Color Cast Acrylic Sheets

[Mike Chance in Iowa]

I've exhausted my searches in this forum and on the internet. Looking for help here on a few issues.

1. Looking for suppliers that sell smaller sizes then 4' x 8' sheets of 1/8" cast acrylic in multiple colors of both solid and transparent options.

So far, my searches have come up with Tap Plastics, Sloan's Woodshop and Delvies that will sell sheets as small as 12" x 24" and offer a good variety of colors. (I have had problems with Delvies in the past, so I refuse to do business with them.) Laserbits sells small sizes, but only offers a few colors.


2. Looking for suppliers that sell sample sets of multiple colors of cast acrylic in both solid and transparent options.

So far, my searches have come up with Tap selling samples at $2 per color in 4" x 4" sizes, Delvies at $1 per color (no sample size listed on web site) and Sloan's Woodshop WILL NOT sell samples at all.

At $1 and $2 each, a sample set could easily cost $30-$60 to establish my own sample set of colors to show customers! I know times are tough, but for a vendor to offer sample sets in 1" x 2" pieces of all their colors for $10-$15, it can help improve their sales and advertise their products.


3. Without having samples, I have no idea what color the acrylics are going to engrave. Do all solid color cast acrylics laser engrave the same color as the acrylic? (i.e. red engraves a matte red, yellow engraves a matte yellow) Do all transparent color cast acrylics laser engrave a white-ish color or do they engrave a matte shade of the original color?

[Dan Hintz]

Quite a few of the plastic manufacturers (not the distributors) offer sample packs if you ask them. For example, Cyro offers a really cool pack, though it's more a pack of the different types they offer rather than the array of colors. Degussa (I believe) sent me a 2"x2" sample set held together by a ball chain loop, about 20+ plastic colors. Just ask.

[Scott Shepherd]

http://www.acrylite-shop.com/US/us/product-groups/samples-8bsadw4xmrm.html

Direct from Cyro's website.

[Gene Hobbs]

Here is a site I buy from.
http://www.estreetplastics.com/

[Martin Boekers]

Check with;

http://www.delviesplastics.com/

I found them to be reasonable for cut sheets.


Marty

[Dave Russell Smith]

I agree with Martin, Delvies plastic is good :)

[Dan Hintz]

Martin / Dave,

Did you guys read the OP? ;) He doesn't wish to do business with Delvies due to a prior bad experience.

[Mike Chance in Iowa]

Thanks for the info on other suppliers gentlemen.

Martin & Dave, I have to disagree with you on your Delvies recommendation. I have ordered from them and will never do that again.

If anyone has answers to issue #3, that would be helpful.

[Scott Balboa]

Regarding question #3...

I guess the engraved "color" is closer to a cloudy-white than the sheet color, but it's pretty hard to tell looking at it to be honest, and I engrave a lot of acrylic. Technically I guess it is a whiter, "matte-ier" version of the original. For obvious reasons the clear acrylics show engraving a lot better, due to the contrast, than other mattes like yellow and orange, which are hard to see engraving on.

[Scott Balboa]

May I ask what happened between you and Delvies? We order from them all the time and haven't had any issues, but I'm always interested in red flags!

[Mike Chance in Iowa]

May I ask what happened between you and Delvies? We order from them all the time and haven't had any issues, but I'm always interested in red flags!

I'll send you a PM.

[AL Ursich]

I was looking at eBay for some a while back and they had a few sellers.

AL

[Dave Russell Smith]

Martin / Dave,

Did you guys read the OP? ;) He doesn't wish to do business with Delvies due to a prior bad experience.

I figure everyone in this world will make a mistake once in a while, we are human and prone to it :rolleyes:

[Michael Hunter]

The big plastics distributors in the UK can normally supply a FREE colour swatch - small pieces (~1.25 x 0.75") of each colour with the order reference stamped on each and all held together with a chain.

Worth asking - better than having to buy umpteen sheets only to find that you don't really like half the colours.

[Martin Boekers]

Martin / Dave,

Did you guys read the OP? ;) He doesn't wish to do business with Delvies due to a prior bad experience.


Yikes!!! I missed that completely!

Chances are though, that he will have to pay for samples wherever he goes as they do cost to produce. Some companies may apply the cost to a first order though if asked.

Cost of doing business is having samples to show. I'm sure I have (others also) a few thousand dollars in sample acrylics, plaques, metals, plastics etc in my display area. It's nicer for the clients to see an actual product then just catalogs.

If you do find free samples for plex in the USA out there please post so we all can get some!;)

The same goes for plastics, I have a couple sample books from Rowmark and IPI and they cost to. They are a bit outdated so I'm due to order a new set. The one problem with that is that all vendors don't carry the whole catalog and I still have to track down a supplier for some of the items.

Marty

[Dan Hintz]

Maybe it would make sense for one (or several) of us to order some quarter sheets and split them up into 4"x4" panels, combine them into sample packs, then ship it to everyone. I've considered doing that myself, as the cost to each would be (if I remember correctly) around $100 per pack, but it would include everything Rowmark makes.

[Jerry Hewett]

We use sabic polymershapes for our acrylic supplier, great prices, great customer service, delivery and will do custom cut to order.

The listing below is the locations throuout the US

http://www.sabicpolymershapes.com/polyshapes/PShapes/branchlocator/branchus.jsp

[Bill Cunningham]

Maybe it would make sense for one (or several) of us to order some quarter sheets and split them up into 4"x4" panels, combine them into sample packs, then ship it to everyone. I've considered doing that myself, as the cost to each would be (if I remember correctly) around $100 per pack, but it would include everything Rowmark makes.

I think Romark will send you a sample pack of their products if you ask them.. I have a pack of a whole bunch of stuff from them. The engraveable plastic samples of about 10 different colours were matt and about 2.5 x6", there were flexibrass/laserthins/lasermag and a few others. Some distributor sent them too me, but the Romark sticker was on the outside of the box, so I assume it originally was supplied by them..

[Debbie Gillett]

I use http://www.calsakplastics.com/ . They sent me samples of all the colors as well as cut to 12x24. They do charge for the cutting but it still worked out to be economical at the time I purchased from them.
Debbie

[Debbie Gillett]

I would like to know if anyone has come across any companies that offer the acrylic in 1/16" but in all the different colors not just clear.
Debbie

[Russell Ludwick]

Debbie, I was looking for the exact same thing and cannot find it anywhere.

Some companies say they carry 1/16" thickness Acrylite in a wide range of colors. When I call them and other suppliers up, nobody has it, nor can anyone tell me where to get it.

I have tried probably 10+ companies and they say they dont have it(even though some advertise it) or they bounce me to someone else. Looks like only black, white and clear are stocked in 1/16"

Eyonix Cyro says they have a product line, but their site doesn't carry it and they say to try their distrubutors. I pretty much have just gotten the run around.

If anyone can help me out on this, I will find some way to repay you :)

[Scott Challoner]

Debbie and Russell

I've been very happy with these guys. No charge for cutting either.
http://www.petersenplastics.com/

[Kenneth Hertzog]

I use
Laird plastics
Ken