Both Portside and Starboard side windows have cracked. Is there somewhere I can get replacements?
Windows
- Thread starter Badger Dolphin
- Start date
Check the archives here and you will find an encyclopedia on port and hatch lens replacement from fabrication of acrylic sheets to suppliers of finished lenses.
Ah, a man who knows his way around a router.
I went one further when I was doing all my opening hatches and managed to remove the lenses in one piece and used that for the template with the tracer bit. Guaranteed accurate ± 0.001".
It also helps to install 1/4" plywood covers over the openings with plastic waterproofing if working over the winter.
Yep, if we believed in old wive's tales we would have.
Cutting and routering does nothing to create internal stresses within the acrylic so no stress relief required. The lenses are now about 10 years old with no sign of UV damage yet.
I also seem to remember something about altering your drill bit point angle from 118° to something else designed especially for acrylic which I chose to ignore as well. Perfect drilling. The lesson I learned in my first contact with working acrylic was to treat it exactly like wood and you'll get perfect cutting. Flat work only. Does not include any heating and bending.
Mind you, the "specific" instructions I saw for working acrylic came from the internet, so what do you expect ?
It's not an old wive's tale, it's well documented, scientifically, and has been know for over 50 years, and published by Rohm and Haas. I know from having made acrylic underwater camera housings.
But if you're happy, and haven't had an issue, good for you!
Thanks for the quick responses. Any special acrylic i.e. cast? What thickness? Did the replacement need bending to fit the bulkhead?
A. Acrylic sheet has changed in half a century so I have to doubt those findings.
B. Without posting a copy of the Rohm and Hass findings, just internet
.Care to share "what you know" that justifies all of the black magic requirements that you see on the net for working acrylic. Again, I emphasize that this does not include hot working acrylic.
Only cast for mechanical properties and resistance to scratching.
Only you know that. If only a pound or two are required to match the curvature, I think you can live with it. Install it properly with small screws which are removed after a few months and replaced with black 795.
You want to research this very carefully before getting into it. A hobby woodworking shop and its tools are mandatory for getting into this kind of project
Whatever, I don't care, just thought I'd mention it.A. Acrylic sheet has changed in half a century so I have to doubt those findings.
B. Without posting a copy of the Rohm and Hass findings, just internet
Care to share "what you know" that justifies all of the black magic requirements that you see on the net for working acrylic. Again, I emphasize that this does not include hot working acrylic.
Thank you all for your comments and advice. I'm not planning to do the work myself but it's helpful to know what questions to ask when talking to vendors. Enjoy your weekend.
I highly recommend you touch base with this site’s store. Although there are only 2 listed in the link, it is likely they will get exactly what you need.
MH40 - Windows, Fixed Starboard And Port
Since I worked near a Rohm and Haas plant in Louisville KY. I know their process for making Acrylic sheets.
For those interested in the process read this.
How acrylic plastic is made - material, making, used, processing, parts, Raw Materials
The heat treating is done when shaped by the Maker, not by the user.
Jim...
PS: There are other makers, beside Rohm and Haas.