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.
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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
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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.
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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.
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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
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Yep.
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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.
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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.
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Yes. That is the “Medium Proofgrade” acrylic.
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I made the mailbox in acrylic, it worked great!
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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.
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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.
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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.
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Oops, for a nanosecond I thought this was a post from Gwyneth Paltrow’s fantasy universe.
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