acetate, plexiglass, what is that stuff?

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I need to make/have made a perspex type washboard for my boat. Looking up the various names in yellow pages is spectacularly unhelpful. Anyone know what I should search under in yell.com or suggest somewhere in N. Essex?
John
 
Perspex and Plexiglass registered trade names for "acrylic" (polymethylmethacrylate)

Polycarbonate goes under the names Lexan and Makrolon.

Acetate generally means cellulose acetate or triacetate and is the stuff photographic film is made of.

Polycarbonate is the stuff riot shields are made of. It is more resestant to fracture than "acrylic" but it is softer and therefore more liable to scratching. It is very susceptible to damage by solvents and it is more expensive. IMHO Acrylic of reasonable thickness is likely to be as strong as the surrounding woodwork.

"Diy Plastics" are a national mail order supplier (Google for them) but there are a couple of suppliers in Colchester who will cut to size and should have tinted stuff available. If you can't find them PM me and I will look out the addresses for you. They are practically next to each other on an industrial estate. (Try a google for Perspex + Colchester) At least one is advertising in PBO.

Later:
they are

Project Plastics and UK Plastic Fabrication (Includes Precision Plastics who I used for new windows)
 
Just replaced my windows with 4mm polycarbonate called 'Lexan' it was about twice the price of Perspex but, I am assured, much tougher. Don't know how thick you would need it for washboard though.

BJ
 
A thought for you: if you cruise offshore your washboards should be capable of keeping breaking seas out: not just strong enough, but stiff enough not to bend inwards such that they can be forced out of their slots: they should be rather more hefty than you might at first imagine! Regards. K.
 
Polycarbonate - is unbreakable-pretty much but does scratch
Acrylic (trade name perspex) - is less strong but doesn't scratch as much-this is usually used for hatches, portlights and windows.
 
I have changed my perspex windows over to polycarbonate, but would not make a washboard out of it. The property that makes polycarbonate so good as a window is achieved by being able to give somewhat to reduce the oint impact. This property would allow the washboard to pop out when under extreme pressure.


Use Perspex (acrylic), it sgreater resistance to scratching will also be an added bonus (and its cheaper)
 
Had ours done by Project Plastics in Colchester (on the industrial estate up the hill past the Hythe - Whitehall I think it's called). Did it while we waited, very happy £120 IIRC. It had to be thick to fit, because the grooves were set up for wood.
 
Polycarbonate is generally considered MUCH worse for scratching and going "milky" with time. At work, we use something called "Resist 65" which is an impact-modified acrylic. It's great in that you can beat the living daylights out of it with a hammer but it has the scratch resistance of "Perspex". There's a good website (free but you have to register) where you can get data sheets for oodles of plastics:

http://www.ides.com/x5/register/default.aspx?cmp=760
 
I thought I'd replied to this. I have big thick teak washboards. I want a set of plastic ones for port, so I can get a bit of daylight!
 
The 10mm acrylic washboards on my Parker 21 were kicked in half by a burglar wearing muddy Doc Martins. Apparantly all burglars wear muddy DMs so no clues there!

Nothing else was damaged though he did get away with an old matrix-type 12 channel VHF. If the washboards had been stronger he'd have broken the hatch cover (much more expensive) to get in.

Geoff
 
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