Questions on working Acrylics/Plastic etc.

[Rob Joeseph]

Hi guys I was scouring these forums for all the info I can get on sign making and what not.

I got an awesome design for a sign I'm about to do for a store. I found a supplier locally who sells colored, opaque acrylic sheets. My plan for fabricating was to make templates for the letters and rout the acrylic sheets. (NOTE: But i'm not engraving )

But I know acrylic scratches easily and I never routed acrylic before. Does anyone have experience routing acrylic? Is there a certain speed the router has to be and maybe a special router bit?

And hey I'm open to other suggestions for materials if this ain't the best option. I'm new to the oil byproducts so any help is greatly appreciated. Thanks

[Joe Pelonio]

A regular router works fine, just leave the paper on to prevent scratching.
The problem will be the rough edges, unless you flame polish them, and having a steady enough hand to do a good job cutting them. Those chips will hurt if they hit you so wear protection.

[Rob Joeseph]

Yeah I sensed the edges would definitely need cleaned up after routing. And flame polishing does make the best sense. I guess I could do that with a torch and run it lightly over the edges, but that would take touch.

If I sand the edges I guess it would just get all scratched up. Do you know if they make any type of small filler for acrylic? Like say you got a gauge, scratches or pin holes in it and you wanted to clean it up.

Thanks

[Joe Pelonio]

Epoxy would probably work, but the it would be hard to match the color with paint. Seems a lot easier to just find a member to give you a wholesale price on laser cutting. Flame polishing is not that easy. Search the engraving forum for tips.

[Doug Bergstrom]

if you are a sign maker you can order the letters through Gemini. We make ours with a laser but I wouldn't attempt it with a router. Save yourself the headache.

[Scott Shepherd]

I assume you mean a CNC router, not a hand held one? Either way, careful with the corners chipping out when the letters are about to break free. Even if you use a vacuum table, that point when the letter is about to break free can be a pain in the _______.

You can flame polish the pits and gouges out, but it's really an art form. There is a very fine line you have to walk between not hot enough and too hot. It's a magic spot in there where all flaws just magically disappear. Finding that spot and maintaining that is a real skill and takes practice.

[Rob Joeseph]

Alright thanks alot guys for all your help. I'm just going to get a small sample and work on it to see what I'm in for before I start the project.

And yes, I planned on using a hand held router which is probably not the best option lol. I think I know someone who can CNC it.

But I'll test it out and see how it goes. Thanks for the heads up on working with this stuff.