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Never worked with Lexan before. Doing a 4'x22' backlit sign on the side of a bldg. I wanted to ask advice or tips on Lexan. I understand you can roll it up. If I use polycarbonate - I'd have to make it in 2 pieces to put in my pickup. How does Lexan work? Can I letter it and roll it up & it will fit in the bed of a pickup?? Do vinyl letters stretch too much when rolled up? Thanks!
-------------------- signs Posts: 535 | From: pa | Registered: Dec 1998
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and you need to ask how to bridge the gap in the seam and what kind of glue to use???? and remember to use translucent vinyl, and put the lettering on the right side.
-------------------- The SignShop Mendocino, California
Making the simple complicated is commonplace; making the complicated simple, awesomely simple, that's creativity. — Charles Mingus Posts: 6718 | From: Mendocino, CA. USA | Registered: Nov 1998
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Hi Camille, I work for a large electrical type sign shop and we use tons of lexan. We do lots of long faces and rolling them up works great for transporting them. You do need to use translucent vinyl and put it on the side which is labeled for exposure to the sun. Put some padding on the edge that you start with to keep it from messing up the vinyl as you roll it. Also, put your rope or strap at the other end with half of it under the face and the rest sticking out so it will be ready to wrap around the roll when you get there. The vinyl can wrinkle a little if you roll it to small but as long as you can squeeze it thru the door it will be fine. Good luck, Alan Watkin
[ May 13, 2007, 09:03 PM: Message edited by: Alan Watkin ]
-------------------- Alan Watkin Bosque Farms, New Mexico Posts: 5 | From: Bosque Farms, New Mexico | Registered: Apr 2007
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Camille, That's a very big sign to be experimenting with. Lexan is a great product, but it has its quirks.
When cutting it, it can chatter and break itself to pieces. I know it's supposed to be unbreakable, but if you are cutting it with a circular saw or a panel saw it can catch. Make sure it is well secured. We used a piece of plywood, placed close to the cutline so it would hold better.
As far as "gluing" Lexan, it's tricky. Unless someone knows of a different Lexan glue available, this is what we used to do. We would use the #16 "thickened" plexiglas glue from WeldOn http://www.rplastics.com/weldon16.html Anything glued to it we would also rivet with plastic rivets. There needs to be a clear strip of 1/4" Plexi applied at the seam where the pieces butt. That strip should be about 3" wide with half on the back edge of one sheet. The abutting sheet will have oversized holes that you will use stainless steel screws to attach to the clear strip. Make sure to carefully predrill the butt strip so you don't crack the Plexi.
Also be careful what solvents/cleaners you use on the Lexan. Read the instructions. "Hot" solvents will do damage.
Pioneer Supply in PA should have anything you need.
And TJ, I do believe that Lexan is the GE brand name for Polycarbonate ONLY - not plastics.
[ May 14, 2007, 10:39 AM: Message edited by: Gene Golden ]
-------------------- Gene Golden Gettysburg Signs Gettysburg PA 17325 717-334-0200 genegolden@gettysburgsigns.com
"Art is knowing when to stop." Posts: 1578 | From: Gettysburg, PA | Registered: Jun 2003
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It's been a while since I used it but something that also had to be considered in the past is that polycarbonate outgasses for a while after the protective film is removed. At times that has caused bubbles under the translucent vinyl.
There should be some instructions from the manufacturer on how long to wait between stripping the film and decorating the faces.
-------------------- David Harding A Sign of Excellence Carrollton, TX Posts: 5089 | From: Carrollton, TX, USA | Registered: Nov 1998
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Camille, Lexan, as well as some of the other brands of polycarbonate are shipped to suppliers in huge rolls, usually 5', 6' or 8' wide by a few hundred feet long. It shoudn't be to hard to find someone that you can purchase a 22' long piece of it from so no gluing will be necessary. As far as the outgassing problem, if you leave the piece inside at room tempurature for a day or to it won't be a problem. It can also be cut using a jigsaw with an all purpose type blade.
-------------------- Alan Watkin Bosque Farms, New Mexico Posts: 5 | From: Bosque Farms, New Mexico | Registered: Apr 2007
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