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sunil jain
07-24-2007, 11:29 AM
Hello every one in this forum,

I want to sandwitch vinyl between two acrylic sheet. One side of vinyl is pre glued. but what glue shall i use to fix other side of vinyl to acrylic.

Any one help me for above task.

Thanking you

Joe Pelonio
07-24-2007, 12:04 PM
Does the color of the vinyl have to show thru from both sides?If so it has to be perfectly clear, and I know of nothing that will do that for you. What will work is to lay them together then wrap the edges with clear vinyl, as if it were tape, and trim the excess with a sharp utility or xacto knife. Clear packing tape might work but the clear vinyl is stronger and more waterproof.

If not, 100% silicone adhesive will adhere to both acrylic and vinyl. You will want to apply flat with a plastic squeegie, then clamp. You could also use
laminating tape (clear, thin, double sided) but then you only get one shot at it, not repositionable.

sunil jain
07-24-2007, 1:40 PM
Dear Joe,

I couldnt clearly expained what i needed. I am attaching a photograph of signage that is, i think made by sandwitching vinyl between acrylic panel and letter.

Kindly let me know the process of so called ice effect sign in website
http://www.australiasigns.com.au/gal/index.php?level=picture&id=950


Thanking you

Joe Pelonio
07-24-2007, 2:09 PM
From the picture, it looks to me more like they did this:

1. Apply vinyl lettering, cut in reverse, to the back side of the acrylic panel.
2. Laser cut clear acrylic letters, using the same artwork file.
3. Stick the letters onto the front of the acrylic panel, so that the vinyl
shows through the letters.

If that's the way it was done, the letters would be stuck to the acrylic panel using thin acrylic cement, which is applied using a syringe to the edge and the capilary action draws it in under the letters. It has to be done carefully in a non-humid environment to avoid air bubbles.

Another way to do it, easier but with less depth, is:

1. Apply the blue vinyl to clear acylic.
2. Laser cut the letters with the clear side up.
3. Apply to the acrylic backing.

For that one silicone adhesive will work, as it won't be seen. The problem is that if the vinyl contains PVC you could cause damage to the laser and have toxic fumes.

You can get around that by plotter cutting the vinyl, applying it to the backing, then gluing the laser cut clear letters to them, but I know of no
adhesive that's clear enough for that to look good.

Scott Shepherd
07-24-2007, 3:20 PM
Why couldn't you just paint one side of clear acrylic blue and then laser cut the letters out and double sided tape the blue side (with several coats of paint that's fully cured) to the backing?

Not sure if it'd work, but I paint clear acrylic all the time and cut it out.

Joe Pelonio
07-24-2007, 3:42 PM
Why couldn't you just paint one side of clear acrylic blue and then laser cut the letters out and double sided tape the blue side (with several coats of paint that's fully cured) to the backing?

Not sure if it'd work, but I paint clear acrylic all the time and cut it out.
Yes, that's another good way to do it. I thought she had to use the vinyl to match the color, but if not there are some colors of plastic paint available from Krylon and Rustoleum. I have also used Krylon plastic primer and sprayed
acrylic latex but of course that wont work when backpainting clear acrylic since you'll see the primer.

Scott Shepherd
07-24-2007, 3:43 PM
Here's a real quick example. Painted orange and then cut from the topside, sitting on a piece of clear.

Keith Outten
07-24-2007, 4:41 PM
Could it be they just applied vinyl to the front and back of the clear acrylic? The back side is mirrored to match the front which gives the perception of depth...don't know :)

.

sunil jain
07-25-2007, 11:20 AM
Scott :


Why couldn't you just paint one side of clear acrylic blue and then laser cut the letters out and double sided tape the blue side (with several coats of paint that's fully cured) to the backing?

Not sure if it'd work, but I paint clear acrylic all the time and cut it out.

Your work is very neat.
I have earlier tried to cut the painted acrylic. The paint burns and get inside the cutting zone and spoils the edges. How do you do this?





Joe :


If that's the way it was done, the letters would be stuck to the acrylic panel using thin acrylic cement, which is applied using a syringe to the edge and the capilary action draws it in under the letters. It has to be done carefully in a non-humid environment to avoid air bubbles.


I never got success in fixing acrylic letters on acrylic panel without air bubbles and dirty looking. In my country it is hardly to find acrylic adhesive like weld-on. I use chloroform to fix acrylic. Is there any method to tight the letters with screw and hide the screw.

Thanking you.

Scott Shepherd
07-25-2007, 11:34 AM
Not real sure, I'd guess that trying a couple different things would help. One would be to try cutting it from both sides and see if one side is cleaner, two would be to put some transfer tape over the dried paint and try it with the paint side up as well as down.

The last thing would be to make sure you don't overpower it. You want just enough power to get through it and no more. I did this sample on 1/8" material and it looks like the material you showed was much thicker. I'd have to play around with it to see how to minimize it, but the steps listed above are where I would start.

Joe Pelonio
07-25-2007, 11:54 AM
Perhaps I should have mentioned that, transfer tape does help keep from marring the paint.

If you are using 1/4" acrylic, you can use threaded studs (screws without heads). What I have done is drill 2-3 holes on the back of each letter, 1/8" deep. I use the drill press to make sure not to go too deep. It's not deep enough to get good threads with a tap set, so I drill a hole slightly larger than the stud, Then place a small blob of 2 part epoxy on the hole and insert the stud. Do your best to keep it plumb.

For alignment of the letters you can cut a pattern with card stock on the laser using the letters' vector file. Include the holes for the studs when you cut it, and use that pattern (upside down) to mark where to drill the holes in the letters. Then use the same pattern (rightside up) to drill the holes in the backing.