Lexan
Thread Starter
Burning Brakes
Joined: Aug 2005
Posts: 845
Likes: 0
From: Mesa Arizona
Lexan
I've seen posts where members have made battery den covers out of this Lexan material for their vettes. I got a sheet at Home Depot with the idea of making fenderwell covers for inside eng comp, something like the vette catalogs sell in stainless stl. And then painting them body color to match rest of pcs in eng comp, & putting them in place with velco strips so they could be removed to work on engine.
How do you cut this stuff, sheet I bought is .093" thick & there was a strange looking knife in same area marked "for cutting Lexan" But I will have to make some short radius curves to look proper. Worker at Home D said the stuff cracks easily, but nobody on forum making the battery den cover said anything about it cracking easily. Does it? How did you make the curves for the battery comp cover?
Thanks
Jack
Last edited by jaxvet; Jun 20, 2008 at 03:58 AM.
Safety Car
Joined: Apr 2007
Posts: 3,640
Likes: 83
From: . New York
At first I thought you said .93" 
I said to myself "what is he building, a bullet proof tellers wondow?" 
(that would be really really expensive lexan)
I'm not a big fan of cutting plexi or lexan with that knife thing. I imagine it works ok for a straight cut, but I've had it break crooked the few of the times Ive tried it.
I would outline (and cut) it with all the straight edges I could, then use something like a dremmel or one of those rotozip things to do the curves. Either read the manual or experiment on scrap to find the right speed to set it at to do the cuts nice and clean.
I said to myself "what is he building, a bullet proof tellers wondow?" (that would be really really expensive lexan)I'm not a big fan of cutting plexi or lexan with that knife thing. I imagine it works ok for a straight cut, but I've had it break crooked the few of the times Ive tried it.
I would outline (and cut) it with all the straight edges I could, then use something like a dremmel or one of those rotozip things to do the curves. Either read the manual or experiment on scrap to find the right speed to set it at to do the cuts nice and clean.
Thread Starter
Burning Brakes
Joined: Aug 2005
Posts: 845
Likes: 0
From: Mesa Arizona
At first I thought you said .93" I said to myself "what is he building, a bullet proof tellers wondow?" (that would be really really expensive lexan)
I'm not a big fan of cutting plexi or lexan with that knife thing. I imagine it works ok for a straight cut, but I've had it break crooked the few of the times Ive tried it.
I would outline (and cut) it with all the straight edges I could, then use something like a dremmel or one of those rotozip things to do the curves. Either read the manual or experiment on scrap to find the right speed to set it at to do the cuts nice and clean.
I said to myself "what is he building, a bullet proof tellers wondow?" (that would be really really expensive lexan)I'm not a big fan of cutting plexi or lexan with that knife thing. I imagine it works ok for a straight cut, but I've had it break crooked the few of the times Ive tried it.
I would outline (and cut) it with all the straight edges I could, then use something like a dremmel or one of those rotozip things to do the curves. Either read the manual or experiment on scrap to find the right speed to set it at to do the cuts nice and clean.
Burning Brakes
Joined: Sep 2007
Posts: 930
Likes: 3
From: Lawrenceville GA
I've seen posts where members have made battery den covers out of this Lexan material for their vettes. I got a sheet at Home Depot with the idea of making fenderwell covers for inside eng comp, something like the vette catalogs sell in stainless stl. And then painting them body color to match rest of pcs in eng comp, & putting them in place with velco strips so they could be removed to work on engine.
How do you cut this stuff, sheet I bought is .093" thick & there was a strange looking knife in same area marked "for cutting Lexan" But I will have to make some short radius curves to look proper. Worker at Home D said the stuff cracks easily, but nobody on forum making the battery den cover said anything about it cracking easily. Does it? How did you make the curves for the battery comp cover?
Thanks
Jack
How do you cut this stuff, sheet I bought is .093" thick & there was a strange looking knife in same area marked "for cutting Lexan" But I will have to make some short radius curves to look proper. Worker at Home D said the stuff cracks easily, but nobody on forum making the battery den cover said anything about it cracking easily. Does it? How did you make the curves for the battery comp cover?
Thanks
Jack
Actually, I think the knife bit works if you are sure to score it good on both sides, but do it without taking off the protective covering first (or is that part obvious?).
With the proper blade a regular hand held jig saw should work ok too - just use a slow blade speed to keep heat down and take your time.
Melting Slicks
Joined: Jun 2004
Posts: 2,453
Likes: 81
From: Fishin' Pole FL
Drifting
Joined: Apr 2007
Posts: 1,496
Likes: 1
From: LEBANON PA.
Hi There,
Never had any problems with a jig saw. As others have said remove the film coating, slow speed, stop for awhile & let the blade cool or spray the blade with water from a windex bottle. If the blade is used put in a new one.Patience is the key.
robsc501
Never had any problems with a jig saw. As others have said remove the film coating, slow speed, stop for awhile & let the blade cool or spray the blade with water from a windex bottle. If the blade is used put in a new one.Patience is the key.
robsc501
Thread Starter
Burning Brakes
Joined: Aug 2005
Posts: 845
Likes: 0
From: Mesa Arizona
Corvette Stories
The Best of Corvette for Corvette Enthusiasts
Corvette ZR1X Will Be Pacing the Indy 500, And Could Probably Race, Too!
Verdad Gallardo
Top 10 Corvettes Coming to Mecum Indy 2026!
Brett Foote
Top 10 C9 Corvette MUST-HAVES to Fix These C8 Generation Flaws!
Michael S. Palmer
10 Revolutionary 'Corvette Firsts' Most People Don't Know
Joe Kucinski
5 Reasons to Upgrade to an LS6-Powered Corvette; 5 Reasons to Stay LT2
Michael S. Palmer
2027 Corvette vs The World: Every C8 vs Its Closest Competitor
Joe Kucinski
10 Most Common Corvette Problems of the Last 20 Years!
Joe Kucinski
5 MOST and 5 LEAST Popular Corvette Model Years in History!
Joe Kucinski
2027 Corvette Buyer's Guide: Everything You Need to Know!
Joe Kucinski
Thread Starter
Burning Brakes
Joined: Aug 2005
Posts: 845
Likes: 0
From: Mesa Arizona
Thanks
Jack
Administrator
Joined: Mar 2001
Posts: 367,670
Likes: 24,663
From: In a parallel universe. Currently own 2014 Stingray Coupe.
C7 of the Year - Modified Finalist 2021
MO Events Coordinator
St. Jude Co-Organizer
St. Jude Donor '03 thru '25
NCM Sinkhole Donor
CI 5, 8 & 11 Veteran
A dremel on low speed and patience should do a good job on those curves.
Race Director
Joined: Sep 2007
Posts: 12,899
Likes: 1
From: Denver Colorado
Racer
Joined: Apr 2007
Posts: 355
Likes: 0
From: Dayton Ohio
Plexiglas is a hard material and can crack but I have cut it with a metal sheer. It also resists scratching.
Lexan is a softer material and will scratch- you can cut it with a jigsaw, rotozip, coping saw, etc. just go slow. Edge cleanup with a fine tooth file followed by sandpaper. If you want a super smooth edge go with wet sanding or acetone wipe.
You can bend Lexan - find a local sheet metal shop and talk nice and they may put it in their brake.
Finally, Lexan is usually 3 to 4 times the cost of Plexiglas.
Lexan is a softer material and will scratch- you can cut it with a jigsaw, rotozip, coping saw, etc. just go slow. Edge cleanup with a fine tooth file followed by sandpaper. If you want a super smooth edge go with wet sanding or acetone wipe.
You can bend Lexan - find a local sheet metal shop and talk nice and they may put it in their brake.
Finally, Lexan is usually 3 to 4 times the cost of Plexiglas.
Racer
Joined: Feb 2008
Posts: 361
Likes: 0
Plexiglas is a hard material and can crack but I have cut it with a metal sheer. It also resists scratching.
Lexan is a softer material and will scratch- you can cut it with a jigsaw, rotozip, coping saw, etc. just go slow. Edge cleanup with a fine tooth file followed by sandpaper. If you want a super smooth edge go with wet sanding or acetone wipe.
You can bend Lexan - find a local sheet metal shop and talk nice and they may put it in their brake.
Finally, Lexan is usually 3 to 4 times the cost of Plexiglas.
Lexan is a softer material and will scratch- you can cut it with a jigsaw, rotozip, coping saw, etc. just go slow. Edge cleanup with a fine tooth file followed by sandpaper. If you want a super smooth edge go with wet sanding or acetone wipe.
You can bend Lexan - find a local sheet metal shop and talk nice and they may put it in their brake.
Finally, Lexan is usually 3 to 4 times the cost of Plexiglas.
and finally, when applying the paint, paint the UNDERSIDE , 2-3 light dust coats, no clear/top coat needed, will look like new money 
Instructor
Joined: Oct 2007
Posts: 191
Likes: 0
From: south eastern North Carolina
St. Jude Donor '08
Here is a pic of mine. 
I did just what you are wanting to do. It looks great when finished. I used a rotozip to rough cut mine and then a bench sander to get the exact size. If you are going to use a jigsaw go with a more coarse blade as a fine blade will load up quicker but go slow. Hope it turns out for you.
Greg
I did just what you are wanting to do. It looks great when finished. I used a rotozip to rough cut mine and then a bench sander to get the exact size. If you are going to use a jigsaw go with a more coarse blade as a fine blade will load up quicker but go slow. Hope it turns out for you. Greg
Former Vendor
Joined: Nov 2005
Posts: 8,995
Likes: 2
From: Spring Texas
St. Jude Donor '08
Jig will work for most applications.
Ideally, the best tool IMO would be a table scroll saw with a wrap-around blade for multi directional cutting. They're a little more expensive than jigs but are much more precise and don't require clamping.
Thread Starter
Burning Brakes
Joined: Aug 2005
Posts: 845
Likes: 0
From: Mesa Arizona
Here is a pic of mine. I did just what you are wanting to do. It looks great when finished. I used a rotozip to rough cut mine and then a bench sander to get the exact size. If you are going to use a jigsaw go with a more coarse blade as a fine blade will load up quicker but go slow. Hope it turns out for you.
Greg
I did just what you are wanting to do. It looks great when finished. I used a rotozip to rough cut mine and then a bench sander to get the exact size. If you are going to use a jigsaw go with a more coarse blade as a fine blade will load up quicker but go slow. Hope it turns out for you. Greg
Thread Starter
Burning Brakes
Joined: Aug 2005
Posts: 845
Likes: 0
From: Mesa Arizona
