Cleaning Acrylic
Wash Acrylic sheet with a mild soap or detergent and plenty of lukewarm water. Use a clean soft cloth, applying only light pressure. Rinse with clear water and dry by blotting with a damp cloth or chamois. We may use a good grade of hexane, aliphatic naphtha, or kerosene to remove grease, oil or tar. In accordance with manufacturer’s recommendations to obtain these solvents may be at a paint or hardware store. We should remove any oily film left behind by solvents immediately with washing with soap and water.
Do Not Use: Window cleaning sprays, kitchen scouring compounds, or solvents such as acetone, gasoline, benzene, carbon tetrachloride or lacquer thinner. Static electricity can attract dust to acrylic sheet. To reduce it, use an anti-static cleaner such as Novus #1 Clean & Shine, which is available at ECHO Acrylic’s.
How to Cut Acrylic?
Cutting Acrylic with a Knife or Scriber
Acrylic sheets up to 3/16″ thick may be cut by a method similar to that used for cutting window glass. How to cut acrylic sheeting? Use a scribing knife to score the sheet carefully. Draw the scriber several times (7 or 8 times for a 3/16″ thick piece) along a straight edge held firmly in place. It is best not to remove the protective masking.
Make the cuts carefully using firm, even pressure. For best results make each stroke cleanly off the edge of the sheet. Then, clamp the acrylic sheet or hold it rigidly under a straight edge with the scribe mark hanging just over the edge of a table. Protect your hands with a cloth and apply a sharp downward pressure to the other side of the sheet.
It will break along the scratch. Scrape the edges to smooth any sharp corners. This method is not recommended for long breaks, thick material or edges that are to be glued.
How to Cut Acrylic Sheeting with Power Saws
Saw blades should be sharp and free from nicks and burrs. Special blades for cutting acrylics are available for most types of saws; otherwise, use blades designed for cutting metals, especially aluminum or copper. Teeth should be fine, of the same height, evenly spaced, and with little or no set. We recommend 60 – 80 teeth min.
Drilling Acrylic
For best results use drill bits specially designed for acrylic. We can use regular twist drills but the cutting edges must be modified to prevent the blade from grabbing and fracturing the acrylic.
Forming Acrylic with a Strip Heater
A strip heater is without a doubt the most useful acrylic-forming device in the home craftsman’s arsenal. Used properly, it is perfectly safe. A correctly assembled strip heater will not exceed safe heat. A strip heater can only be used to form straight-line bends. It will allow you to make those bends with a minimum of trouble and a minimum of electricity. A strip heater heats only the area to be formed, there is no need to heat the entire sheet if you only intend to make a straight-line bend. It heats quickly, and with a little care you’ll get excellent results because the rest of the piece stays cool.
Polishing Acrylic
Polishing can restore the original high luster of acrylic sheet to the edges and surfaces. Inexpensive buffing wheels are available as an attachment for any electric drill, as well as proper buffing compounds.
Echo acrylic sheets are made of 100% virgin cast acrylic. As a result, cast acrylic can be Bent, Sawed, Routed, Laser cut or engraved, Thermoformed, Glued, Painted, Drilled…. So it is the perfect material for all kind of projects. Above all, if you need a different finish or size to fit your project, please contact us.