Solid surface question

[James Jaragosky]

I bought some cut offs off an auction site so I got a mixed lot.
I am only familiar with pionite and corian although it’s been a few years since I worked with them.
But the stuff I got today was defiantly not them. For one it didn’t smell right. And it defiantly had a different texture to it. I t really irritated my nose and lungs and I only had the faintest order for such a unpleasant reaction. I hope the other samples are better.
½ stock took 3 passes at 100% power on my 40w at 1 speed to cut all the way through.
I am hoping to use black corian in place of granite and marble, by just color filling the engraving.
I read another post that mentioned 1/8 corian I believe, Can someone pass on a source for this if possible?
I did the Aztec calendar on my first run and the product holds the detail nicely.
Looks like there are endless possibilities with this stuff.
Thanks for the help.
Jim j.

[Rodne Gold]

If it irritates nose and lungs, it could be PVC based and working it is a big nono!!!!!!!!!
Apart from the toxic gases , it will also ruin the machine.

[Dean Rose]

Hi James, There are alot of corian copycat products out there on the market. Most of the other brands have polyester fillers in them and kind of smell like fiberglass when fabricating. They are also very brittle. Corian is 100% acrylic and is by far the best product out there. I have been a certified fabricator for over 25 years and have always stayed with corian.
There are some other companys making an acrylic product and you should ask what it is when you buy it. The corian color nocturne is solid black and engraves very nicley. The great thing about using this is if you screw it up you can sand it down again and bring it back to original finish and engrave it again. Hope this helps.
Dean

[Keith Outten]

There are many types of solid surface materials. Some are resin based products, you can tell when you see them as they generally have more vibrant colors than Dupont Corian. Corian on the other hand is non-toxic, a bit harder than many other brands and is possibly the safest material in the lot to use.

I use Corian every day for signs and I use a lot of it. The only issue of concern is dust from sanding, you should use the same precautions as you would when working with wood. Corian engraves and routes beautifully and can be cut using your table saw, band saw or any other conventional means you would normally use to cut wood. There is an oder but it is rarely that noticeable to me except when cutting it on a table saw.

Dupont Corian is available in 1/4", 1/2" and 3/4" thicknesses in some colors.

You don't have to be a certified installer to purchase 1/4" Corian from your local distributor, they will sell it to anyone. Half inch and three quarter inch Corian is not sold to the public by Dupont or any of their Distributors.

I believe that you can find a Material Data Sheet on Duponts web site if you would like to confirm for yourself that Corian is safe to use in your shop and particularly in your laser engraver.

[James Jaragosky]

and at one point I took some classes to become certified
so i could in stall the stuff at an airport.
I loved the stuff.
this product definitely has fiberglass in it, now that you mention it. i can tell because I had the same respotory issues once while installing bullet resistent wall board in a gas station.
anyway i still need a source for the corian if someone is willing to share.

[Mike Hood]

Anyone know of any 1/4" Corian distributors in the Seattle area?

[Doug Bergstrom]

If you look back through the threads or contact mike, Corian will set you up and you could buy direct. We contacted them and were set up with samples in about 3 days.

[Mike Hood]

Thanks for the reply. I've not been able to find anything regarding that. Who did you contact at DuPont to arrange for the direct buying agreement? I'd only need the 1/4" material, but buying seems overly difficult.

Everyone I've spoken to here treats me like I'm some renegade homeowner or a laser beggar... :)

Any additional info would be very helpful.

[Scott Shepherd]

Mike, see this thread, it has all the details you'll need.

http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?t=65214

[Mike Hood]

Thanks Scott!

[Brian Robison]

I hope it works for you. I contacted them last week and haven't gotten a return e mail yet.:(

[James Jaragosky]

I hope it works for you. I contacted them last week and haven't gotten a return e mail yet.:(

I contacted them by email two weeks ago, and still no word.
I have tried the only distributer in the area. they seemed nice enough but never get back to me, I have tried several times.
It is strange that I should have so much trouble purchasing this stuff.
I wonder if they make anything similer to it over seas?

[Scott Shepherd]

Forget the email, the phone number is there, call them. With the way email works now, it's a 50/50 chance on anyone getting an email these days. With major ISP's blocking mail servers because someone spoofs your email account, and then add on ISP filtering, then your own spam protection and it's a miracle anyone even uses email now.

What a miserable medium email is becoming.

Just my opinion!

Give them a ring and see if you have better luck.

[Ed Carpenter]

James, SolidSurface.com (http://solidsurface.com/) offers a wide selection of material.
Ed

[Scott Shepherd]

Not all solid surface materials are equal by any means. Corian cuts very clean, while some of the other manufacturers materials will look like you're welding inside your laser. Sparks will fly everywhere. Be careful, they aren't all the same despite what they tell you.