Anyone know how to curve plexi with home tools?

I want to bend a 1/8" thick 3"wide sheet or plexiglas in to a gentle curve. I"m almost certain this is best done with some kind of heat source, but i'm not sure what to use.

suggestions?

this will eventually be used as a base for an LED array.

make a mold out of wood, then stick it in the oven, then mold it to the wood?
at work i used mapp gas torch seemed to work pretty well.

I built a bender with a blowdrier ... Took it apart and used the heater wire , straightened it out and wrapped it across some G10 material I cut slices in to prevent the wire from touching the plexi ... plugged it in set the plexi on it till it got pliable then bent it over a table edge ...

if it's only 3" wide you could probably do it with a heat gun or blow drier ...
For a gentle curve you'll need to make it out of something then heat the plexi till it goes along with it

i used 3 blowtorches to bend mine.


had a thing setup to where the torches were 8 inches away, then they kept even continual heat while i was bending the sheet.

The oven thing i dont think would work, cause it would cool down. And you want it to STAY maluable.

I've used torches & ovens/kilns to bend plex.
We used to do that all the time at school in jewelry making.
Pop it in the oven for a minute, take it out and test it to see how mallable it is. If its still too stiff, put it back in and keep checking on it till its ready.

Making a form outta wood would make it better.
Once its set to the shape you want, put water on it to quick set it.
Done!

D_M_A_N wrote:

Making a form outta wood would make it better. Once its set to the shape you want, put water on it to quick set it. Done!

Just make sure that the water you put the piece in is warm water..cold water might cause the plexi to break..
Ive been wondering how to do this bending of a 3/4 sheet of lexan ...i'm thinking about using a heat gun (Milwaukee) ..hopefully it works pretty good cos I dont have a torch , could do it in the oven..if all else fails

a good heatgun and a form for it to mold to

room temp water is fine. Unless your room is in a freezer.

corvettecrazy....guess i'm gonna have to get to makin a mold then..
D_M_A_N...I agree, But I like to go with better safe than sorry method ..warm water will cool eventually..unless your room is in HELL lol