Information needed on acrylic turning

[suefox51]

Hello All!
I've been turning wood pens for about a year now and want to try the acrylic blanks - so I have lots of questions and I'm hoping you have lots of answers, information, advice!
Is drilling the blank the same as with wood?
Sanding?
Finishing?
Turning?
etc?
etc?

All of your input, advice etc is as always, greatly appreciated. The sharing of information on this forum is great!

Sue

 

[endacoz]

Do a search here. Many a posts on this topic.

 

[wyone]

it is exactly the same except for totally different...

Drilling is tricky as heat is a bigger issue.. as is drilling through the blank. I have found it is much better to NOT drill through the blank

Turning is much the same, but depending on the material.. it can be chippy at times and especially if you do not have really sharp tools

Finishing is in my opinion way easier as there is no need to do anything except sand. I sand with micromesh and finish with Meguires 105 and 205

I love using acrylics as well as wood. They are really different in some ways, but really similar in others.

I vote jump in the boat and try it. I bet you will love it as much as you do working with wood.

 

[WriteON]

Jump in and get started is right. It's the same learning process...you will make mistakes and learn from them. I make every mistake at least once (or twice).
Drilling for starters...Take your time. Watch the speed. Don't get the bit hot and make sure to withdraw it quickly. I had bits stick inside the blank because I was too slow in reversing the bit and drilled to deep before withdrawing. I use a 7mm bit and step up for larger diameters.

Also..sharp chisels. You'll learn which ones work best.
I sand with a small piece of 80>>150>>>220 (Kingspor)wet sandpaper and then use the micro pads. When I'm satisfied with the finish I move to Novus 3...Novus 2 and then Novus spray polish.
Acrylic is beautiful. I got very addicted to it.
Anyway...start and report what is going on. We will walk you through any issues. Have fun.

 

[MrBassMan]

Welcome to the wonderful world of acrylic turning.....it very addicting

I'll give my experience in bullet points...YMMV

When squaring acrylic, to avoid blowouts, I typically sand my ends on a disc sander just before the brass , then SLOWLY use my barrel trimmer the square down to the brass.

-Drilling: DO NOT force the bit in, DO NOT try to drill in one pass...Take short plunges clearing the acrylic dust and DO NOT let the bit get hot.

-Turning: Sharp tools and take your time. And DO NOT try to turn down to the bushing. I start with a gouge until perfectly round, then use my skew chisel until the blank is slightly larger than the bushing, then sand the rest of the way down. IMHO, the skew gives you smoother, more controlled and even turning with acrylic...Just be careful not to dig the heel or toe into the blank or else your blank will shatter or chip.

-Sanding: sand 120, 240, 320, 400, 600...then micromesh wetsand up to 12000

-finishing: finish with Hut plastic polish (CA is not necessary with acrylic)

Good Luck!

 

[MrBassMan]

Also, depending on the color of the acrylic you're turning, you may need to paint your brass tubes a neutral color (white , black, etc) to keep the brass from showing.

 

[Souths1der]

I prefer using my carbide tools on acrylics. They seem to cut better imo.

 

[randyrls]

Sue; Check out the article in the IAP Wiki on Pen Blank Preparation. The suggestions above are good ones.

 

[tomtedesco]

Great advice in above posts. I would just add that I take my time and LIGHT cuts, being aggressive caused chipping or blow ups. Try it, you'll like it!!!

 

[Glenn Nevins]

Go to Exotic Blanks web site to the need help section and under videos, Ed has a lot of the info you need.

 

[TonyL]

Sent you a PM last night.

 

[JD Combs Sr]

Welcome to the wonderful world of acrylic turning.....it very addicting

I'll give my experience in bullet points...YMMV

When squaring acrylic, to avoid blowouts, I typically sand my ends on a disc sander just before the brass , then SLOWLY use my barrel trimmer the square down to the brass.

-Drilling: DO NOT force the bit in, DO NOT try to drill in one pass...Take short plunges clearing the acrylic dust and DO NOT let the bit get hot.

-Turning: Sharp tools and take your time. And DO NOT try to turn down to the bushing. I start with a gouge until perfectly round, then use my skew chisel until the blank is slightly larger than the bushing, then sand the rest of the way down. IMHO, the skew gives you smoother, more controlled and even turning with acrylic...Just be careful not to dig the heel or toe into the blank or else your blank will shatter or chip.
-Sanding: sand 120, 240, 320, 400, 600...then micromesh wetsand up to 12000
-finishing: finish with Hut plastic polish (CA is not necessary with acrylic)
Good Luck!

Ditto and +1 on Bassman's comments especially use of a skew for acrylics and welcome to the acrylic vortex.

 

[ed4copies]

Hey Sue!!

Pop a bag of popcorn, grab your favorite beverage and spend an hour or so , here:
Exotic Blanks :: How To Videos

There are several types of "plastic": acrylic acetate is the easiest place to start, although alumilite is also easy to turn. Polyester resin can be quite tricky, depending on how it was made.

Good luck and get lots of practice----that will get you the best improvement.

 

[suefox51]

Wow - thanks for all the input - I checked out the videos from Ed at Exotic Blanks - great help, then I ordered some from them!
Will take all into consideration when I start drilling, etc.
It may be a while since I took a fall, sustained a concussion and two black eyes! But, I'll heal and get back to things!
Thanks again for all your input.

 

[suefox51]

Thanks for the PM Tony - will give you a call when I'm back turning!

 

[WriteON]

It may be a while since I took a fall, sustained a concussion and two black eyes! But, I'll heal and get back to things!
Thanks again for all your input.

Sorry to hear. Your lathe is waiting for you to return....and so are we.

 

[suefox51]

One additional questions - can I use a chop saw to cut the blank, if not, what type of saw??

 

[csr67]

One additional questions - can I use a chop saw to cut the blank, if not, what type of saw??

Sure you can. I use a small Delta 8 1/4" miter saw with a fine tooth blade to cut my blanks, both wood and acrylic. I will however be cutting a band saw in the near future to make this process easier....

 

[ed4copies]

One additional questions - can I use a chop saw to cut the blank, if not, what type of saw??

Be VERY VERY careful!!!!!

Devise a holding mechanism so your fingers are far from the blade!!!!!

SAFETY first!!!
Ed

 

[WriteON]

One additional questions - can I use a chop saw to cut the blank, if not, what type of saw??

Be VERY VERY careful!!!!!

Devise a holding mechanism so your fingers are far from the blade!!!!!

SAFETY first!!!
Ed

I use a mitre with a hack saw. The saw eats up the box but it is a lot safer.....and there is no substitute for safety. The boxes are cheap...simply replace when it get chewed up.

 

[dartman]

I agree with the jump in and try it camp,just be sure to wear a face mask.