Another Price Increase for PVC, HDPE, Polypropylene, Starboard

Due to resin and chemical shortages, PVC, HDPE, Polypropylene, Cutting Boards, and PVC Foam board were hit with increase of 6-10% this week.

On July 15, all Plexiglas and acrylic sheet products will be hit with a 8% increase nationwide.

At least these materials are all made in the USA - keeping jobs here in the states.

Cutting Plexiglass Makes Art

This is a quick post - sometimes you catch the shop after they have cut different colors. The layers fall to the floor under the table saw - it's random and cool. Enjoy. Looks like a dessert!





Or the simplicity of cutting 1 color of plexiglass - in this case 2793 red. When you are cutting plexiglas, it leaves a pile of chips - not dust.

They drop to the floor from the table saw, and scatter like a snowdrift from the table router.

Clear Plexiglass Car up for Auction

Courtesy of http://www.boingboing.net/

This beautiful, skeletal Pontiac was built for the GM pavilion at the 1939 New York World's Fair. It's up for auction in Plymouth, Michigan, with an estimated sale price of $275,000 - $475,000.

As of yet, RM doesn't have any detailed information about the Pontiac, but from an article in Special Interest Autos #34, we see that GM built two - possibly three - transparent cars for the New York World's Fair of 1939-1940, one of which was a Deluxe seven-window touring sedan (B-body), the other of which was a Torpedo five-window touring sedan (C-body)...

Visitors to General Motors' "Highways and Horizons" pavilion at the 1939-40 New York World's Fair came away awed by a vision of the future. The work of renowned designer Norman Bel Geddes, GM's "Futurama" exhibit foretold the communities and transportation systems of 1960, many of which came to pass. Other peeks at the future included "Previews of Progress," inventions that seemed like magic: "Yarns made of Milk! Glass that bends! The Frig-O-Therm that cooks and freezes at the same time! The Talking Flashlight transmitting speech over a light beam!" exclaimed the exhibit's guidebook. Sharing top billing with the Futurama and Previews of Progress, however, was the "'Glass' Car - The first full-sized transparent car ever made in America."

Courtesy of http://www.boingboing.net/

Career in Plastics. Sure thing!

Gotta love historical pieces on the Plastics Industry.

Read and enjoy!

Installing Multiwall Polycabonate on my trellis

This is a post in process. Pictures forthcoming.

This week I have a project in my OWN backyard as I will attempt to install some 6mm clear multiwall polycarbonate on a trellis structure. My wife has been asking for this for at least 2 years. I have run out of excuses.

OK - we're in San Diego. I don't have wind, hail, tornados, lightning, hurricanes, or fireflies to worry about.
Basically, sun, 8 inches of rain, bees and what ever is growing up the trellis posts.

So I picked the clear multiwall sheet as the trellis already throws enough shade. I hope I can walk on it to clean the 2nd story windows? Maybe I will make special "snowshoes" to walk on it.

I had to locate and cut square holes to allow the decorative elements to pop through. I am sure the rain will probably pour through there too. Whatever.

I just gave the drawing to the cutting room at Ridout Plastics. It was crude, but I needed to test them.

Update 6/13/11:
Well, I learned that it's a 2 person job to try to install these panels. I installed most of the panels, but need another set of hands to help engage the sheets into to U-Channels

New Plexiglass Adhesive Glue - WeldOn 5

It's baaaaaack. A medium to slow setting solvent adhesive for Plexiglas. Better strength bonds, better looking bonds, better results.

This water thin adhesive is a medium setting solvent adhesive for acrylics (Plexiglass). Will bond other plastics - ABS, styrene, butyrate to themselves. Contains Acetic Acid. For production shops only. NOT recommended for DIY.

Not for use in LA, Orange and Riverside counties in California.