The end is near.....glass or plexi?

[Oldskool]

I'm almost done my "little" project that started out in my cold, cold garage last winter.

Last but not least, I now have to order glass of some sort. I've seen Oscar's pics, and have decided to go with smoked / tinted.

Questions:

Which is better, plexi or glass? I've heard that glass reflects more.

Transmittibility ratings. Should I get the darkest stuff? (lowest percentage)

Retailers in Canada. Any recommendations?

Thanks in advance.

[paigeoliver]

Glass is so much harder to scratch and looks so much better.

Any glass shop should be able to help you. Just start calling them in the phone book.

[Sylentwulf]

Glass is MUCH better. The price difference isn't that bad either. You can get tempered smoked for less than $30USD

I imagine non-smoked would be even less. I got something like a 27"*32" 5/16" Tempered smoked glass. (someone can verify that for me, I got the thickness from someone on the boards.

[paigeoliver]

I believe 5/16" is the size I usually buy as well. I usually pay about half that though, because I know people!

[Tiger-Heli]

Lot of reading, but:

http://www.arcadecontrols.org/yabbse/index.php?board=1;action=display;threadid=4779;start=0
(3 pages)

http://www.arcadecontrols.org/yabbse/index.php?board=1;action=display;threadid=24091;start=msg196876#msg196876

[Santoro]

Glass is MUCH better. The price difference isn't that bad either. You can get tempered smoked for less than $30USD

DAMN.  Every place within 20 miles of me wants $70 US.  Do glass prices vary by region?

[Lilwolf]

Based on your icon...

I would say PLEXIGLASS!

my god... I can't imagine you NOT smashing the screen every time you get killed.

PLEXI!

Sure... if your icon was something different... I would say glass... But the SlapShot reference scares glass.

[Oldskool]

Glass is MUCH better.

And the darker (the gray) the better.......?



.

[greywolf22]

I agree with glass, and I only was charged $21 US for grey tempered glass.  Great look.

[Minwah]

Another vote for glass here: I got a piece 599x642mm, tinted & toughened for

[Sylentwulf]

DAMN.  Every place within 20 miles of me wants $70 US.  Do glass prices vary by region?

The first place I went to said something like $60, I went literally 100 feet down the road to the only other glass place in town and they said $30. Check around.

[bionicbadger]

Yeah prices for both plexi and glass vary quite a bit.  Especially if you are looking for tempered, since not all places temper their own glass.  Personally I think tempered is overkill unless you are building a cocktail cabinet.  Your glass shouldn't be taking a beating.  Plexi looks fine too.  I went with plexi for mine and have no regrets, but i'm cheap.  Glass would probably look better.

[LeedsFan]

Ha Ha!!!    The first thing I noticed in this thread was the avatar. Classic film!!!

Anyway..... I'd say go for glass. I'm just doing my first project at the moment, which is a converted Electrocoin Xenon unit. This comes with a tinted glass screen as is, and it looks great.

But one thing to consider...... are you fitting a bezel afterwards? Because if you go tinted then you will need to mount the bezel on top of the glass unless you cover the glass with another layer of clear perspex or glass. Not really important as such, but something to consider.  

[Oldskool]

But one thing to consider...... are you fitting a bezel afterwards?

No bezel.

I'm just back from our local Speedy Auto Glass, and decided to go with 3mm thick glass (1/8") and dark gray automotive tint. The smoked glass just didn't look dark enough.

Yes, prices do vary. The original quote was lowered significantly when the gentleman saw that I wasn't pleased with the total.

I'm picking it up tomorrow, so I hope it works out okay.......

[versapak]

I have no experience on the issue, but...


1/8" seems awefully thin. Especially for glass.

[Oldskool]

1/8" seems awefully thin. Especially for glass.

Well, it's merely decorative right? There's no load or weight on it......

Here's hoping it's okay.  

[deadmoney5]

I wanted to get smoked plexi...but I don't think you will be able to find that anywhere...

Can somebody prove me wrong on that?

[LeedsFan]

1/8" seems awefully thin. Especially for glass.

Well, it's merely decorative right? There's no load or weight on it......

Here's hoping it's okay.  

I totally agree.... unless you lose your rag when you get ripped with a bouncing barrel in Donkey Kong, and feel the need to impact your forehead into the aforementioned decorative fixture!

[pocketbikez]

i always used plexi/lexan because i could buy it at home depot, i could trim it to fit easily, i could paint the backside easily, and i could drill thru and modify it. i also would prefer clear over smoked. i wouldnt want to lose any brightness or intensity from the graphics on the monitor.

go team lexan!   lol

[Shifty]

Oldskool, I'm about to purchase a tinted smoked glass too, in Canada -- thanks for the Speedy Auto Glass suggestion. I never thought of trying them!

So you're getting glass that has a tinted film on it? Mind if I ask how much that was, and how much the smoked glass was?  

[Oldskool]

Mind if I ask how much that was, and how much the smoked glass was?  

The conversation started off as.....

"How much for a 25 x 25" piece of glass with dark tint on it?"

The reply was in the range of $75.00 plus tax.

I then asked how much smoked glass was, and one of the guys behind the counter, once he saw my sticker shock face said, "If the smoked is cheaper....we match the price for the tinted glass".

At the end of it all, it was $55.00....and still a little high in my opinion.

When you go in, haggle a bit, and offer them a cash deal. You should do better than I did.



.

[Oldskool]

Well, I learned the hard way.

5% tint is TOO dark.

Now what to do.......

[Shifty]

Thanks for the price check, I am prepared to spend up to $100. Was your glass tempered? I want tempered for safety.

I assume you mean by 5%, it lets through only 5% light? If so, that's limo tint! Most cars are about 35-50%. I was thinking about 80% would be sufficient -- just enough to block the unsightly monitor attachment and such.

If it's just film tint, you should be able to go back, and give them a 20 or so to put on something lighter.

[Oldskool]

Thanks for the price check, I am prepared to spend up to $100. Was your glass tempered? I want tempered for safety.

Yeah, I will have to get them to redo it.

The other thing is that there still are a few small water bubbles under the tint that the guy said would disappear over a couple of days. That was four days ago.

I think I'll play the disgusted customer, and ask for it to be redone.....with a lighter tint of course.....  

[RandyT]

I think I'll play the disgusted customer, and ask for it to be redone.....with a lighter tint of course.....  

~20%.  If you aren't trying to hide the monitor outlines, go to standard 35% transmission auto tint.

RandyT

[Oldskool]

~20%.  If you aren't trying to hide the monitor outlines, go to standard 35% transmission auto tint.

That's exactly what I did.

My monitor is black, and I've painted the inside of my cab black as well, so I hope that it's satisfactory.

I pick it up tomorrow......so we'll see.

[tshizzle.com]

heres a couple pics of mine, just picked up Smoked Plexi (lexan) at Lowes for $13!







Not very good at taking pics without the flash (with the flash on you see right thru the smoked plexi)  

But wow, it looks SWEET now.  I love it

[Oldskool]

I've installed my 35% tinted glass, and.......it's a little too light for my taste.

The offered tints were: 5% / 20% / 35% / 50%

I should have selected the 20%.

[DanteBK]

How is everyone mounting their glass or plexiglass?

I have a silver-cased TV that's so big it's almost right up to the edge. I'm thinking about going over the case with a sharpie before I get the glass since I could swear I heard of someone else doing the same thing. Stupid idea?

[Oldskool]

How is everyone mounting their glass or plexiglass?

I have a silver-cased TV that's so big it's almost right up to the edge. I'm thinking about going over the case with a sharpie before I get the glass since I could swear I heard of someone else doing the same thing. Stupid idea?

I sandwiched mine between L-brackets (and felt tabs) on the inside, and 1/4 round on the outside.

[tshizzle.com]

My cabinet had grooves in it already for the plexi.....

And about the Sharpie, I had a silver TV too.  I just used Black Electrical tape on the sides

[rchadd]

this has been discussed soooo many times before!

grey tinted tempered glass.

[RandyT]

this has been discussed soooo many times before!

grey tinted tempered glass.

True, but it's interesting to note that the effect Oldskool was looking for still wouldn't have been achieved by your suggestion!  Most of that type of material is 35% or above in transmission.

It just goes to show how many people are still unclear on the pros/cons of the materials, but more importantly, the effect each of them achieves.  This defines the final look of your project and is your "visual interface" to the machine.  The materials can also be costly so it's pretty important to try to get it right the first time.

Kelsey at Oscar Controls did grand job of demonstrating one of the materials.  It would be nice if that  type of effort were continued to show the effects of others, including names and sources of materials, so it could be made a permanent point of reference somewhere on a site such as this one

Until that happens, this will keep coming up...and justifiably so.

RandyT

[Oldskool]

True, but it's interesting to note that the effect Oldskool was looking for still wouldn't have been achieved by your suggestion!  Most of that type of material is 35% or above in transmission.

I do suppose that my situation is quite different than others on this board.

I do not have a bezel, and have a black cased computer monitor inside of my cabinet, which has been painted black internally.

My goal was to have the inside of the cabinet blacked out (as well as the monitor case), and the screen still visable.

The 5% tint did, for the most part, achieve this, but it dimmed the colours a little too much for my liking. With the brightness turned up, Golden Tee was still very playable, but it was bugging me.......

The switch to 35% tint has made a world of difference. The screen is (obviously) very clear, but I can now see the inside of the cab. That's why I stated that 20% probably would have been what I was looking for.

I'll take some pics and post them later.......

 

[darktemp]

Thanks for mentioning the 20%, that's exactly what I've been looking for.

[Oldskool]

Here's a pic of what it turned out like (with the 35% glass)

The monitor doesn't look as bright as in the photo...the flash lit it up a bit.

There's also a reflection in the glass, on the right hand side, from the overhead light in my garage.

[blueoakleyz]

I've yet to read the whole thread but
what thickness glass/lexan (plexiglass) should one use?

How do you seal it? Just like caulking or clear sealant or whatever?

[darktemp]

After calling just about every glass store in the phonebook I came to the conclusion that nobody in AZ knows the different light transmission ratings of the grey glass.  All I was able to get from the was that there was "regular grey" and "grey lite".  Does anybody know the ratings on both of these and which one I should get?  I finally have found some good prices on smoked grey tempered 1/4" thick glass and would love to run out and buy it.  Thanks.

[ras2a]

Is the 'tinting' a universal thing?  I'm just about to buy some grey tinted glass, but am uncertain about the level of tint (% or otherwise).  Can anyone else in the UK recommend a particular tint level to go for? Is there a common consensus? I'll be using it in conjunction with a TV (not monitor)..don't' know if that affects what I'll need ?

thanks

[Minwah]

Is the 'tinting' a universal thing?  I'm just about to buy some grey tinted glass, but am uncertain about the level of tint (% or otherwise).  Can anyone else in the UK recommend a particular tint level to go for? Is there a common consensus? I'll be using it in conjunction with a TV (not monitor)..don't' know if that affects what I'll need ?

I think I was lucky, I just asked for some tinted toughened glass and it turned out to be perfect.  No-one in the glass place I went to mentioned tint levels or anything...