the softer plastic. Use silicon carbide paper for this, commonly known as wet & dry. Have a bowl or bucket of water nearby so you can dunk the piece and the paper often. This will greatly extend the life of the paper. On the wasp sander I use a 120 grit belt. When hand sanding I use a 200 grit, 400 grip and 600 grit paper in that order. Try to avoid scratching the clear front and back of the frame. Polecat gave me a great tip on doing this, and that is to use a scraper made from an old power hacksaw blade to really cut down on the amount of sanding required. Thanks man.










*Step 11 - Buffing / Polishing*
This is the final step. Using a bench grinder fitted with two wheels start to polish out the scratches. First step is to use a stitched cloth wheel and a Tripoli buffing compound to bring the material back to a clear finish. Wipe down the piece with a soft cloth and move onto the second wheel, a loose leaf cotton wheel and a finer polished designed for stainless steel, this really brings back the glassy look.















*The finished product*
And here it is


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## NaturalFork

That is bad ass!


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## Danny0663

WOW !

Excellent tutorial man.
Good examples of pictures also.

I like.


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## Beanflip

Awesome!


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## NightKnight

Great tutorial! Thanks for posting it!


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## e~shot

Wow, excellent tutorial. Thanks.

we need more from you!


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## Scrambler84

What is the device call you have for your Drill press to create a belt Sander who makes that product..


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## Hrawk

Scrambler84 said:


> What is the device call you have for your Drill press to create a belt Sander who makes that product..


http://slingshotforum.com/topic/10439-wasp-sander/


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## Sting 73

Excellent tutorial. Thank you


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## Jaxter

Nice slingshot I like it


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## mattardel

Where would you acquire this acrylic, and the other different colored acrylics you use for your other frames? The process is almost exactly the same as mine, except for the polishing, and I'm extremely interested in making some frames like yours.


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## Hrawk

mattardel said:


> Where would you acquire this acrylic, and the other different colored acrylics you use for your other frames? The process is almost exactly the same as mine, except for the polishing, and I'm extremely interested in making some frames like yours.


Google is your friend. Search on acrylic or plastics supplier. It's fairly easy to get. The trick is being able to buy it in smaller sizes. Buying a full sheet, 2400x1800mm will set you back half a grand.

Try some local sign makers and look for offcuts.


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## Bob Fionda

Excellent, thanks for sharing.


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## jimmysworking

How thick is the acrylic you used in this very helpful tutorial?


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## superman365

So I can basically work it like wood?


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## superman365

would this work good?

http://www.ebay.com/itm/7-Pieces-3-4-Cell-Cast-Clear-Acrylic-Sheet-5-3-4-x-8-3-4-/251199986865?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item3a7caf9cb1


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## ultravisitor

Thank you for this Tut!
Wish i had you're workshop though


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## Caribbean_Comanche

Two thumbs up.


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## Mike928

Great tutorial! Here is a little tip (learned it from my neighbor who has been working plastic for 41 years) you can use a torch after a medium grit to avoid sanding by hand into a high shine.


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## superman365

Mike928 said:


> Great tutorial! Here is a little tip (learned it from my neighbor who has been working plastic for 41 years) you can use a torch after a medium grit to avoid sanding by hand into a high shine.


Thats awesome!!! Thanks for the tip!


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## Mike928

superman365 said:


> Great tutorial! Here is a little tip (learned it from my neighbor who has been working plastic for 41 years) you can use a torch after a medium grit to avoid sanding by hand into a high shine.


Thats awesome!!! Thanks for the tip!
[/quote]

Ok, so there is a bit more to it... If you sand it to about P220 you can use a low flame from a MAPP gas torch to flame polish it but make sure you don't get it too hot. If you choose this method, DO NOT clean with solvents it may haze badly.

If you don't have a torch the simplest method is to sand between P220 and P400 then use pure acetone (hardware type not nail polish remover) on a clean lint free rag to polish the up your fork. And if you want to take it a step further use a scratchless polish to really make it "pop."


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## bigron

awesome


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## bigron

very cool shooters


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## tradspirit

Excellent tutorial! Thanks. My first experience with "flaming" the edges of a white HDPE PFS resulted in a less than clean torched finish 8^( It was salvaged by spraying the entire PFS with a coat of Rustoleum's spray on rubber seal. Sure made the slick HDPE more manageable in the hand....Hopefully it won't be affected by summer temps. As Mike stated, use a LOW flame!!


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## Saderath

Excellent tutorial!


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## Arturito

Excuse my ignorance, is acrylic enough strong or brittleless ?


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## Mike928

Arturo, el Acrylico es lo suficiente fuerte para el tipo de resortera que el OP menciona.

Arturo, Acrylic is strong enough for the catapult frame demonstrated in the OP.

-Mike


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## Hrawk

I've made and sold dozens of slingshots like the above. Never had a report of one breaking. There's plenty of owners here on the forum if you want to ask around.

The only acrylic frame that has ever been reported broken was one of my smaller 3 later laminates and this was the result of a pretty nasty fork hit.

This stuff is frequently used in security screens in banks, impact resistant windscreens in plant equipment etc.


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## Charles

Hrawk, Do your acrylic frames hold flat bands well without band grooves?

Cheers ...... Charles


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## Arturito

Hrawk said:


> I've made and sold dozens of slingshots like the above. Never had a report of one breaking. There's plenty of owners here on the forum if you want to ask around.
> 
> The only acrylic frame that has ever been reported broken was one of my smaller 3 later laminates and this was the result of a pretty nasty fork hit.
> 
> This stuff is frequently used in security screens in banks, impact resistant windscreens in plant equipment etc.


Wow, this are good news, there is a store I know that sells thick acrylic sheets at a very reasonable price, and easy handcrafting ... thanks


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## Arturito

Mike928 said:


> Arturo, el Acrylico es lo suficiente fuerte para el tipo de resortera que el OP menciona.
> 
> Arturo, Acrylic is strong enough for the catapult frame demonstrated in the OP.
> 
> -Mike


Gracias Mike, excelente español !


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## Hrawk

Charles said:


> Hrawk, Do your acrylic frames hold flat bands well without band grooves?
> 
> Cheers ...... Charles


Yep, no problems.

One thing I do and recommend everyone does though, is clean the fork tips and the ends of the rubber with some alcohol first to remove any oily finger prints and the anti binding agent they put on the rubber.

Clean them up like this first and the rubber almost vulcanizes itself onto the fork tip.


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## Hrawk

Arturito said:


> Hrawk said:
> 
> 
> 
> I've made and sold dozens of slingshots like the above. Never had a report of one breaking. There's plenty of owners here on the forum if you want to ask around.
> 
> The only acrylic frame that has ever been reported broken was one of my smaller 3 later laminates and this was the result of a pretty nasty fork hit.
> 
> This stuff is frequently used in security screens in banks, impact resistant windscreens in plant equipment etc.
> 
> 
> 
> Wow, this are good news, there is a store I know that sells thick acrylic sheets at a very reasonable price, and easy handcrafting ... thanks
Click to expand...

Sounds great. It's really easy stuff to work with and shape. Keep your work surfaces nice and clean to avoid scratching.

Thing I love the most, is no finish is required keeping the time till finished product nice and short. No waiting for oils or lacquers to dry etc.


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## Arturito

I have the last question guys, suppose that have only thinner acrylic sheets, let say 5mm each, how can I glue 4 sheets to get a 20mm thick ? with the same acetone ?

thanks in advance ...

Cheers

Arturo


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## Mike928

I'm not sure about anyone else, but I would want to use a mechanical fastener as well. Something akin to the corby or loveless bolt used in knife making.


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## Hrawk

Arturito said:


> I have the last question guys, suppose that have only thinner acrylic sheets, let say 5mm each, how can I glue 4 sheets to get a 20mm thick ? with the same acetone ?
> 
> thanks in advance ...
> 
> Cheers
> 
> Arturo


You use chloroform (trihalomethane) to chemically bond the layers resulting in what is essentially now a single piece.

A practice known as solvent welding.


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## Arturito

thanks Hrawk, wow it sounds scary mmm ... I should do it outdoors vented ...


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## Hrawk

Arturito said:


> thanks Hrawk, wow it sounds scary mmm ... I should do it outdoors vented ...


Oh heck yes. Breath in chloroform fumes, you're gunna have a bad time!

There are some commercial bonding agents also available for joining acrylic. Acri-Bond 105 being the most popular.

http://www.acrylictech.com.au/Acri-Bond-105.html


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## Hrawk

One of my bonded frames :


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## Arturito

Hrawk said:


> One of my bonded frames :


Wow ... great looking light effects, thanks Hrawk for sharing your knowledge and tips, definitely I will build one frame in acrylic ...

Cheers

Arturo


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## Hrawk

Any questions you have man, throw them at me.

I've been working in acrylics for a long time now.


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## Arturito

Sure, thanks again ...


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