Plexiglass door Stc

[barnstmr]

Re: Plexiglass door Stc

OH...and about the drill bit.

Look in AC43.13... it shows how to re-sharpen a drill with a shallow angle (shallower than normal) for best results when drilling plexi.

[N96337]

Re: Plexiglass door Stc

I used to go through the process of sharpening the bit the way it's shown in AC43, but since the first time I've used a uni-bit, I quit everything else! It works wonderful!!! I don't polish the inside of the holes, but do chamfer them just a little with the next size on the unibit on each side of the hole, and always drill them at least one size bigger than needed. I also finish the edges of the panel with sandpaper and that seems to help. I "bed" it in a sealant called Geo-Cell, that never does get hard... seems to work better than anything else I've tried so far. I like the bushing idea, but usually use a lock nut and just snug it up.. never tight.
John H.

[NY86]

Re: Plexiglass door Stc

I use a special bit designed for plexiglas. (Shameless plug: I also sell them). Never tried a unibit, but it'll probably work fine. Drill the hole 1/32" larger than the fastener. For this I use AN470-A4 rivets. (Not "AD"!) Set them with a squeezer or chuck your rivet set in a drill press and set them with that.

I don't like to use Lexan because it is very soft and easily scratched and doesn't hold up well to fuel, especially auto gas. For this application .080 would likely be OK, .100 or .125 would be a little better if you're going to kick it.

[Dick Smith]

Re: Large side window sketch...

Hope this gives a basic idea of the installation sequence. I don't have any pix other than snapshots...and my Pentax Optio 430 died on me. It's 3 a.m. and it looks like the sheet metal screws are going into the top of the countersunk screwheads...but they are really offset, for and aft. You'll have to allow me some artistic license!! It just depicts how it sort of goes together. Dick

[Dick Smith]

Re: Plexiglass sidewinddow

This shows the dimensions of the sidewindow. Dick

[Mark Julicher]

Re: Plexiglass door Stc

FWIW,
I polish the inside of holes drilled in Plexiglas with a soldering pencil. For small holes I don't even use a drill, I just heat a soldering pencil and melt the hole through the plastic. This leaves a little raised collar of plastic around the hole which can usually be removed by lifting it with a fingernail -- it pops right off leaving a nice hole. Results have been very good, although one overtightened screw trumps all drilling precautions when it comes to cracks.

Also FWIW, don't even think about using Loktite or other such chemicals on Plexiglass installations.