Waste Acrylic

[Joe Pelonio]

I seem to be going thru 20-30 sheets of mostly 1/4" but also 1/8" acrylic that I buy 12x24 for the laser each week. Sometimes less, but then again many times more. Then I end up with what stacked would be 8' tall acrylic
"dead soldiers" or "skeletons" as we call them. With Rowmark type material you can pretty much use it all eventually with small name badges and plates, but this stuff is a lot more trouble to use. For example, yesterday
I did "donuts" 8"O.D. 6" I.D., leaving a bunch of sheets with big round holes in them. Plus a pile of 6" circles. Has anyone found a place that can use the leftovers for something? I even tried calling the materials handling technology teacher at a local trade school and he thought he might want them but never showed up. Otherwise I hate to just recycle them (and my recycler requires peeling off the paper).

[Barbara Sample]

Hi,
I keep all of my scraps, and if anyone wants a suncatcher, I can uaually squeeze one out. I have also made a few little "Please ask for assistance" signs, or something with our name on it for the display cases.

When I made a couple of lamps and has rounds coins cut out of the middle of the skades, I put a picture on a couple of them as handouts, and also made them as an advertisment for our company. I did them with name address, phone, website, and email on them.
I gave them out at a wedding show, also at the store.
These are just a few thoughts, maybe you could make a couple of little rulers?
Let me know what you end up doing.
Barbara

[Joe Pelonio]

You had some good ideas, Barbara, but I'm talking a huge quantity, would take years to use it up that way. I hate to get rid of it. I even have a coffee cup full of 1/4" diameter clear 1/4" thick circles.:confused:

[Shaddy Dedmore]

I haven't done it myself, but I've heard people like to use 1/4" strips to lay across the laser bed instead of using a vector grid. Might be able to use some scrap as a sacrificial bed.

Shaddy

[Joe Pelonio]

Shaddy,

That's a good idea too, especially since I wore out my vector grid
in less than two years. I'll try that. But, again, it won't use them up nearly as fast as I accumulate them.

[Keith Outten]

Joe,

I found a local frame shop that was willing to give me their acrylic drops for free, this way I don't have to cut full sheets for small jobs. My first trip to the frame shop they just about filled my pickup truck with acrylic pieces of all sizes and I haven't had to purchase a 4' by 8' sheet in over a year. I don't mind dropping my acrylic scraps in the recycle bin when I get the material for free.

[Joe Pelonio]

Keith,

That's a heck of a deal. I actually talked to a frame shop near me about
a frame for a sign and asked about acrylic because I wanted 1/8" on it.
I had to do my own because they only had 1/16" and mostly non-glare.
Is your frame guy using thicker stuff? I'd say about 75% of what I do on the laser is 1/4" Black.

Luckily I have a plastic store in the same complex that sells acrylic, polycarbonate, Styrene and PVC. They'll cut it for me free and have
a wholesale price that's competetive and I can walk to get it, when it's not too much to carry. Another nice thing too, they send me customers
and sometimes I do wholesale work for them.

[Keith Outten]

Joe,

I get 1/8" clear extruded AcryLite from my local frame company. When I need colors or other thicknesses I have a plastic supplier in Norfolk Virginia that has just about any product you can imagine.

[Rob Russell]

You had some good ideas, Barbara, but I'm talking a huge quantity, would take years to use it up that way. I hate to get rid of it. I even have a coffee cup full of 1/4" diameter clear 1/4" thick circles.:confused:

Find a way to laser drill a hole in the middle of those 1/4" pieces before you cut them out and sell them as beads. Bead stringing is a big thing these days.

[Barbara Buhse]

try going to www.freecycle.org (http://www.freecycle.org)
and join the (yahoo) user group in your area. This web site is for giving away (recycling) things you don't want to just throw away. I'm sure there is a crafter in the area who may be able to use some of your leftovers.

Barbara

[Joe Pelonio]

Thanks, Barbara. Just joined. There are 2,461 members in the group, hopefully one of them will want some. Meanwhile I may get rid of a few things in the garage at home too!

[Kenneth Hertzog]

Joe
I made a press and take 1/8in acrylic cut to 2in x 9in pieces and cement them together, cut them on an angle, drill a hole what ever size I need,
turn them on the lathe for whatever project I'm working on.
ken
slippery rock, pa