these are pretty cool. I would like to try to create them. I think I can get the wood part down, but how would you all go about the glass? These look seamless but I’m not sure where to get 90 degree glass. Do they make plexi in 90 degree pieces? Seems like if you tried to glue it ot otherwise bond it, it would make a nasty seam. Thanks for any suggestions.
That link doesn’t appear to work. It doesn’t work from Google, either, so I think it’s the site, not the link.
This guy used plexi that he bent.
https://woodworking.formeremortals.net/2017/06/wrap-around-corner-picture-frames/
IIRC acetone will weld acrylic with a nice finished look.
Link above worked for me as well as your link (Using Forefox browser).
I really like this, learning to accurately bend acrylic is the trick or make invisible joints. I really like these. I can see some of them at the space with arrows pointing to rooms.
Still miss @PearceDunlap’s lines. Remember all the work he put into making them.
Acetone will harm acrylic and cause it to have surface cracks prematurely. It won’t glue it.
Acrylic glue does work and makes a stronger connection than the acrylic itself. You can find it on Amazon for ~$16
Pops right up. Site must have had a glitch.
I miss them, too. I don’t remember all the work…
we have 2 hot wires for bending acrylic. One is currently behind the Thunder, the larger one is below. It can make a tight bend, but i have not tried a sharp corner.
You will need a mold to hold it in place as it cools. Otherwise, it will try to return to it’s former shape.
@jlcourtman More ideas?
That’s cool, I didn’t realize acrylic was so pliable. I am wondering if it would be a better 90˚ joint if you miter cut the acrylic then joined it with acrylic glue. The two surfaces might refract light worse than if it was butt jointed. Hmmm. Might need to do some experimenting. Thanks all.
This method looks way cleaner. The glue takes practice though.
Weld-on is the most popular glue for acrylic. The most common version is very, very thin. Runs like crazy. So as Pearce says, practice.
Despite appearances to the contrary, a saw cut edge is usually not clean enough to get a nice glue joint on acrylic. The edges typically need to be routed after cutting. Might be harder to route a 45˚ edge …
Ryan, as someone who worked with acrylic for years, here’s my 2 cents…
- You would never miter such a joint because the tolerances required to get a perfect joint are too demanding
- A butt joint would work, but no matter how clean the joint, you are going to see the joint. (Think of the vitrines/ plexiglas ‘boxes’ used in art museums to display work - they are always butt jointed and, professionally done, are as good as you can get).
- Yes, acetone will work, but it is not the solvent (not glue) of choice - any post-production stress (e.g. a cut edge) can lead to crazing as someone else mentioned. The solvent of choice is methylene chloride - it comes in different viscosities and, as John G. pointed out, the kind you would want is super thin - it relies on capillary action and is best applied with a syringe-like needle (I have a bunch of these).
- Using a heat strip for bending is your best bet, for sure, in terms of not seeing any differences in the light transmission as you go around the bend.
As with all things, it takes a little practice. For instance, how thick the material is, whether it is cast or extruded acrylic, etc. I would recommend trying both bending and using solvent and see which one works best for you. I’ll help if I can, although I admit to being a little rusty :), let me know.