Adric has another trick for heating up the bend lines - use a food back sealer.

Post : Heating, bending, and gluing to make acrylic enclosures
URL : http://hackaday.com/2013/02/07/heating-bending-and-gluing-to-make-acrylic-enclosures/
Posted : February 7, 2013 at 6:01 am
Author : Mike Szczys
Tags : acrylic, bend, enclosure, heat gun
Categories : hardware

http://hackadaycom.files.wordpress.com/2013/02/acrylic-enclosures-heating-bending-gluing.jpg

You can do a lot with acrylic and few tools. If you're just starting out we'd suggest taking a look at [Michael Colombo's] guide to heating, bending, and gluing to create custom acrylic enclosures (http://blog.makezine.com/2013/02/06/workshop-wednesday-heat-bending-acrylic-enclosures/) . Chances are you already have most of what you need. The one tool you might be lacking is a heat gun.

The process starts with math. Before cutting the acrylic down to size you need to calculate how much you need. Next [Michael] demonstrates his cutting technique using a Dremel and a cut-off wheel. We prefer to clamp along the cut line, score many times with a razor knife, and snap the stuff. But you can also send it through a table saw if you have the right blade.

The bending technique he uses starts by clamping boards on either side of the bend. The acrylic left sticking out is pushed with a scrap board while the bend is heated with the heat gun. Once all of the corners were made in one piece the sides were glued in place. This last step can be tricky. The acrylic glue is made to work with perfect seams, so make sure your cuts are clean and the bent pieces line up.

The process was documented in the clip found after the jump. If you're looking for a more targeted heat source check out this dedicated acrylic bender (http://hackaday.com/2010/12/02/heater-for-bending-acrylic/) .

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