Steve
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Registered: 30th Mar 02
Location: Worcestershire Drives: Defender
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Going to do a little experiment today by trying to thermoform a small piece of scrap lexan i have into a shape by clamping it round some form of curve then putting it in the oven, with a view to maybe making my own thermoformed rear windows for pumas out of lexan
the temp that its meant to be thermoformed at is 135degrees
but i have no idea how long I should leave it in there for, any idea?
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chris_uk
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Registered: 8th Jul 03
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Try an hour.
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Steve
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Registered: 30th Mar 02
Location: Worcestershire Drives: Defender
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Jesus that long lol I was going to.give it 15 mins
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Steve
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Registered: 30th Mar 02
Location: Worcestershire Drives: Defender
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finished my experiment


after 30 mins


cool, might see if i can sort a boot lid now for the glass for as cheap as possible to use as a mould
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John
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Registered: 30th Jun 03
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What's the plan to keep something bigger up to temp?
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Steve
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Registered: 30th Mar 02
Location: Worcestershire Drives: Defender
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take it to a bodyshop or powdercoaters with an oven was my thinking
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ed
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Registered: 10th Sep 03
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Does Lexan go rubbery when heated like acrylic? Usually takes about 15-20 mins to get acrylic up to temp depending on a few obvious factors.
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Steve
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Registered: 30th Mar 02
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kind of just seemed to go soft and bendy, 30 mins seemed about right
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taylorboosh
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Registered: 3rd Apr 07
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That's cool as fuck...
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smcGSI16V
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Registered: 26th May 03
Location: Farnborough Drives: Thurlby 888 CDTi No.98
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Is that gas mark 3 or 4.
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taylorboosh
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Microwave on 5
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sc0ott
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Registered: 16th Feb 09
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Will it blend?
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alan-g-w
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Registered: 9th Nov 07
Location: Glasgow
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Put a couple of bits of plate running along the edges under the clamps to bring the corners in next time maybe
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Steve
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Registered: 30th Mar 02
Location: Worcestershire Drives: Defender
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oh yeah will be using more clamps and making sure it all lies flat in the final attempt
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John
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Registered: 30th Jun 03
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You'll have to get some way to clamp the middle possibly? Or will it form properly if it's just clamped along the edge?
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taylorboosh
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Registered: 3rd Apr 07
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If he does it how imagine it will just form to shape
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Steve
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Registered: 30th Mar 02
Location: Worcestershire Drives: Defender
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It's a good point won't know until I try and clamp it round, window isn't as curved as what I made mind
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Alex_Rally
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Registered: 6th Sep 09
Location: Tyne and Wear, gateshead
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ive got a puma boot you can have for £15
infact ive got 2 lol
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Steve
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Registered: 30th Mar 02
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I don't imagine postage would be cheap though lol
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Alex_Rally
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Registered: 6th Sep 09
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megga road trip lol
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Steve
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Registered: 30th Mar 02
Location: Worcestershire Drives: Defender
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balls to that lol, can you cut the glass out? i reckon postage would be reasonable for just that
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Alex_Rally
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Registered: 6th Sep 09
Location: Tyne and Wear, gateshead
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il have a look,
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Steve
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Registered: 30th Mar 02
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cheers dude
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ed
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Registered: 10th Sep 03
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You know what you could do - vac bag the plastic over the glass and then heat it. Obviously don't put it under full vacuum until the plastic has become malleable so you don't break the glass. You ought to get a good shape that way.
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Steve
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Registered: 30th Mar 02
Location: Worcestershire Drives: Defender
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Trouble is I don't have the heating facility's to play about like that would literally have to clamp it to glass and.give it to powdercoaters for half an hour
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