Bending Acrylic sheet in oven

[redcoatd]

I purchased a sheet of 1/4" acrylic (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B006FLYXSS/ref=oh_details_o09_s01_i00?ie=UTF8&psc=1) to make a internal overflow box.

I'd like to bend it instead of cut and bond it - can I just stick it in the oven until it's soft and then bend it around a block of wood?

cheers

David

 

[reefgeezer]

Acrylic forms well with heat but you'll need to know what the form temp is. If you know the manufacturer, you should be able to find a datasheet online. Once you find the temp you can use an oven if it will get hot enough (It probably will). Form the acrylic to a radius smaller than you want to end up with because it will spring back some when it cools. If you cover your mold with thin felt or thick cloth it will prevent surface marring and dents during the molding process.

 

[hllywd]

I've made straight line bends by using a heat gun to heat a narrow strip between two pieces of aluminum strip protecting the adjacent acrylic. It took a little trial and error, but was fairly simple.

 

[woodnaquanut]

Also when you bend it there will be a deformation at the bend. The edges will squish out. Can you deal with that?

 

[hllywd]

Also when you bend it there will be a deformation at the bend. The edges will squish out. Can you deal with that?

I forgot about that until you mentioned it. I bent mine to make some angle brackets. I think with a flat surface and some sand paper it could be trued up to glue. It's definitely something to keep in mind.

Special care needs to be taken to insure the bends are accurately perpendicular to the finished ends as well. Even small deviations will make it impossible for the box to fit together correctly.

 

[manderx]

i bent mine around a bucket. i forget the exact oven temp, maybe 200ish or so.

 

[bdevillier]

i bent mine around a bucket. i forget the exact oven temp, maybe 200ish or so.

that is one slick, low profile overflow. nice work :thumbsup: