I'm Looking For A Scratch Proof Acetate

https://www.google.com/search?q=clear+acetate+sheets&oq=clear+ace&aqs=chrome.2.0j69i57j0l4.8979j0j8&sourceid=chrome&es_sm=122&ie=UTF-8

yeah, but that's normal acetate, this needs to be pretty durable. abrasion resistant.

---Mike Savad

not sure of the size of your window Mike..but smartphone protectors are very cheap, very tough, and readily available... you could maybe use a few together to cover a larger area.. ? maybe not a permanent solution but hey...

this might not be what you're looking for but you can call them and ask them for what you need.

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/search?Ntt=scratch+resistant+acetate&N=0&InitialSearch=yes&sts=ma&Top+Nav-Search=

much larger, than a phone. i'd have to measure it, but its at least 16 long. though i could i suppose make a window from the stuff. while the phone is thing i have on now is scratched, it's not as bad as what i'm looking through now. but it would also be small...

problem is a lot of this stuff is rather expensive. i built the blaster from parts from the old blaster and free plywood i got where i used to work.

i suppose if i rebuilt the lid, and made a peep hole kind of arrangement and placed a phone cover over that, it could work, but would be awkward to use that way.

---Mike Savad

i wonder how scratch prone a clear shower curtain would be. it wouldn't be optically clear, but i'm looking through something that is close to resembling a cracker or thin leather. you ever scratch away the surface of an etch a sketch to see the stylus inside? it's like that, only brownish.

---Mike Savad

another solution...sorry..potential solution... Boat varnish....drys as tough as nails.. may not be as transparent as a new window.. but better than what you have..??

edit: of course you would have to apply this to a standard piece of acrylic.. :-)

Mike,

A friend of my sister in California, was one of the guys that came up with a film which started for Nascar and would be put over the windshield and after it got dinged up, just pull iy off and there was alayer of new ones underneath. since then, it now being used on everything, especially Military stuff,helicopter windshields,soldiers googles,you name it. They had to move from California,because of the taxes he started paying!

So it's out there,try some auto parts stores...........

Rich

Also, I just thought about auto parts, they now make a rubbing compound for car headlights,which removes the film from the lens cover and makes the plastic lens like brand new. I tried using just "white compound" on one lens and it worked! It's a polishing compound with little grit,

Rich

Mike, something to look into is a product that I saw many years ago. It was called Abcite (not found on Google). It was basically Plexiglas sheet with some sort of anti-abrasion coating. My father sold plastics back then and had some samples. Only one side of the surface was treated. You could rub the surface with steel wool, and the treated part would remain perfectly clear. I don't know what it might be called today.

varnish is potentially an idea. or a pour on resin. i'll have to play with what i have and see how blast resistant it is. i have some vinyl as well, i'll have to try it out.

i'm not sure it's worth rubbing it out, there is already too much grit on it, embedded in it. i can give it a shot though. do you know the name of that nascar plastic?

---Mike Savad

@murray, i do know there are coatings for glasses, so it's probably like that. i'm betting it's expensive though. like Crizal on glasses, where it's actually a vaporized layer of metal, the process is very expensive. but i'll think about all these ideas anyway. i can keep my eyes open any how.


---Mike Savad

try looking into "Lexan" also...
we use to use it in the sign business.

Rich, I've also done the headlight restoration thing. Works really well. But it's not a film that the product removes. Headlight covers endure hits from dirt, pebbles and the like. Even rain can cause damage because there's a piece of dirt inside every raindrop. The sum total of all the impacts is a surface that's got zillions of tiny little pits and scratches. When you use the restoration product, you're actually polishing the pits away and creating a new, smoother surface.


Mike, NASCAR uses Lexan, the same glazing they use on passenger railroad cars. It actually scratches and degrades pretty readily, but strength and not longevity is what they worry about. You can hit Lexan with a hammer and you won't break it.

i always thought lexan was scratch prone, though strong other than that. i have to look around to see if i have a scrap of that. i think a part of the problem is that the plastic is generating static and all the dust clings to it. or races by and scratches it up.

lexan is neat stuff, i know the bank has that stuff up, but they need special towels to clean it.

i was also looking for clear resist, i'm wondering how scratch prone that is. i know it doesn't get beat up, but i don't know if it fogs at all (since i don't have any).

---Mike Savad

Hi Mike, Here is film made for sandblasters ...is relatively cheap. could probably cut to size. Is this what you mean? https://www.google.com/?gws_rd=ssl#q=windows+for+sandblasting&tbm=shop

i'll have to take a look when my brain is more awake, thanks..


---Mike Savad

Mike...




did you look into "Derlin"

did you google scratch proof plastics?

Mike, I also have a sandblaster (normally only use glass beads) and I have not found anything that will hold up to long term use without becoming very cloudy and hard to see through even when I have the light on inside of the cabinet. The product that you may possibly be looking for is called sandblaster cabinet underlayment and is available in various size sheets or in rolls of differing widths from most all of the larger industrial supply house around the country. MSC Direct sells this underlayment material in rolls that are 12 or 24 inches wide, pick the best width and cut to size. If you have a fairly standard size window in your blaster you might be able to buy packs of precut underlayment sheets for about a dollar a sheet and many of them will have the small adhesive band around the outer edge to hold them in place. Depending upon your cabinet yours may or may not make use of the adhesive as some of the cabinets use a clamping type system. I get the underlayment in rolls, cut to size and then just tape in place and use it until it becomes difficult to see through. Aside from MSC Direct, I would presume that Grainger, McMaster, Northern Tool or perhaps even Harbor Freight will have this underlayment material available to protect the bottom of the glass, lexan or polycarbonate window on your blaster. Hope this helps you some in your search.

Frank

http://www.mscdirect.com/product/details/08272049?CS_010=08272049&item=08272049&CS_003=7867724&src=pla&cid=PLA-Google-PLA+-+Test
is this the stuff?


---Mike Savad

Mike that is the underlayment product that MSC carries and should be able to be adapted to your device if that width is correct for your cabinet. If you have any questions at all about this product I would suggest giving MSC a call and talk to one of their representatives. I have dealt with MSC for years and they have always been very eager to offer assistance, answer any questions and in some cases have actually recommended a better product suited to my particular application.

Frank