Plexiglass / Lexan / Acrylic Nightmares

[gork]

I was just going to jump in here to second dapperdan on this. If you are cutting lexan or acrylic, use a saw. You can work with both using standard wood tools; just test your cutting speed first; too fast or too slow through the material and you will cause melting. Scoring and snapping only works if you have the correct kind of scoring tool. Scoring with a handheld knife and straightedge -- that is very hard to get right!

As for material, Lexan is about 10x as strong as acrylic but scratches more easily. It's probably a tradeoff in a pachinko, but if you are covering graphics use acrylic. I'd tend towards acrylic on the playfield too since balls seldom strike it, and when they do you don't want scratches.

If you go with glass, though, you really ought to get it tempered. It adds to the cost (with glass in this sizes it could even double it) but tempered glass is going to get you the best of both worlds. It's very durable, and if you ever happen to break it, it's much safer. Using glass also gives you some interesting options for anti-glare coatings, custom etching, etc that all could be used to enhance a machine's apperance. I use tempered 1/4" glass exclusively on arcade cabinets that I build or restore. I would never even consider anything else.

[Firewire]

While on the subject, do you put the glass in the first or second slot? I have one machine with it furthest from the pins and another one closest to the playboard.

Which is correct? I would guess closest to the playboard will be noisery and further runs the risk of balls getting caught up.

[arbycoffee]

Do a piece of glas in both it will be quieter, but at least the closest to the nails

[Firewire]

Hmmm....2 pieces....very good!

[d mowery]

Why you tink day gots 2 slots ,one fer da funny papers?
Hi David

[arbycoffee]

all the vendors are to cheap to put in the two panes that belong there.

[jwegger]

Buying it cut to size is the best way to go, but if you want to try yourself you can use a hand or power saw. If the speedi is too high it may melt some of the plastic. One of the stores I used to own we replaced the windows with lexan after they got shot out a couple of times and the installers just cut the sheet with a regular circular saw (fine tooth blade). this was 3/8 inch thick material and it only melted a little along the cut and they just used a file to clean it up.

[arbycoffee]

I get all mine per cut, not worth the time messing with cutting or the mess it makes.

[bf_of_pf]

Hmmmm..things not looking too good as far as pre-cut glass or plexi. None of the Home Depots I called in this area offer the cutting service. They all sell glass and plexi, but don't custom cut it. I also called Glass Doctor and they only do auto/windshield service in this area. I'll give Lowe's a call next and see if they do it. The glass in the E.T. looks like a standard 16 x 16 1/4" standard glass, so it shouldn't be a big deal. Just a drag that HD and Glass Doctor isn't an option in this area. (Silver Spring/Laurel MD).

[noobie]

bf, check your local Michaels or Hobby Lobby craft stores. They will cut glass very cheaply. I think I got two pieces of glass with custom cuts for around $12 at Hobby Lobby. They also frequently have 1/2 off sales. Just be sure not to get the "glare-free" glass by mistake!

[the-pachinko-master!]

I think I will buy mine per cut and save money!

That sounds like the best advice today. Let them screw it up!

[bf_of_pf]

bf, check your local Michaels or Hobby Lobby craft stores. They will cut glass very cheaply. I think I got two pieces of glass with custom cuts for around $12 at Hobby Lobby. They also frequently have 1/2 off sales. Just be sure not to get the "glare-free" glass by mistake!

I just checked at Lowe's, and the cost for 16x16 1/8" regular non-tempered, non-glare glass was $6.50, so we're heading over there. The guy said they don't sand the edge of the cut but since it's being put right into the frame on the machine I don't think that'll really matter. I guess I could buy some emory cloth and smooth it off, but as long as it fits properly in the track of the frame, it should just stay put and not matter if the edge is sharp.

[luckydog]

Ace hardware cuts glass here!!!

A lot of smaller hardware stores do it too

[d mowery]

Check any picture framing shop

[bf_of_pf]

We ended up getting a 16x16 piece of plexi for $7.35 at Lowe's. Figured for that price, it'd be worth having the increased quiet of plexi closest to the playfield, and move the piece of glass that came with it to the outside track. Plus, don't have to worry about any sharp edges.

[arbycoffee]

cool, that will work good

[bf_of_pf]

It definitely makes a difference having the plexi closest to the playfield. When we first brought the plexi home it fit perfectly in the slot closest to the playfield & the one farther away, but the original glass didn't seem to fit in the slot farthest away (the glass was too wide), so we kept the glass next to the playfield and put the plexi on the outside. I just pulled the original glass and measured it; it wasn't 16x16, it was more like 15 7/8 x 16. So I tried inserting it in the outside track with the 15 7/8" width, and it fit, allowing us to put the plexi closest to the playfield. It definitely made it more quiet. I think we'll be getting 16x16 plexi for all the models that it'll work on. (i.e. The Sankyo Fever Queen has round glass, not square, so that's a machine that'll stay the way it is. At least it has two pieces of OEM glass.)

[arbycoffee]

You are becoming one with pachinko, that is good and right.

[bf_of_pf]

You are becoming one with pachinko, that is good and right.

You must be right. The other day I asked Paula: "Can you imagine what it must take to design the pin pattern for one of these machines?" She said: "They must use computers". I said: "I don't know about that." It reminded me of jr. high school when we had to learn how to use slide rules. All I could think of was: if it's this hard to learn how to use one of these things, imagine what it took to make the first one.

[arbycoffee]

"how to use slide rules", showing your age there for me it was rocks and sticks.