Heat gun for acrylics ?

Signed-In Members Don't See This Ad

Herb G

Member
Joined
Nov 13, 2015
Messages
1,461
Location
Southern Maryland
Has anyone used a heat gun to soften up an acrylic blank before turning?
It occurred to me that certain acrylics are inherently brittle at room temp.
So, does heating the blank slightly make them any easier to turn?

I would try it, but my heat gun died on me.
Any thoughts, opinions, or general comments on using this method?
 
Signed-In Members Don't See This Ad

CREID

Member
Joined
Jul 23, 2008
Messages
3,009
Location
Vancouver, wa
I think it is important to point out that even though heating up the acrylic will soften it, it will not soften it the way you want it too. It could very well make the acrylic grippy and be dangerous.
 

BeeAMaker

Member
Joined
Jan 30, 2017
Messages
695
Location
Elkhart IN, USA
It most likely wouldn't stay warm for long while spinning. I had issues early on with Acrylesters. I found the best thing is a sharp tool and a higher speed.
 

randyrls

Member
Joined
Feb 2, 2006
Messages
4,821
Location
Harrisburg, PA 17112
It occurred to me that certain acrylics are inherently brittle at room temp.
So, does heating the blank slightly make them any easier to turn?


Herb; Yes but it is likely to cause more problems than it solves. I believe that the brittleness of some acrylics is internal stress build up during the curing process. You need to cleanly cut the blank rather that "pull" the material off the blank.

That said, I wonder if warming the raw blank might relieve some of the stresses. This is done in metal to temper the metal and make it less brittle.
 

WriteON

Member
Joined
Aug 21, 2013
Messages
3,266
Location
S. Florida
Has anyone used a heat gun to soften up an acrylic blank before turning?
It occurred to me that certain acrylics are inherently brittle at room temp.
So, does heating the blank slightly make them any easier to turn?

I would try it, but my heat gun died on me.
Any thoughts, opinions, or general comments on using this method?

Pass. Won't help. If the acrylic gets hot enough it will distort. Bite the bullet snd keep it traditional. Like others stated use sharp tools and take your time.
 

Sylvanite

Member
Joined
Jul 18, 2006
Messages
3,090
Location
Hillsborough, North Carolina, USA.
I believe that the brittleness of some acrylics is internal stress build up during the curing process.

That said, I wonder if warming the raw blank might relieve some of the stresses.
While acrylic can be cast, I believe that manufactured acrylic pen blanks are typically extruded (a process that involves heat and pressure) There shouldn't be any "internal stress" in commercial acrylic pen blanks.

Acrylic (PMMA) is a thermoplastic. If you heat it, it will deform and when cooled, it will retain the new shape. If you heat an acrylic blank enough to have any effect, that effect will probably be that your chisel deforms the plastic rather than cutting it.

I've generally found that acrylic is one of the easier plastics to cut, turn, sand, and polish.

Regards,
Eric
 

BeeAMaker

Member
Joined
Jan 30, 2017
Messages
695
Location
Elkhart IN, USA
On a side note - you can heat it to polish it. I have not tried it on a pen yet, but when making wine and glass cabinets, I cut (or route) the 1/2" sheet to shape, then sand up to 400 grit and then hit it with a torch for a half a second or so. This melts the sanding marks into the sheet and leaves a smooth polished edge.

However I think the Acrylic I use for that is a bit different than the acrylic used for pen blanks.
 
Top Bottom