Anybody worked with plastics

[tosh]

Last week I noticed the filler cap cover on her car was open - closer inspection revealed that the plastic clips that allowed the cap to open and close was broken. After checking online what it actually was I found that no one could actually get one.

So, I made one using a heat gun and some scraps of plastic. Took a few attempts to get it right but sorted it in the end.

I actually quite enjoyed it. Which brings me to my question.
A few years ago when I was working as a shop fitter I grabbed a load of acrylic/perspex that was headed for the skip. My original intention was to use it for making router jigs.

However, I'm now curious as to what I can come up with. Can anyone recommend a good source of advice for a complete beginner into how to form/polish/adhere these materials.

Any suggestions at all would be gratefully appreciated.

[ZugazAroi]

I thought about doing that, and when I started researching what it would take I found out it is actually a lot of work

[comis]

I don't have much experience working with Acrylic, but while researching for how to work with kydex, I did come across these channels and the presenters seems to know how to work with Acrylic.

ePlastic
https://www.youtube.com/user/ePlasticsTV/videos

SerroxAcryl
https://www.youtube.com/user/SerroxAcryl/videos


TAP Plastic
https://www.youtube.com/user/tapplastics/videos

[DazMechanical]

I know a guy who repaired a couple of cracks in a plastic bumper bar with a piece of plastic and a soldering iron, it turned out pretty good after some filing/ sanding/ painting etc.

[hiraethus]

From what I remember of my model making course at Uni  working with acrylic and perspex is fairly straightforward.  It cuts and sands easily, though you need to be thorough if you want a polished finish.  You can bend acrylic fairly easily with some heat though it's difficult to do straight lines without jigs and formers, and a method of localising the heat input.  There were some special, very thin solvent adhesives that we used to join it - brush it on and it wicks into the joints.

I've also used ABS - that's even easier than acrylic to use, but not as stiff.  It cuts and drills really nicely.  We use it for all sorts of low-stress jigs and fixtures at work.

Suggest you get down to your local model railway shop - it's the sort of stuff these guys do all the time for building scenery.