lexan BC plates?



M

mornish

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Hi, I was thinking of making some BC plates out of lexan, but I was
wondering if anyone has tried this or if it would work. I think that if
I use thick enough lexan it would work, but my mom didn't think so.


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We've had the opportunity to play with some lexan (about tenth inch
thick stuff) at our school. From what we've seen with the thin stuff
is it's pretty bendy, but I'm not sure if this would be the same for
thicker lexan (like 1/4 or 1/2 inch thick).

My guess is it would flex too much when ridden, but it is still an
interesting idea.


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I'm not sure it's a very good idea. It would be good for grinding, but
if you keep grinding for too long it would start to melt and warp
because of all the friction. Might as well give it a try though, how
much could it cost?


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Grindplates are made out of lexan and they don't melt when you grind
alot.


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k, i don't think lexan is too much, I made a 1 pound battle bot out of
it and it was pretty thick, id say at least 1/4 inch. the whole sheet
was bendy, but I think ill try to find a sheet of 1/2 or 3/4 inch
thick. im thiking of ataching to peices together to do it.

miles

ps. does anyone know where 2 buy lexan:p


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mawesome wrote:
> Edit:Wouldn't the axel turning cause a lot of friction? I'm pretty sure
> the constant turning would warm up the plates a bit.


Not at all, the plates are attached to the axle so the axle is not
spinning inside them. All of that friction is in the bearings...


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chosen wrote:
> wish i could be in a signature...*sigh*



James_Potter wrote:
> I think we could just apply the same cure we use for bread, to humans.
> just scrape off the cancer with a butter knife, then put jelly on it,
> and eat it...mmmmmm
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Lexan is very brittle, so they could not be made only out of lexan, they
maybe could have lexan on the bottom or something (I don't know why)
but otherwise it seems like it would not work out well, they don't make
angle lexan as far as I know, and for a good reason.


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theanswerisnt42 wrote:
> Lexan is very brittle, so they could not be made only out of lexan, they
> maybe could have lexan on the bottom or something (I don't know why)
> but otherwise it seems like it would not work out well, they don't make
> angle lexan as far as I know, and for a good reason.



I think you are thinking of acrylic (plexiglass), which is brittle and
does shatter. Lexan, though, is (nearly) impossible to break. You can
bend the **** out of lexan and it will just spring back too it's
original shape. I don't think that breakage would be an issue with
some lexan bc plates.

But getting an angled piece, as you said, would be very difficult. You
can bend thinner lexan in a break without any issues, but 1/2" thick
stuff probably needs some special treatment (like applying heat?) to
get a nice angle on it.

Another approach may be to just take two flat pieces and use miracle
glue to make your own angled piece, but then you are at the mercy of a
breakage at the joint. Maybe they could be melted together instead?
Someone needs to do some research and try to make some of these things,
I think it's an awesome idea!


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Lexan, acrylic, perspex and plexiglas are all the same thing just with
different names. To get it to bend properly you would need to evenly
apply a lot of heat (I think about 150c) for a minute or so, but to do
this it can't be that thick because it would go all wierd at the bend.
You could bend a thin piece and then glue some thicker bits to that. I
would just use some thick brackets and glue the lexan to the bottom of
it.


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mawesome wrote:
> Lexan, acrylic, perspex and plexiglas are all the same thing just with
> different names.



'I don't think they are...' (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lexan)


Wikipedia wrote:
> Lexan is similar to polymethyl methacrylate (Plexiglas/Lucite/Perspex) —
> commonly described as Acrylic — in appearance, but is far more durable,
> often to the point of being described as "bulletproof" (depending on
> the thickness of the sample and the type of weapon used). Lexan is
> typically used in the aerospace industry for items such as aircraft
> canopies, windscreens and other windows, but can often be found in
> household items, such as bottles, compact discs, and DVDs. It is also
> one of the most common products used to make Bullet-resistant glass.
>



Using 1/2" lexan you could very easily use two flat sheets, glue (using
plastic cement that melts the surfaces together) and also drill, tap &
bolt the two faces together as well. It'll be a strong enough material,
if they break anywhere it'll be the join.

Loose.


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here is one problem: grip.
Lexan is flat plastic and if it gets wet, it will be slippery. Other
than that it seems perfect. Maybe you could drill holes or something to
give more grip.
Also, Lexan is not plexiglass or acrillic. Lexan is bulletproof and
blastproof. It also will not melt.


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griptape.


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> wish i could be in a signature...*sigh*



James_Potter wrote:
> I think we could just apply the same cure we use for bread, to humans.
> just scrape off the cancer with a butter knife, then put jelly on it,
> and eat it...mmmmmm
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it's called griptape!


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Lexan can be bent with medium temperature, from a heat gun or torch.
Just be sure that you dont heat it too much, otherwise it will boil and
become fragile. I'm not sure how Lexan would work for BC plates...
obviously it's softer than metal or even carbon fiber.


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Plexiglas is acrylic. Solvents can make it brittle. Lexan is
polycarbonate. Think football helmets. It will melt since it is a
thermoplastic. Either material should be drilled with drills that are
designed for cutting plastic to avoid stress cracks. A local plastic
supply house should have some Lexan and the equipment to bend it for
you. It seems that once the lexan has some wear it would have high
friction. Is that desirable or a detraction? The gluing idea sounds
appropriate.


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If I was to do it, which isn't too likely, I would most like take to
flat 1/2 in. wide peices, drill holes in them, thread the holes, apply
apoxy and screw in heavy duty screws at the joint. It isn't too likely
that Ill do it though because im a bit short on $. If anyone wants to
make them for me that would be fine though.:p

Miles


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