Check out my NEW Mirrored Panel for Mamenstein

[GGKoul]

Hello All

I was going to buy a piece of laminate to cover my panel from Home Depot.  When I notice a new product they just got it.   It was a mirror piece of laminate called Fraboard.  And I had to have it.

As you can see from the attached pictures.  There is one crack.  And that's because I decided not to glue the mirror on my panel first.  So when I was drilling the mirror, I pushed too hard and broken right through the mirror.   BS...

So I consider this piece as my "test" panel and I plan on purchasing a new piece of this mirrored laminate.  And make sure I do everything right this time.  Like glue the laminate down before I start drilling again.

So here's where I stand right now and I plan on attaching some joysticks to test that the mirror can withstand the arcade abuse.

Enjoy!
-GGKoul

[GGKoul]

Pic 2

[GGKoul]

Pic 3

[pcdoctor]

Watchout for the fingerprints!

[rob]

Watchout for the fingerprints!

That's exactly what I was thinking!  Looks cool as hell, but my kids would have that cp worthless in about 9 seconds.

Looks good!

[patrickl]

There was a thread a few weeks ago by someone who did a showcase cab in mirror plexi. It's really cool stuff.

[flipped cracker]

that's cool, but the finger prints would totally get to me.

[greywolf22]

Very nice, gives it a very unique look

[DrewKaree]

What part of the country do you live in? I just updated my ProCD from them and I don't see it listed under their laminates section.

Mebbe I can find it under manufacturers....who makes it?  Is it Wilsonart, Formica, General Mica, Westinghouse Micarta.....?  

Was this a special order?  How much for a sheet?  Is it worked like any other regular laminate?

[GGKoul]

I'm in Canada

Bought it at Home Depot for $35.00 Cdn.

It was in stock

[paigeoliver]

Your new hobby will be cleaning that control panel!  

I already have to clean the glass on my cocktails almost daily, I imagine that would be so much worse.

[GGKoul]

I'm actually getting it coated too take care of the fingerprints.

[paigeoliver]

Also, do you need any special tools to cut that stuff? Or can it be cut with scissors/snips/jigsaw/circular saw (basically, do you need a router.

And finally, how big was the $35 piece? I am wondering how much it would cost to coat a Defender in this stuff?

[GGKoul]

I used a router too cut the edges and a normal 1-1/8 drill bit.  But the next time, when I glue the laminate directly on my existing wooded base.  I'm just going to router the whole thing... The edges and all the holes.

The piece I got was 48 inches long and I think 24 inches wide.


On thing, this was my first time cutting laminate, so I learned some very important lessons.  The major one being... make sure there's something in behind the laminate when your drilling a hole.. if not, you just going to crack it.

Which is what I did.

[paigeoliver]

But, do you think it could be done with a circular saw? I don't have a router, and don't really have the money to invest in one (and in the various bits).

[patrickl]

Don't the usual "how to work with plexi" rules apply? In the other thread it was called plexi anyway. And plexi would be cut wit a knife rather than a circular saw am I right?

[Witchboard]

You can scar plexi and break it over kind of like glass, but that doesn't leave a clean edge.  On my mini-itx project, my father and I built the case out of plexi and used a table saw with a fine toothed blade.  It would still probably be better to use a router though, sometimes the corners would have a small chip where the blade basically just ripped off the last part so you need to go real slow.  All the pieces for the case were very small and a router wasn't a viable option to use, but with something as large as a CP or the sides of a cab I'm betting a router would be your best option.

[patrickl]

Sorry, forgot about that yes. I used a router to clean up the edge  

[Stingray]

I am wondering how much it would cost to coat a Defender in this stuff?

That's nutty! You'd need to play wearing sunglasses!      

-S

[GGKoul]

I used one of those plexi cutters and they were the worst thing to use with the mirrored plexi.

Since my srcapings werent prefectly in the same grove.  I had a some stray lines.  Also, the edge was very rough, that I have to sand that down.


Also when drilling the holes with the 1.1/8 drill bit.  Since my holes were already drilled in my wood panel.  What I did was, I drilled the bottom of the plexi thur the hole first until the point of the drill bit was thur the top.  So that marked the center of the hole, then flipped the panel, lined up my drill bit this the center hole, then drilled out the hole from the top.

I found this helped give me cleaner holes.  

[DrewKaree]

WAIT A MINUTE!  HOLD THE PHONE!  There are now two VASTLY DIFFERENT statements in this thread as to what this stuff is.....and now someone has asked about how to work it,  and the two products this is being identified as would be best worked differently.

To start:

It was a mirror piece of laminate called Fraboard.

then:

I plan on purchasing a new piece of this mirrored laminate

As of THAT post, this is a laminate requiring contact cement and best worked with those tools/methods (spacer rods, J roller, DIFFERENT blade for a circular/table saw, laminate trimming bit for router).

After patrick pointed out the other thread, this material started being described as MIRROR PLEXI.  

I DON'T want to come across as being the ass of the day (too late!), but @ $35 dollars for the size of the piece you bought, using the wrong tool to cut this could result in an expen$$$ive, multiple-cracks, useless POS!

While being two similar products and possible to work in similar fashion, they are BEST worked with the proper tool for the job.  This would alleviate

make sure there's something in behind the laminate when your drilling a hole.. if not, you just going to crack it.

And plexi would be cut wit a knife rather than a circular saw am I right?

(if it's plexi, YES, if it's laminate, a circ saw is BEST with the CORRECT blade!)

scar plexi and break it over kind of like glass

(someone experienced with laminate might be able to do this correctly, but they would do it ONLY in a pinch.  Plexi, OTOH, is GREAT with this method)

the corners would have a small chip

If laminate were cut with the wrong blade, and the wrong side up, you would probably have not only the corners with a small chip, but MANY small chips, and all along the edges as well, and more than likely, one LARGE chip in there, rendering the material useless.  You would have felt better if you had gotten $35 in pennies, put them in a bag, walked outside, opened the bag, and thrown them in the gutter as you walked around town!

If it seems like I'm being anal about this, and blathering on senselessly, I give you GGKoul's own words:

I used one of those plexi cutters and they were the worst thing to use with the mirrored plexi.

those plexi knives don't work well on laminate

Also, the edge was very rough, that I have to sand that down

laminate can also be RAZOR sharp with a poor cut (the fact that you say it's only rough says your skills are better than most!)

flipped the panel, lined up my drill bit this the center hole, then drilled out the hole from the top.
I found this helped give me cleaner holes.

a trimming bit would work better, and you probably wouldn't have cracked it.

To end, PLEASE take this as constructive....I do kitchen and basement remodels and have worked with laminates extensively, and plexi about 1/4 as much.  The right tool for the job isn't always vital, but using the WRONG tool can sometimes be disastrous.  From the experiences we can all see posted in various threads around here, it's frustrating to have work on your cab not turn out like you want it to.  I just wanted to help save someone else's frustration, and properly identify:  laminate or plexi
and hey, let's be careful out there!

[DrewKaree]

jello?  Did I just piss everyone off being Mr Anal-Retentive handyman?  I'm off to Google this product.....I'll check back later to see if someone has identified it for everyone

[patrickl]

I guess when you have the product in your hands it would be easier to say what it is.

The way I called it plexi was that someone else (who bought something similar) called it plexi and I saw the picture of the crack appearing from drilling. That makes me think this was plexi (or any other acryilic) too. But even then it's plexi with a layer of reflective material attached. So obviously that will add to the standard problems of working with plexi.

I also think one does not exclude the other. For instance, you can call it a laminate, but laminate only says what you use if for. The material in the laminate can still be acrylic (but then with some mirro foil attached or embedded).

[DrewKaree]

I concede your last point patrick.

When I refer to laminate, I refer to the 1/32"-ish type of material, perhaps known better as Formica.  When referring to plexi, I usually picture the 1/8"-1/4" type of material.  

I talked to a friend who owns an RV dealership and he knows what the stuff is, but doesn't have a sample to show me.  The stuff he referred to is of the Formica variety.  

I know the project you saw and checked it out myself...I didn't mean to imply that you personally led us all down the wrong path, I think everyone saw that other example which is clearly a mirrored lexan/plastic of the 1/8-1/4" variety.  When paige asked how it was worked, I didn't want people giving any information that someone might take as gospel, leading them to frustration in their efforts.  

I've never seen this product (if it's Formica), so I, too, would assume that it's some sort of plexi/lexan.  I had never heard of a mirrored Formica before this.  I am intrigued because of the possible uses not only in cabinets, but in my work environment as well.  

[GGKoul]

I'll goto Home Depot tomorrow to get the actual name of the product.

[RetroBorg]

I was going to buy a piece of laminate to cover my panel from Home Depot.  When I notice a new product they just got it.   It was a mirror piece of laminate called Fraboard.  And I had to have it.

Nice looking control panel, does anybody know if they do a stainless steel looking laminate?

[DrewKaree]

Stainless steel is actually pretty easy to find.  It'll more than likely have to be special ordered for you, but as long as you find a dealer who would do it, you can find it.  Nevamar makes several shades, but I don't know who in your area carries it...Formica and WilsonArt, if I remember correctly, carry something similar.

Call around to see who would carry those brands.

[DYNAGOD]

http://www.alliantmetals.com/

http://www.grantsteel.net/contact.html

alliant is the best for stainless,
 grant is good for carbon steel

minimum order is likely 120$

best of luck!

[RetroBorg]

Stainless steel is actually pretty easy to find.  It'll more than likely have to be special ordered for you, but as long as you find a dealer who would do it, you can find it.  Nevamar makes several shades, but I don't know who in your area carries it...Formica and WilsonArt, if I remember correctly, carry something similar.

Call around to see who would carry those brands.

Posted by: DYNAGOD  Posted on: Today at 04:36:21am  
http://www.alliantmetals.com/

http://www.grantsteel.net/contact.html

alliant is the best for stainless,
grant is good for carbon steel

minimum order is likely 120$

best of luck!

Thanks for the help guys.

[DrewKaree]

Do we have a definitive ruling on this stuff yet?  While checking out their lexan/plexi section, I saw the mirrored stuff they sold that was labeled as being from FABBACK.  Could that be the stuff?  

[GGKoul]

Do we have a definitive ruling on this stuff yet?  While checking out their lexan/plexi section, I saw the mirrored stuff they sold that was labeled as being from FABBACK.  Could that be the stuff?  

FABBACK.. thats the name.

I got it from my local home depot and it was 48x24.


-GGKoul

[DrewKaree]

Fabback = Mirrored Lexan.  

In doing some more involved research, mirrored high pressure laminate will run somewhere in the "bring another pair of underwear, you'll crap yourself when you hear the price" range.  The HPL is made by a few manufacturers, special order, and will run between $150-210 a sheet.  

I've got a gold (bronze?) colored REALLY flexible material I'm researching from an RV dealer friend.  I'll start a new thread when/if I have more info on it.  

[patrickl]

Fabback = Mirrored Lexan.  

Actually, FABBACK seems te be mirrored acrylic (which is what Plexiglas is made of). If you look on  Plaskolite's website they also sell a mirrored polycarbonate (Lexan) material besides FABBACK though.

This FABBACK stuff also comes in colors