Just curious if anyone has tried to use acrylic for living hinges? I know it’s very brittle, just curious.
I have not tried it but I would bet money that it would snap very easily. Worth giving it a shot I guess.
Yeah. I’m considering making the mailbox in the catalog with acrylic. I figure if I heat the hinge and bend it, it will still have some spring left to open partially to put a roll of stamps in. We’ll see.
Somebody did - and it was gorgeous. Let me see if I can find it.
Turns out quite a few! @william4’s “Playing with Living Hinges” was what I was remembering, but I’m gonna link the search cuz there are others
https://community.glowforge.com/search?q=acrylic%20living%20hinge
I have used acrylic to make phone stands that use living hinges Mine lasted for over a year before somebody went out of their way to break it.
I really like the frosted acrylic for that application.
Here are some I made for a couple of friends. I’ve learned and tweaked the design since then.
Mild heat with the piece on a mold for desired curve will bow it without making it fragile.
Have you tried that yet? The little mini torches that are now popular work fine for this.
I was thinking heat gun or hair dryer, but I have a mini butane torch that I could use. Just have to be careful not to burn myself LOL
Yep.
Worked fine for me, no heat or anything needed. Little less than 1/8" distance between each slice. Did put some guesset like braces on the inside to help with the brittleness in case of bumps.
Is that ⅛ inch acrylic?
I have made living hinge circular boxes in acrylic. Thingiverse #3428517. It all has to do with bend radius and the living hinge pattern. I don’t know that I would count on the hinge for movement, but making circular corners and shapes works without heat. 1/8 acrylic seems to work a lot like plywood.
Yes. That is the “Medium Proofgrade” acrylic.
I made the mailbox in acrylic, it worked great!
Good to know. What did u use for glue?
E6000 was my choice.
I always put a dab on a paper plate and use a toothpick to apply. Usually taking several dabs to complete the process. I find it easier to control the stringing of the glue when I can twirl the toothpick.
Does it dry clear? I was going to use clear acrylic.
E6000 (like Goop and other similar products) cures similar to hot-glue. No color, but not optically clear.
Weld-on and similar solvents designed for the task are the only way to get a truly clear bond with acrylic. CA is “ok” but the hazing effect outside the bonded area usually ruins the parts.
Realistically what is the open working time for e6000?
Not certain. I’ve used Goop (bear with me) for over 20 years and treat it like a contact cement - apply, press parts together, remove and let cure for a minute or so, then back together and clamp/tape and leave alone for a few hours. It starts to cure when exposed to air in just a few minutes.
I honestly can’t tell any difference between E6000 and any of the “Goops” I’ve used in-practice.
That said, I was not recommending it for glueing acrylic. In fact, it would not be my choice for something that needed to be “robust”. As I said above, it’s a bit like hot-glue - and in my experience, easily peels off plastics and bare metal, especially as it ages.
It’d be fine, however, for a decorative piece that doesn’t get much handling.
Oops, for a nanosecond I thought this was a post from Gwyneth Paltrow’s fantasy universe.