Lexan vs. Contact Paper

[MUKid]

By all accounts, using Lexan is clearly better than using contact paper.  However, Lexan has one major disadvantage that isn't factored in by most people:  I suck.  My control panel is made of 3/4 inch MDF, covered by original artwork that I designed and had printed on vinyl at Kinko's, and then covered by a sheet of Lexan.  It would look great, but I totally screwed up the $50 sheet of Lexan.  It's all scratched up, a couple of holes are slightly off-center, and the edges are pretty rough.  I guess I'm just not very good at working with the stuff.

Anyway, I think I'm going to scrap the Lexan and try covering the vinyl artwork with clear contact paper, and then gluing the whole thing to my control panel.  You might ask why I don't just use the vinyl, but the artwork gets scratched and scuffed and I don't want to ruin it.  I'd rather have that extra protective layer of contact paper on top of it to help with protection.

So, is this a good idea?  If so, is there any special kind of contact paper that works best?  I think it'll look very nice because the artwork is decent, but I want it to have a nice feel as well.  Suggestions?

Also, to anyone who thinks that Lexan is easy to work with, I say to them, "HA!"  You've never seen me handle a drill, I guess.  The stuff scratches so easily that I could hardly work with it, and drilling through it caused it to melt and collect little ridges around the edges of my holes that had to be scraped off with an Xacto knife.  I'm sure I'm just not doing it right, but man, $50 down the drain.  Sheesh.

[TalkingOctopus]

I screwed up my first piece of lexan too.  It was actually lucite-tuf, but I think they are the same thing.  I tried a second one and it came out perfect.  Try again and I bet you can get it right.  Cut the lexan with a circular saw and sandwich it between 2 pieces of mdf.  Use a hole saw for the drilling.  

[menace]

i found the clear contact paper to not be all that clear--kind of hazy by the time i was done--stick to the lucite--it'll look way better when you are done.

[MUKid]

Well, I want to try the Lexan again (mine isn't really Lexan either, it's called Tuffak, but I also think it's the same) but I'm afraid.  I don't want to blow another $50.  My wife will beat me.  But one question just in case:  what thickness did you guys use?  I'm using 3/16, maybe that's too thick and that's my problem.

And how do you make the cut edges smooth?  They're so rough after I drill or cut.  Do you just sand it or what?

Jay

[SNAAAKE]

Clear contact paper is "ok" but I would still try plexi or lexan.
I mean you want it as authentic as possible.


Make sure have the film on the lexan UNTIL you are done cutting,drilling,etc.Use a variable speed jigsaw with a metal cutting blade(get a good one from home depot).
Dont use clamp for drilling on lexan and wood.
Just screw the lexan sheet on the wood THEN drill so you cant really screw up that part.
Use spade bit for drilling.Avoid holesaw,it wears out after like 10-15 holes.

[TalkingOctopus]

And how do you make the cut edges smooth?  They're so rough after I drill or cut.  Do you just sand it or what?

They should come out smooth.  No sanding should be required. Perhaps you should practice on your scrap piece of lexan before trying another.

[slycrel]

  From what I know of this (Jr. High plastics & Leather class ), you should be able to buff the scratches out and polish the edges.  I'll attach an image very similar to the machine we used that I grabbed from the 'net.  We would cut plastic pieces in the shop and shape them, then use this to polish them off.  For example, a lot of kids made dice that were clear.

  I dunno where you could find one of these...  Maybe you could buy one of the buffing heads and use it with a sander or drill or something.

  Just don't throw the lexan away...  It'd be a shame.  =)

(Edited for spelling)

[eightbit]

Drill won't spin fast enough to do any good at buffing. Your also going to have a pretty tough time trying to buff a sheet of plexi on a bench mounted buffer.

You could take your artwork somewhere and have it laminated. Way better than contact paper. Should hold up pretty good to. I've heard quotes for around $3.50 a square foot. Then use contact cement to make it permenant on your CP.

What are your edges on the CP? t-molding? If you do plexi is the plexi going to stick up above the t-molding?

[microwrx]

Cover it in something you can remove, like lexan or plexi.  If you're worried about scratches on the artwork, you'll end up with the same prblem using contact paper, the scratches just wont be on the artwork itself.  You still end up with the same issue as you won't be able to take the contact paper off without ruining the artwork anyway.
Laminating will have the same problem but last a bit longer.  With lexan or plexi when it gets scratched up just replace it and the CP will look good as new as will your artwork.

[Bill_S]

If you have access to a router you could go with a laminate router bit for the cuts.
That's what I use and it works great.
Also, if your stuff comes with removable film on both sides, wait to remove it until the piece is completely done!  If it doesn't, maybe you should find some stuff that does.

[pathdoc2]

A router is the proper tool for this job.

[hyiu]

use the thinnest kind of lexan....

3/16 is kind of thick... (since all you need that is for protecting the artwork, not for support...)

I used to buy those close to 1/16 at HD (I think a little thicker that that...) but for the bigger pieces....

I went to a plastic store to buy.... thinnest they have is 1/8....
(but they're way cheaper....)

how big is your panel ??....

[MUKid]

Thanks to all for the good advice.  I think I'll stick with the Lexan that I have now, despite the fact that I scratched it up quite a bit.  When the whole cabinet is finished, I'll think about replacing the Lexan.

Those are great tips on working with the Lexan.  I'll certainly refer back to them when I try the replacement.

Actually, with it all together, it really doesn't look that bad.  I'm just such a perfectionist that I hate small flaws, which I really should expect since I've never done anything similar to this in my life.  Oh well, experience is the best teacher!

[Hammerbot]

One trick for drilling into sheet plastic that I learned the hard way was to take a small twist drill and run it at high speed in the cement of your garage/basement/road.

This dulls the "H-E-double hockey sticks" out of the bit. But by doing that it makes it so the drill bit doesn't grab the material as aggressively. It then melts the plastic by friction and then when pushed into the melt catches and draws the material out. That way you can easily place a centering hole exactly where you want it.

I broke a couple pieces of Plexiglass before someone told me that trick. Works well with larger bits too...

[Bill_S]

One trick for drilling into sheet plastic that I learned the hard way was to take a small twist drill and run it at high speed in the cement of your garage/basement/road.

This dulls the "H-E-double hockey sticks" out of the bit. But by doing that it makes it so the drill bit doesn't grab the material as aggressively. It then melts the plastic by friction and then when pushed into the melt catches and draws the material out. That way you can easily place a centering hole exactly where you want it.

I broke a couple pieces of Plexiglass before someone told me that trick. Works well with larger bits too...

Just don't try and use that bit on anything else ever again.

If I remember right, running the bit backwards will produce similar results.

[Mugzilla]

Have fun getting the holes to line up with your CP!

I clamped my lexan to my MDF CP top through the whole cutting process, making it exactly the same dimensions. I taped the button pattern down onto the top of the lexan, and drilled pilot holes. Then, hole saw time!

[rdagger]

I cut some 1/8" Lexan yesterday with a barrell grip jigsaw and a blade designed for PVC.  It was very fast and easy.  The cuts were smooth and there was no splintering.  I tried some other power tools for cutting and had bad results.  

If you have a router, a flush trim bit would work well for drilling holes in the Lexan.

[GamingGreg]

One trick for drilling into sheet plastic that I learned the hard way was to take a small twist drill and run it at high speed in the cement of your garage/basement/road.

This dulls the "H-E-double hockey sticks" out of the bit. But by doing that it makes it so the drill bit doesn't grab the material as aggressively. It then melts the plastic by friction and then when pushed into the melt catches and draws the material out. That way you can easily place a centering hole exactly where you want it.

I broke a couple pieces of Plexiglass before someone told me that trick. Works well with larger bits too...

Another way to do this is to run the bit or hole saw in reverse. That way there are no aggresive angles and the friction melts the material.  I drilled my holes in the wood CP first and then placed that over the plastic.  I then drilled the holes in my plexiglass using the wood as a template and also to sandwich it for extra bracing. Good Luck.

[eightbit]

I had some print outs laminated today at a local printer. They will do up to 24"s wide for $1.75 a linear foot. It was $5 to have both peices of sideart laminated. They were 16"x23". They had a smaller width that was only $1 a linear foot but I don't remember how wide it was. Probably be big enough for marquees and shallow CP's though.