livebearer_breeder Posted October 8, 2012 Report Share Posted October 8, 2012 recently got 6 large sheets of clear perspex, Im curious will my skilly cut it without issue? I've never made acrylic tanks before, only glass. Cheers Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alanmin4304 Posted October 8, 2012 Report Share Posted October 8, 2012 When I have bought plastics the plastic suppliers cut it with a bench saw---must have a special blade. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Likoma Posted October 8, 2012 Report Share Posted October 8, 2012 I have used a jig saw with a fine toothed blade. The jig saw will need "pressure control" trigger. the slower the cut the better. Good luck it can be tedious. Always do a test run, on an off cut or other. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
livebearer_breeder Posted October 8, 2012 Author Report Share Posted October 8, 2012 hack saw? I literally cut some with a craft knife and some intense pushing, but im not sure the lines are clean enough to make tanks with. With glass and heaps of silicone you can kinda get away with the hand cutters Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
broms2 Posted October 9, 2012 Report Share Posted October 9, 2012 dont use standard circular blades, it will chip I use a special fin tooth circular blade that cuts very nicely but cost around $60.00-70.00 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
89crwreck Posted October 9, 2012 Report Share Posted October 9, 2012 could try asking PSP plastics if they can cut it for you. May charge a cutting fee but at least it will be nice n square and ready to be glued Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Squirt Posted October 9, 2012 Report Share Posted October 9, 2012 Am I the only one that just scores and snaps it? Or is this dangerous? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
89crwreck Posted October 9, 2012 Report Share Posted October 9, 2012 guess it depends how thick the acrylic is Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hamstar99 Posted October 9, 2012 Report Share Posted October 9, 2012 You could use a circular saw. Table saw would be best but skilly will do. More than likely you just have multi purpose blade so pull the blade right back in so it is only just penetrating through the perspex. This has the effect of changing the tooth angle and will mean the blade is more shaving through (like a ripping blade would) rather than a chipping through and wrecking your sheet. The use of guides will stop sideways movement which could also chip your sheet as well. The other option you may have depending on what tools you have would be to use an angle grinder with a segmented diamond blade. Depending on the thickness of the sheet you could possibly run the risk of melting the perspex a little though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smidey Posted October 9, 2012 Report Share Posted October 9, 2012 the blades they use to cut it is like the blades used for melteca/melamine, they have flat paddle type teeth rather than the ripping style of a timber blade. i would cut it a little over size and tidy up the edge with a router if you want to use your skill saw. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ira Posted October 9, 2012 Report Share Posted October 9, 2012 I've used a jigsaw and fine toothed blade for cutting it, seemed to work reasonably well, but I ended up with all the half molten plastic dust collecting in the cut behind the blade and welding the piece back together. :slfg: Snapped apart easily and just needed some cleaning. With the normal solvent, a guide and some sanding it should probably be good enough for a small tank, I don't think I'd trust it for a big one though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
livebearer_breeder Posted October 9, 2012 Author Report Share Posted October 9, 2012 Yup they will be small, sweet, gonna have a crack, best adhesive? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alanmin4304 Posted October 9, 2012 Report Share Posted October 9, 2012 If it is perspex and not something else there is a perspex glue you could buy from a plastic supplier. It is perspex dissolved in ether so you may have to sign for it. Don't forget that ether was an old an old time anesthetic so use in a well ventilated place and perspex is explosively inflamable (hence it is not used as much as it used to be). If it is another plastic you will need to get the right glue. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
89crwreck Posted October 9, 2012 Report Share Posted October 9, 2012 Acrifix 192 Is what i used when i made my 3ft tank. Not too runny and easily cleaned off when wet and dries crystal clear. bout $25 for a tube lasts ages Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
livebearer_breeder Posted October 9, 2012 Author Report Share Posted October 9, 2012 Cheers guys! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Warren Posted November 3, 2012 Report Share Posted November 3, 2012 Most often acrylic needs to be annealed after being cut to releave / equalise the cutting stress. The bigger and thicker the sheet the more important this is to do. The process involves heating the cut sheets to the annealing temperature in an oven for several hours and then cooling slowly (don't ask me what the temperature is or exactly how long - the duration probably changes for sheet size and thickness). If this is not done the Acrifix will effectively stress releave the edge only and can cause fracturing. This is especially important if you've drilled holes... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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