Here's where it starts to get fun - I actually get to work with a material other than
MDF! I glued the black
plexiglass (using contact cement) to the front panel. I ordered from
US Plastics and it arrived in the mail 2 days later well packaged and in great condition. It was $21.00 for the sheet. It comes with a protective layer of paper on both sides. The first thing I did was trace the shape of the panel onto the
plexiglass.
Next, I used a razor to score just outside of the lines and then I removed the paper covering to exposed the
plexiglass. Before applying any glue I made sure to rough up the surface of the
plexiglass with some 100 grit sandpaper to give the glue something to hold on to.
The directions on the can of contact cement said to wait 15-20 minutes after applying the glue before sticking it together but that seemed WAY too long of a time (it dried pretty quick). I ended up applying a second coat of glue. I put two sheets of
MDF on top and then two cinder blocks on top of that for some downward pressure.
It appears to have dried OK but after doing a bit more research I should have waited the 15 minutes. Apparently, the glue actually does dry and then bonds to the other surface when they are attached since you coat both surfaces. This info will come in handy when I laminate the outer shell.
The next step is to trim the
plexiglass to the exact size of the
MDF template using a 1/2" flush trimming bit. Because the bit has a 1/2" diameter ball bearing it is going to leave a 1/4" radius rounded corner which is exactly what I want. I am getting nervous though because I have about 8 hours invested in this piece and I really don't want to mess it up.
Next, I used a razor to score just outside of the lines and then I removed the paper covering to exposed the plexiglass. Before applying any glue I made sure to rough up the surface of the plexiglass with some 100 grit sandpaper to give the glue something to hold on to.
The directions on the can of contact cement said to wait 15-20 minutes after applying the glue before sticking it together but that seemed WAY too long of a time (it dried pretty quick). I ended up applying a second coat of glue. I put two sheets of MDF on top and then two cinder blocks on top of that for some downward pressure.
It appears to have dried OK but after doing a bit more research I should have waited the 15 minutes. Apparently, the glue actually does dry and then bonds to the other surface when they are attached since you coat both surfaces. This info will come in handy when I laminate the outer shell.
The next step is to trim the plexiglass to the exact size of the MDF template using a 1/2" flush trimming bit. Because the bit has a 1/2" diameter ball bearing it is going to leave a 1/4" radius rounded corner which is exactly what I want. I am getting nervous though because I have about 8 hours invested in this piece and I really don't want to mess it up.
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