Crafts made from plexiglass are becoming more and more popular. This beautiful and pliable material is suitable for making figurines, photo frames and other interesting and beautiful things. In this material we will tell you how to make a price tag holder and a phone stand from plexiglass.
Advantages and disadvantages
Plexiglas has become a popular material for crafts due to the following qualities:
- ease;
- durability;
- UV resistance;
- impact resistance;
- pliability to many types of processing and decoration.
The disadvantages of this material include flammability and poor scratch resistance.
Video “Making a ring from plexiglass”
From this video you will learn how to make a ring from plexiglass with your own hands.
Classification
There are several types of plexiglass.
- Transparent. Colorless smooth sheets transmitting up to 95% of light. Suitable for etching and engraving. A frame or carved figurine made of this material looks great with an LED garland attached around the perimeter.
- Colored. The material has a uniform color and transmits 20–75% of light, depending on the thickness of the sheet and the saturation of the shade. Such plexiglass can be relatively transparent or matte, softly scattering light. It makes spectacular stained glass windows and lamps. Sheets that transmit minimal light are especially good for night lights.
- Corrugated. On one side of the sheet there is a convex pattern. This plexiglass can be either transparent or colored. It is rarely used for crafts.
General instructions
Now let's look at how to make simple but very useful things from plexiglass: a price tag holder and a phone stand.
Preparing tools
To work with plexiglass you will need the following tools:
- ruler;
- knife, circular saw or jigsaw;
- weight;
- inclined stop;
- thermal cutter
You can make the cutter yourself. For this you will need:
- nitrochrome wire 0.5–1 mm thick and 30–50 cm long;
- frame;
- 12V power supply.
Thanks to a special knife for plexiglass, you can easily cut necessary details from this material
The wire is fixed to the frame and connected to a power source. This device is needed to bend plexiglass.
Draw exact diagrams of the workpieces in advance: an error of 1 cm can make the item unusable. Both structures have vertical parts, so the base must be secure so that they do not fall.
Making a holder for price tags
There are several types of price tag holders. For example, consider the manufacture of a tabletop. It has the following shape: an inclined vertical part extends from the base with a tight clip at the top, thanks to which the price sheet does not fall out. For such a product you will need a transparent sheet 1.5–3 mm thick.
The work is carried out like this:
Making a phone stand
As an example, consider creating a stand with a base, a vertical part, a bottom stop and side holders. All these parts can be rectangular or artistic.
The video course describes in detail how to make transparent plexiglass stands for booklets, jewelry, cosmetics, Cell Phones, wallets, shoes and other products made of plexiglass (acrylic). And also transparent holders for price tags - price tag holders. You will learn what tools (with a minimum price) and materials are needed for this, where to get them and how to process them.
“How to make money on plexiglass products”
The video course describes in detail how to make transparent plexiglass stands for booklets, jewelry, cosmetics, cell phones, wallets, shoes and other plexiglass (acrylic) products. And also transparent holders for price tags - price tag holders.
You will learn what tools (with a minimum price) and materials are needed for this, where to get them and how to process them.
What can be made from plexiglass?
WATCH A VIDEO!
Does anyone need these things and is it possible to make money on them?
WATCH A VIDEO!
Here are approximate calculations of the cost of products and the price for the customer:
- 1 sq.m. PVC transparent 0.8 mm costs 163 rubles.
- 1 sq.m. Plexiglas 1.5 mm. costs 378 rubles.
- Price holder 3 cm by 5 cm.
- The total area of the material is 0.003 square meters. Cost price 0.57 rub.
- Price for the client 5-6 rubles:
- Stand for a wallet (or other product).
- The total area of the material is 0.023 square meters. Cost 8.7 rub. Price: 52 rub.
- Mobile phone stand.
- The total area of the material is 0.015 square meters. Cost price 5.7 rub. Price: 33 rub.
Prices for materials and prices for finished goods may vary depending on where you live. But still, you saw that you can make money by making such products. Moreover, such products are ordered in tens, hundreds, and sometimes thousands.
You can make these products yourself:
What's inside the course?
You will see a menu:
And 12 video lessons lasting 1 hour 10 minutes:
Lesson 1. Materials and tools:
Lesson 2. Where to get materials:
Lesson 3. How to correctly mark up and calculate materials:
Lesson 4. How to properly cut plastics at home:
Lesson 5. How to make a device for bending plastics:
Lesson 6. How to bend plastics correctly:
Lesson 7. Selecting a transformer:
Lesson 8. Making a price tag holder (price tag):
Lesson 9. Making stands for wallets:
Lesson 10. We draw blanks and models in CorelDraw:
Lesson 11. Making beautiful numbers, tokens, tags:
Present!
Lesson on making Decorative mirrors. How to make a mirror from plastic. + Ready-made mirror templates
Now it has become fashionable to decorate the interior with figured mirrors. Unlike glass mirrors, plastic mirrors are lightweight and safe. Even if a child or you misses or accidentally hits such a mirror, the risk of injury is minimal.
Decorative mirrors give the room a magnificent look and volume. Moreover, any of your fantasies can be realized. Mirrors can be made of any shape and size.
Will the owners of online stores selling mirrors share the secret of making them? Hardly!
If you are interested in the technology of making interior mirrors and small mirror magnets for the refrigerator, then you will learn about it from my video lesson.
For buyers of the video course on Plexiglas, I give this video lesson and ready-made mirror templates for free!
Lesson 12. Making interior mirrors from plastic:
Mirror templates that you will receive as a gift!
Where and for what purposes it is not used - you can make hulls, front and decorative panels, used for “modding” computer cases, making three-dimensional figures, letters and much more. This material can also be used for dynamic light installations (flashing lights, running lights, etc.), the light in plexiglass spreads directly and evenly, resulting in very bright and beautiful things that look impressive in the dark.
The main advantages of plexiglass are:
- high light transmittance - 92%, which does not change over time, maintaining its original color.
- Impact resistance is 5 times greater than that of glass.
- resistant to moisture.
- environmentally friendly, does not emit any toxic gases when burned.
- easy to process.
- the ability to give various shapes using a hot air gun, without disturbing the optical properties, with excellent detail.
- mechanical processing is carried out with the same ease as wood processing
stability in the external environment.
- frost-resistant material.
- transmits 73% of ultraviolet rays, while UV rays do not cause yellowing and degradation of acrylic glass.
- stability in chemical environments.
- electrical insulating properties.
But there is perhaps the most important drawback - plexiglass scratches very easily, so you need to work with it carefully.
How to cut and process plexiglass?
Many people cut plexiglass using a jigsaw or a hacksaw, i.e. canvas. I don’t like any of these methods, primarily because a lot of debris appears during cutting, and the glass can be accidentally scratched, even though there is a protective film on it.
I want to offer you another, more advanced, simple and “functional” cutting method, after which not a single chip will remain - this is cutting using a hot spiral. This method is most suitable for thin types of plexiglass.
The advantages of this method:
- after cutting there is no debris left behind
- when cutting with a blade or jigsaw, plexiglass can be scratched or it can even crack, especially if the glass is thin.
- when cutting with a spiral, you can completely control the process and cut out any shape.
- after proper cutting, plexiglass usually does not even need processing, but if molten parts of the glass remain on the edges, they are cut off with a knife or processed with a file.
- in this way you can cut almost any plastic, not just plexiglass.
- no physical activity, sit in your chair and enjoy the cutting process =)
Now I’ll tell you how to make such a “cutter” and what you need for it.
First of all, we need a spiral, almost any will do, the main thing is that your power source can heat it. For example, you can get a spiral from old variable resistors, soldering irons, or buy a spiral for heating devices in the electrical goods department. The length of the spiral is selected experimentally, because They all have different resistance. For example, I used a spiral from a burnt soldering iron, with a diameter of about 0.3 mm, with a length of 7 cm and with a power supply of 12 volts, it becomes almost red hot (it consumes 1.5 amperes). By the way, we don’t necessarily need to heat the spiral until it’s red hot, otherwise when cutting the plexiglass will smoke and stink.
The spiral at both ends must be secured to metal pins, and the pins themselves must be soldered to the cable that will connect to the power source. If you want to get perfectly straight edges after the cut, then the pins need to be secured to something so that the spiral stays straight during cutting and is not bent like mine below in the photo. It is better to use a power source with an adjustable output voltage.
I made myself a design like the one below in the photo, I have already cut a lot of glass this way.
Cutting video:
How and with what to glue plexiglass?
Generally speaking, the technology for gluing plexiglass is not simple and is very different from gluing ordinary glass. If ordinary glass is glued with silicone glue or a hot glue gun, then when gluing plexiglass this will not give the best results.
Plexiglas should not be glued, for example, with cyanoacrylate glue; the glass at the gluing points may turn white because of this, and it is impossible to clean it. This kind of glue is liquid and flows where it is not needed, and it grabs in a second, which is also not very good. The only advantage of cyanoacrylate glue is that it sets very strongly.
For gluing plexiglass I recommend using dichloroethane, this is a clear liquid, highly poisonous, so no need to snort it! Dichloroethane dissolves almost any plastic and glues them together. You can buy dichloroethane in radio parts departments, or where they sell adhesives.
Before gluing, the plexiglass joints must first be leveled and cleaned, then dichloroethane is evenly applied to the surfaces to be glued and they are connected without allowing them to dry. Then you need to prepare a mixture of plexiglass shavings and dichloroethane, take the shavings or pieces of plexiglass and dissolve them in this liquid. The consistency of the mixture should be similar to jelly; the seam should be filled with this mixture.
For the first time, it’s worth practicing on unnecessary pieces of plexiglass.
I repeat, dichloroethane is very poisonous, they shouldn't breathe! Work should be done in a well-ventilated area or outdoors. After work, you should wash your hands well warm water with soap.
Plexiglas bending
Plexiglas is a plastic, it acquires plasticity when high temperatures, you can bend it 90 degrees, or give the glass a certain shape. The most difficult thing when bending plexiglass is to bend it in the right place, as planned.
Plexiglas can be bent in boiling water using gas burner, in an oven or with a hot air gun. I'll tell you about bending plexiglass using a hot air gun and a spiral. To begin with, you need to draw, or better yet, scratch a line on the plexiglass; you should not use markers because... After warming up, marker marks will be difficult to remove. Next, we fix one half of the plexiglass on a flat table using a vice, take a construction hair dryer, or a hair dryer from a soldering station and begin to heat the glass along the line we have drawn. The temperature of the hair dryer should be set to around 150-180 degrees - depending on the type of plexiglass. As the heating progressed, as soon as the glass began to give in (by the way, this will optimal temperature) we begin to bend, you should not remove the hairdryer during the process, you need to maintain the temperature and warm it up further. In general, I advise you to heat it better from both sides, with two hair dryers, if the plexiglass is thick, 5-6 mm. You need to bend in the direction away from the heat source.
In order to heat only the section of glass we need, I advise you to cover the rest of the section with something, just in case, leaving only a narrow strip open for heating and bending. Don't forget about the various cylindrical objects, metal pipes for example, which can be used as a template according to which you can make a bend of the desired radius, or even make a tube from plexiglass.
Using a hot air gun you can make various shapes made of plexiglass for small structures, it is convenient to make shapes from wood, we grind, saw out the required form, put plexiglass on it and heat it with a hairdryer, the glass will melt and begin to fit into shape. After bending, the glass must be cooled smoothly and evenly.
Just the other day, I came across another interesting way. Thin types of plexiglass can be bent using the same spiral; to do this, we stretch this spiral in the place we need, at a distance of several mm from the glass, and heat the wire. You will feel the moment when the glass begins to give in.
Plexiglas in Lately has found wide application in various sectors of life. Office partitions, advertising products, aquariums and other decorative items are made from it. This material is easy to work with at home. You can purchase it at any building materials sales department.
Good lighting in the house plays an important role in any design solution. Original decoration Your apartment can become a lamp made from plexiglass with your own hands. A little imagination and perseverance - and your room will sparkle with new colors.
How to make an original lamp yourself?
If you have decided on the idea of making it, then it’s time to get to work. The product requires a container made of organic glass. Tools you will need: Circular Saw, scissors, pencil. Stock up on copy paper, stencils, and paint. You also need a cartridge and a wire with a switch.
Expert opinion
Ivan Zaitsev
Lighting specialist, department consultant building materials large chain of stores
Ask a question to an expertYou can buy a stencil, or you can make it yourself. There are quite a lot of different options on the Internet, you should choose the one you like and print it out. You need to copy the stencil onto vinyl paper using carbon paper. Cut out the stencil according to the applied pattern, remove protective film and glue it to the plexiglass. Gluing requires care; the surface must be clean and dry.
The next stage in the work is painting the plexiglass. Better paint Apply from a sprayer: layer by layer. The number of layers is determined visually, depending on the quality of application. It is better to choose paint to match the home interior.
The paint should dry well, a day is enough. Remove the stencil carefully, without scratching the painted surface. You can use plexiglass as a material for the lamp, which can be either transparent or of various colors. color range. Then there will be no need for painting at home.
All that remains is to connect the socket and wire with the switch, check how the lamp works.
A table lamp or floor lamp, in addition to decorating with a stencil, can also be decorated with photographs. Beautiful landscapes and city streets will create a unique look for the product. And children's photographs, family holiday and celebrations will remind you of happy moments. This plexiglass lamp will not leave anyone indifferent. How nice it is to receive it as a gift! Photos of friends, parents, grandchildren with grandparents - whatever your imagination desires!
Little tricks in making
- Favorite photos need to be printed on a printer using special paper. The paper should not be very thick, as it must transmit enough light.
- Cut out the resulting photographs and record them on transparent film.
- Attach a cut-out sheet of organic glass to the frame of the lamp, fix the film with the photo on it, then put more plexiglass on top.
- Fasten all the elements with screws, cut off the protruding edges of the film.
In addition to floor and table lamps, you can make a ceiling chandelier with your own hands. Additionally, you only need to provide special fastenings. Decorative thread is suitable for decoration, preferably linen. Choose the appropriate color to match the lamp or interior. It will look original in weaving.
Plexiglas for making lamps can be purchased at building materials stores. It is convenient to process at home. The material is easy to saw circular saw. It's better to cut on average speed so as not to melt due to overheating. You can drill it ordinary drills. It is recommended to place plywood under the glass when drilling to prevent cracking.
With absence the necessary tool At home, you can cut it in the store into the desired shape and size.
The light source is ready with your own hands. All that remains is to admire the results of the work. Original product the decor will not leave anyone indifferent.
At home, cutting plexiglass is very rarely required. Usually this work is performed by specialists in workshops. However, this skill can also be useful in everyday life. After all, sometimes there is a desire to make a vase, an aquarium or a small decorative table with your own hands. So, the subject of our review is plexiglass. How to cut such material?
Features of the material
Not everyone knows what plexiglass is. How to cut it at home and what features does it have? First of all, plexiglass has the performance characteristics of durable plastic, and also looks like ordinary glass. This material is transparent. However, unlike glass, it does not break.
Thanks to these properties, plexiglass has become popular. How to cut it at home? In this case, not everything is so simple. The material itself is quite durable. Plexiglas is widely used. Indeed, in some cases, using ordinary glass is dangerous and problematic. The material can be processed using almost all available methods. However, there are some nuances that should be taken into account when working with plexiglass.
Laser cutting of plexiglass
How are plexiglass products made in production? Typically, a laser is used to cut this material. This is the most convenient method. However, it is simply impossible to use it at home. Thanks to the thin laser, a precise cut can be made. In this way they usually cut even small parts future products. However, this cutting method has certain limitations: laser ray creates high stress on the material. In the future, it is simply impossible to glue individual parts together.
It is possible to cut products from plexiglass only in industrial conditions. If necessary, you should contact the appropriate organization for assistance. The main thing is to make all the drawings in advance. It is also worth choosing an experienced master.
Plexiglas: how to cut?
In some cases, the use of a saw is allowed. It can be tape or disk. The latest type of saw is designed for straight cuts. In this case, the seam is neat and clear. As for it, it is suitable for making blanks. It is unlikely that it will be possible to cut clear edges with such a tool. To make the surface smoother, it is recommended to use a milling cutter.
It is worth noting that this method of cutting plexiglass can be used not only in production, but also at home.
Special equipment
Plexiglas products are cut with a high-speed tool. This allows you to get an even and high-quality seam. The speed of such equipment can be up to 4 thousand revolutions per minute. After this, the plexiglass undergoes additional mechanical processing.
However, one should not forget that this material has low thermal conductivity. Cutting at high speeds can cause the edges to heat up quickly. Some instruments have a Plexiglas mode.
A hacksaw will help out
If you need to cut plexiglass at home, you can use This is the most accessible tool. However, this method has a serious drawback: the cut area remains rough and rough. To eliminate such a defect, additional processing is required. Sandpaper or a file is usually used to smooth the cut area.
Cutting plexiglass with a cutter
Methods for cutting plexiglass at home can be completely different. Some people use a hacksaw, and others use a cutter. Essentially, this tool is a saw with just one tooth. To cut plexiglass, you will need a metal ruler of a certain length. This tool must be placed on the sheet of material in the place where it needs to be divided. After this, you need to run the cutter along the ruler.
When the cut reaches ½ of the thickness of the sheet, you can stop and then carefully break the material. If defects appear, they can be smoothed out. To do this, you need to process the edge of the plexiglass sandpaper. If desired, you can make your own cutter from emery cloth. Some experienced craftsmen For cutting plexiglass, pieces of glass are used. With this method it is required reliable protection for hands.
Using simple tools
If cutting plexiglass with a laser is an expensive pleasure for you, then you can cut the material using improvised materials. Very often, nichrome thread is used for such work. It needs to be heated before cutting. This will require a transformer with a power of 24 W.
As a result of simple manipulations, you can carefully cut plexiglass. When heated, it simply melts the material. This allows you not only to cut plexiglass, but also to cut out shaped parts.
Also, some craftsmen use this option for cutting plexiglass at home. The end of the screwdriver is usually pressed against the material. In this case, the tool must be held by the very edge of the handle. After this, the blade of the screwdriver is heated with a soldering iron, the power of which is 25 W.
The plexiglass should begin to melt. Using the tip of a screwdriver, simply draw a line in the place where the cut should be. After this, the plexiglass breaks easily. To get a straight line, you can use a metal ruler or a hacksaw blade without teeth.
In addition to the methods described above, you can cut plexiglass with a milling cutter or a circular saw. The thickness of the blade in this case should be no more than 1 mm. It is worth considering that smoke may appear during the cutting process. In this case, the edges of the material often foam due to the increase in temperature as a result of friction. This can be avoided. Needs to be refrigerated work surface tool.
