Florida Plastics Projects

Small Custom Handle Cutting Board

2009-06-30T07:01:52Z

Frequently called mini or "cheese" cutting board, because of the small proportions,
these pass-outs are for a plastics distributor.
They had a lot of offcuts, and wanted something unique to put their business card onto.
Standard 1/2" white poly cutting board is relatively easy to machine to shape.
The slot in the handle is extra wide, and my contribution.
Lately molded shapes have appeared in retail stores, with second material inserts, colors, and low pricing.
But the plastics distributors are now stocking the primary colors, for separation to prevent cross contamination.

Frosted Acrylic Model Platform

2009-06-16T05:15:43Z

This mini stage is orbital sander frosted clear acrylic.
It was made out of 3/4" and 1/2" sheets, so clear was used to save money.

The factory frost pattern P95 is twice as expensive as clear, and these two
partial sheets, made out of P95 would have brought my material costs to $1000.
Using the clear, material costs are only about $200.
The sanded by hand clear is not as good a finish, especially close up.
Sandblasted clear is another option, but from a distance, the sanded clear has the same effect. An event company did the led lighting, I just supplied the box.

A 30" cube with 3/4" top is adequate to support the models.

Calvary Chapel Bookstore Acrylics

2009-06-04T23:09:31Z

The buying manager at the local
Fort Lauderdale Calvary Chapel Church
gave me license to speculate on various item designs.
So far the response has been moderate, but these are hand made,
original religious store products. So they were glad to try them out.
That church has helped me find, a sometimes intensely real connection to Jesus Christ.
I feel honored to be a participant in that family.

plasticsjournal @ 2009-05-18T19:04:00

2009-05-18T23:18:28Z

The historic Lauderdale Beach Hotel has the snazziest 2nd floor apartment I have ever seen.
The finishes, the textures, are beyond miami vice, beyond high tech.
In the middle of the strip, a small portion of the building was conserved, to satisfy the public.
This 2 inch clear acrylic slab handrail was machine sanded to create the frosted look.
This project designer has done this style railing before, with success.

Acrylic sheet is available up to 4" thick, but 2" and above is getting to be a special order, rare commodity.
The distributors don't want to stock a $1000 sheet and have it sit for years, to have the masking gum up.
There is just not much call for the super thick, like in the deco furniture heydays.
But everything old is new again.

Custom Transparent Acrylic Sheet Colors

2009-05-04T19:33:01Z

This public moving mobile display has 1/4" colored sheets.
Of course the artist is very precise about his work, including color.
These quotes and orders, take a long time, as custom colors are not common.
Mostly because of price and turnaround. But honestly, sometimes the plastics
sale people don't volunteer, that such a exists or is possible.
There are layers or discs, paired with a single, "fin", on each single mobile module.

Bullet Resistant Acrylic Edge Polishing

2009-04-24T03:59:53Z

This stack is a common site around my shop.
1.25" thick BR, or bullet resistant acrylic sheet, the material 95% of the glass companies
use for their protective window jobs.
I see a bulk polishing job, like this about once a month.
You can see some of the slider door hangar hardware.
I work outside, because of the bulk and weight.
They pickup and deliver the same day, so handling is reduced.
So, basically, I am a laborer, something I've learned to be content with.

aluminium trestle base bar

2009-04-11T14:10:19Z

P95 is a factory frost pattern that had seen some popularity with event and display designers lately.
Simple "rest on" new aluminum traffic trestle setup.
Large sound activated led flood lights like you see under trees in parks are spaced a few feet apart.

The hotel staff demonstrated it by clapping their hands, and the different color came on.
As usual, I had the boring part, just rounding and polishing the edges, but it's always cool to see the final application.
Clear acrylic sheets can be machine sanded, but they effect is not the same, especially close up.

Genuine Lucite Bracelet

2009-03-30T14:05:32Z

A plastics distributor salesperson has a nickname "lucitelady".
She has retail and whole experience in the plastics industry.
So, Rusty Schulz laughingly gave me this vintage bracelet to photograph and blog.
That was the mentality years ago, that "lucite" was valuable and copied material.
Of course it is a respected brand name, but today the generic term acrylic would work.

Acrylic Carvings

2009-03-13T19:54:59Z

Hand carved from the back with looking thru the front,
these pieces are excellent artistry.
Randy Rich acrylic carving site has examples of
reverse carved and colored trophies.

A design sketch is made on the acrylic.
Then high speed grinders with a variety of drills,
bits and burrs, are employed.

They are hand carved directly into the
back of the panel for a three
dimensional image.

Not a production machinery produced product.

This reverse carving technique
is fascinating to watch, viewing the front of the piece
while working from the back. Once the design is
detailed, the process of reverse painting begins.
Working in reverse, the first paint applied is what would normally
be the last layer, and cannot be painted over.
This makes the planning process very critical.

Plastics Blog editor rating

2009-03-02T05:00:17Z

Editors recently reviewed this blog and have given it a 7.2 score out of (10) in the recreation category of Blogged.com.
We evaluated your blog based on the following criteria: Frequency of Updates, Relevance of Content, Site Design, and Writing Style.
After carefully reviewing each of these criteria, your site was given its 7.2 score.

Even though I am only a one man shop,
and it is a two week update, and I always have some fresh designs to post here.
The text is sparse, and the pictures are large, but hey, it is an easy scroll.

http://www.blogged.com/blogs/florida-plastics-office.html

Acrylic Rear View Mirror Replacement

2009-02-09T12:14:23Z

Yes, glass would be better, but for temporary use or to save money, this works fine.
Even 1/8" thick mirror flat enough, that you almost can't notice any waves in the surface.
Still I hesitate advising this, because driving optics safety is a serious issue.
This one was ordered by a plastics distributor salesman, so he was aware of the material properties.

Credit Card Swiper Pedastal Apparatus

2009-01-10T16:25:19Z

Made of medium grey starboard, they are a departure from
my normal routine.
The cutout in the top is for the card terminal.
There is room for signage on the front sliding door, and also the top.
Assembled using screws, not glue.
Leveling glides are on the bottom.

Upmarket Clear Acrylic Mailbox

2008-12-23T15:20:32Z

Mostly self explanatory, this one is in front of my shop.
Large enough for small packages, and easy to visually check if mail has arrived.
A clear "piano" hinge is used for the 1/2" thick plexiglas sheets.
Some people have the opinion that it temps theft, but who is going to steal your bills anyway.
Mounting is a hastle, because you need a standoff from the wall, to allow hinge to pivot.

Rats chew food stained poly cutting board

2008-12-13T14:51:56Z

Prepare to be grossed out.
Yes, this is my vegetable juicer with carrot and beet juice stains.
It happened within a couple days, they must of been hungry.
This is not common, just a reflection of my lack of sanitary habits.
The juicer is used 365 days a year, in a shop environment.
My distributor acted like he has never seen anything like this.
Those sheets are not soft, like foam pvc.
Sometimes I see rodent bite marks on my buffing compound,
because it has a beef tallow fat base.

Clear Acrylic Swivel Desk Chair

2008-11-29T17:07:19Z

Was scrounging the alley, and acquired a jewel in the rough.
A padded desk chair, that was stained and worn out.
Remove the upholstered part and replaced with 1" clear acrylic and
this novelty item is produced.

The hard surface takes some getting used to,
but if the back angle is right, it is not too uncomfortable.
One of those large blue gel pads is cool and helps with the hard surface issue.

Wood Naga Cocktail Base

2008-11-16T20:57:01Z

OK, so I acquired a pile of butcher block materials from a free craigslist listing.
No worries, I am not giving up the plastic ship.
A little adventurous speculation is good.
The pivot pin classic Japanese cocktail base design is normally seen in black lacquer,
but I have done some clear and now this wood version.
Really the wood is not well received, because it is not a neutral color to blend with home decor.
The 2 inch thick clear acrylic, I have been making for a few years, it sells well.

Custom lighted inserts for walking canes

2008-10-31T12:47:48Z

There are pathlighers, with a flashlight, and good sites about decorative inserts, but this insert is novelty.
Glitter, shells, sand, dried flowers, and silk flowers are all common inserts.
Sometimes a customer dreams up inserts that are very custom, like military artifacts for a family member present. There are plenty of choices, for other walking cane functions, but cane collectors, will be amused with this one. Removable led unit, has solid or various flashing sequences modes.

Custom Acrylic Coin Display Holders

2008-10-18T18:10:08Z

Black and "green edge" acrylic sheet, comprise these 3 units.
Hole size is almost exactly 1.5" for some unspecified collectors coin.
This was ordered by my best customer, and supplier.
1" black acrylic sheet is the thickest that is commonly available,
so these were laminated black.
Since the seams are visible, no attempt was made to camouflage them.

Custom Color Pedestals

2008-10-04T12:11:18Z

Overrun price deals, sometimes lead to, speculation projects.
I would not choose this color, but someone did, and paid a premium price.
Not only custom color up charge, but the P-95 factory texture, adds to the cost.
It is similar to sandblasting or frosting.

To my surprise, the mid century modern furniture stores wanted more.
They are "standard" heights of 36" and 42".
How can you tell someone a pricepoint 1, and then say the next one will be
at a price point 10 times greater? Every two weeks I find a fresh original blog post,
even though I am in sort of a personal funk about the labor.
The work is there, and good for me.

These (2) 12" x 12" amber color acrylic pedastals are bizarre,
but hey that is what people want.

Museum Mineral Display

2008-09-20T03:25:17Z

Dangling, sheer cantilever, lamp lens, or half moon, take your pick.
Custom designed and constructed by the staff at the
Fort Lauderdale Museum of Science and Discovery.
I just did the cutting and edge finishing. (polishing)
Most of it was 3/4" clear acrylic material.

The specimen quality of these earth crystals are impressive.
It is interesting to note, the large variety of shapes and colors,
of crystals, within the same name lable group. like calcium carbonate.
Maybe more specific mineral name classifications are not available.

Thick Acrylic "butterfly" Dining Base

2008-09-06T15:35:00Z

This scratch repair job is a Lion in Frost "Odyssey" dining table base.
Beveling 2 inch thick acrylic sheet
on a curve like this is not easy.
It takes an large, powerful shaper and a custom cutter head.
The two halves are resting on their sides, and are joined with a metal
"star".

This is a patented design, and was one of the most popular
fine furniture designs in the Lion in Frost signature line.
This butterfly base was copied a lot, with a very cheezy outcome.
In all these years, no one has brought the same look to market.
There is a cocktail version of this too, it is very organic and rounded or flowing.

The son of one of the original owners of Lion in Frost, Doug Frye,
has this one in his collection.
He is very serious about collecting specimens of Lion in Frost Inc. furniture.
Instead of listing your premium condition Lion in Frost piece on craigslist etc.,
email Doug at fryeplace@aol.com. I THINK, he is contemplating reviving the line, since he has legal rights, and drawing from , Dan Roy.
It brought a lot of memories to me, when I saw it, because I used to be shop foreman there.

Very Thick Acrylic Table SIgn

2008-08-25T06:21:44Z

One inch thick clear plastic, was serious overkill,
but hey you want it to be noticed.
Again I used on online vector conversion service,
to create the vinyl logo for the back of this sign.
Blue was the paint back fill color. I guess you can see,
I need practice applying the letters. (bubbles)

I take things too far, a little smaller sign would have a better effect.
Too big and it looks like a prop, or you are trying too hard.

Polymer Pyramid

2008-08-09T01:04:40Z

Common and uncommon raw plastic materials are included.
Starting at the bottom is Commodity Polymers.
That includes PS, SAN, PVC, on the amorphous side.
The semi-crystalline side has PP, HDPE, LDPE.

The next category is Engineering Polymers.
That includes PMMA, ABS, PEX, XLPE, PUR, PPO, COC, PPC, PC,
on the amorphous side.
That list contains the 2 most popular plastic materials:
PMMA, or acrylic
PC, or polycarbonate

The High Performance polymer list has
PPSU, PEI, PESU, PSU, on the amorphous side.
The semi-crystalline side has the fluoropolymers list containing,
LCP, PARA, PPS, PPA. This stack's trade names sound like contrived drug trade names.

At the pinnacle, is the Ultra Polymers.
They are:
PBI, PI, SRP, TPI, PAI, HTS (amorphous)
PEEK (semi-crystaline)

Some of the plastics, on the ultra list are so expensive,
the distributors sometimes, put them in a locked area.

PVC Sheet Toy Displays

2008-07-19T16:15:17Z

These modular mattel toy display trays or shelves
are simple, but they do the job.
Made of white pvc sheet in two thicknesses, 3/8" and 1/8".
Well, really they use millimeters (metric) designations.
With a good saw, edge finishing on these is not necessary.
The white color is especially forgiving, about the edge color issue.

PVC sheet is real easy to work with, the screw holes do not even need tapping, or drilling. They had thick felt pads on the bottoms, to raise them up enough, to make lifting up easy. It was a nice manageable job, with about 400 units.

They had a 3" "back-splash", for lack of a better word.

This is the bottom view, of retail POP (point of purchase) display.

Wholesale Plastic Sheets Price Increase Inevitable

2008-07-04T16:49:37Z

Wholesale Plastic Sheets price increase inevitable Petroleum based acrylic and polycarbonate sheet commodities are on the rise. No surprise there, people in the distributor industry put it off till they received letters from the manufacturer. Most source factories, domestic and overseas, have increased their prices 8 - 12%. That is reflected in internet published sheet price lists.

I am just a fabricator, but believe me, I saw the manufacturer letters to plastic distributors. Whether the increase is this month or six months from now, it will happen.

I have yet to find a good price comparison internet site. Some make borderline attempts, to include the search phrases, but they fall short. For "polycarbonate sheet" you find kitchen utensils made of lexan.