Ein
Sr Member
I don't recommend doing the rail with acrylic...it's pretty brittle and is not going to support much wear and tear unless supported by something else. On my replica I used several layers of engraving laminate that has a realistic steel effect surface called metalgraph, that can be cut with a CO2 laser. Ended up fairly tough and has a flexibility that acrylic doesn't. Just a thought
Color me interested! What kind of laser do you use? I've got one of those cheapo Chinese K40 CO2 lasers that I've been refitting and improving, but short of actually replacing the tube on it I'm somewhat limited to the power that allows. How thick was the material you were cutting?
The sheets of this metalgraph stuff look great. It does come up a bit pricy, but I think if I'm smart about how I laid the parts out for cutting I could get a lot out of a 12" x 24" sheet. In fairness, it is also just acrylic with an extra coating, but it looks pretty good.
Got any recommendations for sourcing it? Johnson Plastics looks like an OK option, but I've ordered from them before and their shipping takes forever.