Where to get thick acrylic for block tops cheap?

[OTMOPO3OK]

Hi,
i was wondering where to get if not acrylic maybe something else that ppl use to make block tops...
also can someone enlighten me on what cracks and what doesn't...
i don't wanna mess with plexiglass...cracks..learned that the hard way....
does acrylic do that?
any suggestions about any clear materials would be helpful...
Thx

[LiquidRulez]

http://www.mcmaster.com is probably your best and cheapest source.

While some people have very good results with acrylic it does tend to crack quite easily for me.
You want Lexan..believe me. I have to really TRY to crack it!

Both are gonna cost you an arm and a leg.
Lexan costing the most.

[Blackeagle]

Polycarbonate or Lexan as it's more commonly called is the strongest, 300X stronger than glass & 30X stronger than acrylic, but also the most expensive.

Cast acrylic is the best grade of acrylic, it's the one to go for or Lexan if you're willing to pay for it.

I don't know if this is the cheapest place but it has a very good selection. They have cast acrylic up to 2" thick.

www.delviesplastics.com

The place has numerous thicknesses of cast sheet, tubes of differant sizes, UV colored sheet, mirrored..........ect. They also advertise that they will cut it for you, but I don't know what they charge for that.

[iroc409]

Originally posted by LiquidRulez
http://www.mcmaster.com is probably your best and cheapest source.

While some people have very good results with acrylic it does tend to crack quite easily for me.
You want Lexan..believe me. I have to really TRY to crack it!

Both are gonna cost you an arm and a leg.
Lexan costing the most.

sheeeeeiiit, not that expensive, i can get a complete lexan kit for the 'roc for like $400-500, or just the windsheild for like $175-200

[LiquidRulez]

Originally posted by iroc409
sheeeeeiiit, not that expensive, i can get a complete lexan kit for the 'roc for like $400-500, or just the windsheild for like $175-200

I personally would like to see someone make a WB top out of a winshield kit for an IROC........LMAO

Well if you plan on buying for making a WB top, then mcmaster is the place most of us shop and pretty cheap compared to most mom and pop places.

And as I said initially, its not cheap by any means to buy this stuff.

If you have a custom window place in town, maybe you can ask them if they have any scraps you can buy.
I have one in town and I usually get my Lexan or acrylic from them. And if they dont have what Im looking for , then I order from mcmaster and usually get my order the next day.

This is an expensive little hobby to have IMO. Proper materials are not going to be bought cheap. Then theres the machining equipment overhead too........

Good luck.

[OTMOPO3OK]

Thank you guys...it is really expensive...hmm..i might use plexi then, just maybe 2 layers or something.....
BTW where do ppl get REALLY thick acrylic like 2 inches thick and then make waterblock inside it attaching just a copper base...or a thick piece drilled through to devide thick tubing into couple of small one...this kind..

[jaydee]

Originally posted by OTMOPO3OK
Thank you guys...it is really expensive...hmm..i might use plexi then, just maybe 2 layers or something.....
BTW where do ppl get REALLY thick acrylic like 2 inches thick and then make waterblock inside it attaching just a copper base...or a thick piece drilled through to devide thick tubing into couple of small one...this kind..

Acrylic is not expensive. You just need to find a place that will sell you a small peice. If you where in Spokane and came to where I work I would sell you a 1/4" thick, 2" wide, 3" long laser cut peice for $2.00. And that is with holes cut to boot.

You just need to find a local engraving shop like ours, they are all over the place. I use acrylic for all my blocks. Works fine. Just can't do stupid stuff like counter sinking screws into it close to the edge, or not get your O ring groove deep enough to where the O ring puts way to much pressure on the top and crack it from the screw holes. I alway use a thin layer of clear RTV silicone on mine. Makes a nice flat well spread out surface area for even pressure.

[airspirit]

This is a valid question, though: for instance, the block design I came up with is almost exclusively lexan/acrylic: where can you get like a two sq. ft. that is 1" thick for a decent price? Sheeit, I could make like 100 blocks out of that.

http://forums.procooling.com/vbb/sho...&threadid=5895

[jaydee]

Originally posted by airspirit
This is a valid question, though: for instance, the block design I came up with is almost exclusively lexan/acrylic: where can you get like a two sq. ft. that is 1" thick for a decent price? Sheeit, I could make like 100 blocks out of that.

http://forums.procooling.com/vbb/sho...&threadid=5895

Look for local suppliers that are either wholsale or a place that uses the stuff in their products. The worst place to get it is McMaster. I looked at their prices and that is crazy. They are charging $150 for a 4'x8' sheet of 1/4 acrylic. That is simply nuts, we pay $15-$20 for a 4'x8' 1/4" sheet at work!! hell you can get it cheaper at Home Depot!

Lexan and polyies I don't know though. I never used the stuff. Seems cheaper just to use copper.

[bigben2k]

I guess you haven't visited www.usplastics.com yet...

I found what I needed from McMaster (polycarbonate) in their sample sheets (1/4).

Note: there are multiple grades of polycarbonate: the glass filled kind is the bullet proof glass kind. I didn't go for it, due to price, but I can tell you that straight polycarb is extremely tough.

There's another site that's been linked here before, for acrylic tubing; they also have sheets. Run a search!

[UnloadeD]

While at McMaster be sure and check out their Precision Ground Blanks:

Part Number 9115K31 $20.22 Each

Material: Polycarbonate
Form: Precision Ground Blanks
Thickness: .5"
Thickness Tolerance: ±.005"
Length: 12"
Length Tolerance: ±.01"
Width: 2"
Width Tolerance: ±.01"
Operating Temperature Range: -40° to +240° F

They also offer them in thickness of: .25" .375" .5" .75" & 1"
Widths of: 2" 4" & 12"

All seem to be 12" Lengths, not a bad price if you ask me.

peace.
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[jaydee]

Originally posted by UnloadeD
While at McMaster be sure and check out their Precision Ground Blanks:

Part Number 9115K31 $20.22 Each

Material: Polycarbonate
Form: Precision Ground Blanks
Thickness: .5"
Thickness Tolerance: ±.005"
Length: 12"
Length Tolerance: ±.01"
Width: 2"
Width Tolerance: ±.01"
Operating Temperature Range: -40° to +240° F

They also offer them in thickness of: .25" .375" .5" .75" & 1"
Widths of: 2" 4" & 12"

All seem to be 12" Lengths, not a bad price if you ask me.

peace.
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That sounds pretty good. Maybe I am using their website wrong.

[UnloadeD]

Yea, that site isn't the easiest to navigate. To find these look in the Raw Materials & Springs section (lower right) then hit the Plastics link. This will give you lots of routes to get at what you want. You start choosing the characteristics you want in any order. I usually scroll down and start with Form, but you can start by choosing material, width, height, length, color.....as you go possible choices narrow. I wonder if they have an actual printed catalogue, if so I need to get me one 8).

peace.
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