Question about different types of acrylic..

[mikemac]

Hi there.

Can anyone explain to me the differences between:

Acrylic
Acrylic Acetate
Inlace Acrylester

with regards to turning? Is one harder or easier to turn?

Thanks for any input
Mike

 

[jthompson1995]

Acrylic and acrylic acetate are pretty much the same thing, Inlace Acrylester is more like a Polyester resin and is usually quite a bit more brittle than Acrylic/Acrylic acetate, especially the clearer blanks in my experiences.

 

[ericw95]

Try this article - http://content.penturners.org/articles/2009/The_Acrylic_Revolution.pdf

 

[randyrls]

Try this article - http://content.penturners.org/articles/2009/The_Acrylic_Revolution.pdf

Eric; Thanks for referencing that article. I did a good read on it.

AND THANKS to Bill Daniels for posting it!!!!


Mike; I would add that the Trustone blanks are very different depending on the color and type.

The White and Blue web blanks are very easy to turn as opposed to the much harder Jade's and pyrites.

I would recommend to anyone turning acrylics in a big way that a tool with replaceable carbide tips is a good investment. This is especially true of the Inlace Acrylics. Before turning, mount the blanks on the mandrel and remove the blank corners with a coarse grit power belt or drum sander.

Off to church now!

 

[rjwolfe3]

Mike, Acrylic is more of a general term to describe plastics. Acrylic Acetate is what a lot of the commercial blanks are made of and is pretty easy to turn in my opinion. Inlace Acrylester seems to be really grainy and harder to work with in my opinion. That article that Eric linked is a good overview of it.

 

[TellicoTurning]

Try this article - http://content.penturners.org/articles/2009/The_Acrylic_Revolution.pdf

Eric
That was an interesting article... I had not really though about the different types of plastics we turn... just know they make some nice pens...

Bill.. appreciate the time and research you put into the article.. well done.:good:

 

[1080Wayne]

``Acrylic is more of a general term to describe plastics``

Don`t want to get technical , but acrylics are a family of related plastics , not a generic term for all plastics . Acrylic acetate and Lucite (poly-methyl methacrylate) are just two acrylics . In the same way , polyethylene , polypropylene and poly butylene are all polyolefins .

Another plastic we sometimes use is poly-vinylchloride (PVC) from water pipes .

 

[rjwolfe3]

Hey, I at least attempted to answer the original question with my limited knowledge.:biggrin:

 

[DurocShark]

``Acrylic is more of a general term to describe plastics``

Don`t want to get technical , but acrylics are a family of related plastics , not a generic term for all plastics .

This is true. However, the resellers don't always bother with accuracy. :tongue: I've seen the same material called all of the flavors of acrylic, even PR.

PS: If you want a great turning plastic blank, check out the PR blanks that some of our users sell, especially ExoticBlanks.com. Personally, I make my own. It's not any cheaper, but I can get exactly what I'm wanting in a couple hours and it's much more fun than clicking "Buy".

 

[ed4copies]

Don is correct, the resellers are not all bothered by misidentifying material.

I am. So if you purchase from us, you will know what the material is and can plan it around your technical skills and durability needs.