Latest Projects

[Frank Corker]

This is the first time that I have tried flame polishing anything and quite pleased with the results

[Frank Corker]

Here is the last of the two - this stuff is 20 mm acrylic and took a little bit longer

[Mike Null]

Looks great. How did you go about it?

[Joe Pelonio]

I'd like to know too, do you have an hydrogen/oxygen torch, or did you do that nice work with a plain old propane torch?

[Frank Corker]

It was a case of in for a penny in for a pound. Did the normal cut on the laser but at that depth as always you are left with a rather unattractive track left by the laser.

First thing I did was sand it down using wet and dry, finishing with 600 grit. It leaves a rather nice translucent finish on it. Next came the fun bit, I used a MAPPs Bernzomatic - it's basically a pencil torch using Methylacetylene and Propadiene mixture. Sounds fancy but it's the same stuff you can easily get for doing small brazing jobs.

Get yourself a nice regular flame, not to much because acrylic loves fire, then moving in very tiny circular motions and blowing gently as I moved along. At first you think to yourself oops, this is a mistake or not going to work, then suddenly as the acrylic melts it blends into itself and leaves an absolutely clear finish.

All remained was attaching the pieces together. The edge must be absolutely flat ( F L A T ) - rest one on the other and then add about four tiny drops of 'Poly Weld' consists of various stuff like acetate ester and has consistency of water. Working on capillary action the liquid gets sucked under each piece and permanently welds them together. Nice stuff!

One thing you do have to be careful of (apart from fire) is that too much heat will distort the edge, regardless of thickness which can be seen on clear acrylic. Having had a go a couple of days ago I managed to avoid any noticeable damage.

The one thing which is guaranteed - this is fun! It takes a great deal of patience but the rewards are great. It also opens up a huges scope as to what can be done using acrylics. I can't wait to get going on something else.

[Larry Bratton]

Nice work Frank! I haven't tried any of this type thing yet, but it's very interesting. Thanks for posting it.

[Joe Pelonio]

Thanks Frank. It sounds fun but time consuming. So far I've always been able to deal with the laser edge, for the jobs I do, but it's good to know to flame if it comes up.

I've used the cement a lot, you have to be careful not to drip as it will leave a permanent mark, and if you use it to laminate two pieces together any air bubbles will show (with clear).

[Mike Null]

Joe:
If you're getting air bubbles you need a little work on your technique.

You do have a problem that's a little hard to deal with--the humidity. This should not be done with humudity higher than 40-50%.

[Joe Pelonio]

Joe:
If you're getting air bubbles you need a little work on your technique.

You do have a problem that's a little hard to deal with--the humidity. This should not be done with humudity higher than 40-50%.
That means I can do it in July or August only.

[Mike Null]

Or run the dehumidifier which is what I have to do.

[Al Mutairi]

Very nice work Frank. Teach me a few things please ,

1- Bevelled acrylic bases , were those cut on a laser or router ?
2- What material is the womens logo made of ? vinyl or something else ? how does it look from the back of the acrylic ?
3- Poly weld (cement/glue) , where can someone buy that online?

Thanks

[Frank Corker]

The bevel I put on myself using a bench sander, it's just a matter of getting the angles right and only sanding so far.

The material in the logo is Rowmark - the gold stuff that when you engrave it goes black - because I engraved the acrylic to the depth of the Rowmark insert (marquetry style) inside it was milky white. When the glue was applied for some reason you could only see the white engraving and not the black backing. ( before you ask.... I don't know why :confused: )

The polyweld I got from the internet.

[Frank Corker]

Thanks Frank. It sounds fun but time consuming.

Joe, you're glossing over the most important bit - IT'S FUN!!! plus did you know that the finish is almost optically clear, not blurred or distorted? I'm thinking I might make a pair of contact lenses next, my last attempt at ordinary glasses turned out pretty well.

You can see why I have no free time with all the ladies.

[Joe Pelonio]

Ok, one more. On the bevels did you have to sand with multiple grits, or just one, then flame polish?

OT - have you ever had bangers deep fried in fish batter, then dipped in piccalilly? Mmmm. One of my favorites. I have a jar of Hayward's in the fridge now.

[Dave Fifield]

FWIW, I use a small butane torch to flame the edges on my acrylic work. I get the same great results that Frank reports.

OT: Joe, I LOVE deep-fried battered bangers, but dipped in HP Sauce, not Picalilly ;) . Fried in beef dripping, not oil, of course! Yummy!! :D

Cheers,

[Frank Corker]

I used multiple grits but that is from habit from working on cars. The smoother you have it the quicker it flame polishes and the better the finish.

OT You have some pretty weird eating habits! I like plain steak, so plain all it requires is that you break off the horns and wipe it's bum

[Joe Pelonio]

OT: Joe, I LOVE deep-fried battered bangers, but dipped in HP Sauce, not Picalilly ;) . Fried in beef dripping, not oil, of course! Yummy!! :D

Cheers,
Dave, I learned about that when I was in high school and cooked at a fish'n'chip shop in Lafayette, CA, not that far from you. And I love HP sauce on burgers.

[art baylor]

Use the back edge of a hacksaw blade to scrape the edge, before fine sanding, speeds up the process. A narrow bar,(3/4 or 1") of .090 or 1/8 inch steel with a flat ground edge is sharper and works quicker. I've done this without fine sanding and flame polished with great results. Flame polish does make it prone to chemical stress crazing. Red rouge and then white rouge buff compounds (use different buff wheels) are better than flaming.

Art

[Frank Corker]

Art - thanks for the information on the scraping idea, I'll give that a try. I know that there are stressing factors to consider but on the larger acrylic I have not encountered it despite deliberately burning a piece. Regarding the buffing, the only problems I've had using buffers is that they just aren't intricate enough for some of the creases and can remove a fine edge and even an engraving line completely. Red rouge has a tendency to dig itself into an a clear acrylic engraving and smooths the inside of the engraving deminishing the fine engraving and making it less visible.

[William Desrochers]

Wow, Nice job!

[Bill Cunningham]

FWIW, I use a small butane torch to flame the edges on my acrylic work. I get the same great results that Frank reports.


About 40 years ago, I had a little butane torch made by Ronson. The Torch head would snap onto a Ronson butane tank, and did a perfect job every time.. You could actually run it along the edge of the Acrylic, and see the wave of clear material flowing along in front of the flame.. We used the torch to clear the edges on home built Underwater camera housings. A 'aquaintance' was also building a housing, and asked to borrow the torch, and I never seen it again...It looked something like the attachment, but no 'wings' I would imagine this one would work as well.. I think Butane has a better flame for this type of work, maybe because it's not as hot as propane or MAPP, and easier to control..

[Frank Corker]

Now that's interesting because I was lead to believe that buthane was not the best but to choose propane. Maybe if Rodney Gold reads this, I think he mentioned a bit about it in the past.

[Bill Cunningham]

Now that's interesting because I was lead to believe that buthane was not the best but to choose propane. Maybe if Rodney Gold reads this, I think he mentioned a bit about it in the past.

I've tried propane, but have never got the results I got with that little butane torch... Most of the propane use in the past, was for oxy/propane for cutting steel.. Propane is much hotter than acetylene, and MAPP gas is hotter again..
This is why I think the butane flame is a better choice.. We certainly used to get great results, and sometimes the edges were not even sanded that well..It still cleared the acrlyic inside the ridges and eliminated most of the rougher scratches.. We were not selling these things, just trying to pretty them up a bit..