FRP sheets...

[mrs maggot]

Have you thought about using an acrylic display stand, and drilling the centre hole yourself ?

[webtrekker]

Have you thought about using an acrylic display stand, and drilling the centre hole yourself ?

Hi mrs maggot. What I do is, I order pre-cut acrylic (160mm x 100mm) and drill the holes myself using a step drill while the sheets are flat. I then bend them to the required angle in the hot wire bending machine I made for the purpose and round the corners with a drum sander.

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If the white acrylic turns out to be sublimatable, then I'll print the image before drilling and bending, making it an easier job in the press. Also, buying in pre-cut sheets is a lot cheaper than buying acrylic stands.

[mrs maggot]

AAh sorry, I misunderstood your original post

[webtrekker]

Well, what a revelation! ...

My 3mm cast acrylic samples arrived today and I wish I'd known about this years ago. I didn't realise you could sublimate directly to acrylic without speacial coatings, and I certainly didn't expect the results to be so good!

These photos don't do it justice, but the print is densely coloured, sharp, and was easily pressed at 190 °C for 60 secs, light pressure, (the same settings I use for aluminium).

The finished sheet was slightly bowed but was easily reheated and flattened. I don't have an old, defunct heat press that I could use as a cooling press so I'll just have to rig up something of my own.

I can see loads of new opportunities here ........................!!!

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[webtrekker]

I don't want to labour the point, but this could be a game changer for me.

I've often seen thin acrylc sheet and items for sale 'for sublimation' and they are a lot more expensive than ordinary cast acrylic sheet, which led me to believe they were specially coated or something. Well, now I know that acrylic doesn't need to be coated I can make everything myself much cheaper and can have my own range of unique products which will be unavailable from any dyesub supplier.

[pisquee]

You should never be scared to just try putting something in the heat press with a transfer and see if it works or not ... we've tried alssorts, inc cast acrylic a few years back now (am sure I did mention in a few times)

[Ravisteam]

I don't want to labour the point, but this could be a game changer for me.

I've often seen thin acrylc sheet and items for sale 'for sublimation' and they are a lot more expensive than ordinary cast acrylic sheet, which led me to believe they were specially coated or something. Well, now I know that acrylic doesn't need to be coated I can make everything myself much cheaper and can have my own range of unique products which will be unavailable from any dyesub supplier.

I am also like you ..I hate these sellers selling ordinary stuff very expensive as sublimation blanks ..Good example is Sublimation Canvas I bought from a subli suppliyer they were around £1.5 per A3 sheet but if you buy them in rolls as just normal poly canvas 1m would cost only £1 and sublimate even better than the so cold subli canvas lol..
BTW I have done something similar to you clocks using my UV printer never know these would sublimate though..

[GoonerGary]

Well, what a revelation! ...

]

That was the easy part. The fun starts when you want to form and drill it into shape.

[webtrekker]

That was the easy part. The fun starts when you want to form and drill it into shape.

Haha, yes, I find it easy to drill with a step drill. As for forming, I can put sharp bends into the sheet at any angle with my hot-wire bending machine, but haven't tried forming into othe shapes, such as S-curves, etc.

One of my step drill bits ...

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[webtrekker]

A slight problem ...

The acrylic sheet SHRINKS in size slightly when heated and cooled. On my sample of 160mm (L) x 100mm (W) x 3mm (D) acrylic it shrank by just over 1mm in the width and 2mm in the length. Not an issue for me, but worth knowing if you work to exact dimensions.