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  • #16
    Originally posted by captpete View Post
    Good info. I agree the bridge would be a bit un scary. I was thinking of the high cost of 3/4" plexi with that design in mind, but if it takes away from the effect I would not opt for that.

    Thanks, Pete
    The plexi is expensive, but ay least its fireproof LOL
    What?? You dropped your cell phone in the Haunted house somewhere and wanted to know if I could go get it for you? Sorry, that's against the rules but I will let you go to the front of the line so you can go try to find it yourself. Just give me a moment to let the monsters know you are coming through again...Alone.

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    • #17
      Awesome distraction scare for sure.

      FYI- there are two common types of plastic sheeting-

      Acrylic- commonly known as plexiglass- is approximately 10X stronger than glass, but is relatively brittle and drilling holes in 1/4" or less thick sheets will likely result in cracking the sheet. Cutting to size is also a cracking issue on thinner sheets and It scratches easier. It's the cheaper of the two.

      Polycarbonate- commonly known as Lexan- is approximately 250X stronger than glass and WILL NOT CRACK when drilling and I cut mine with jigsaws, sawzalls, table saws and even tin snips without concern about cracks or breaking. It also is a little more resistant to scratching and buffs a little easier. It's more expensive.

      Unfortunately I've never seen polycarbonate sheets at any DIY stores- just acrylic.

      I've never done a walk-over with either of these plastics so I can't say which is actually better for the purpose, but I can say that I avoid acrylic when polycarbonate is available.
      How can a man die better than facing fearful odds, for the ashes of his fathers and the temple of his gods.

      What you put into your mind- you put into your life.


      www.zombietoxin.com

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      • #18
        Very cool! Awesome job!

        Originally posted by captpete View Post
        It is the classic " infinity mirror illusion" AKA bottomless pit. A box with a mirror on the bottom, and a two way mirror on the top.
        When the light in the box is brighter than the outside light, the items in the box reflect between the two mirrors giving a infinity effect.
        I did one as an escape hatch:


        Richard Alvarado
        Moxley Manor Haunted House

        www.moxleymanor.com
        www.nightscarebeforechristmas.com
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        • #19
          Originally posted by zombietoxin View Post
          Awesome distraction scare for sure.

          FYI- there are two common types of plastic sheeting-

          Acrylic- commonly known as plexiglass- is approximately 10X stronger than glass, but is relatively brittle and drilling holes in 1/4" or less thick sheets will likely result in cracking the sheet. Cutting to size is also a cracking issue on thinner sheets and It scratches easier. It's the cheaper of the two.

          Polycarbonate- commonly known as Lexan- is approximately 250X stronger than glass and WILL NOT CRACK when drilling and I cut mine with jigsaws, sawzalls, table saws and even tin snips without concern about cracks or breaking. It also is a little more resistant to scratching and buffs a little easier. It's more expensive.

          Unfortunately I've never seen polycarbonate sheets at any DIY stores- just acrylic.

          I've never done a walk-over with either of these plastics so I can't say which is actually better for the purpose, but I can say that I avoid acrylic when polycarbonate is available.
          Yes Poly is WAY stronger, doesn't crack, and mills much easier, but it actually scratches WAY more than the Acrylic and it also bows a lot when laid flat (which is one of the reasons it is so strong)... Unfortunately when I did this effect a few years ago I went with the polycarbonate for strength and it scratched very easily. this year I researched to find something that wouldn't scratch or bow (basically went to a large plastic manufacture in the area where I bought the stuff and told them what I was doing) and the scratch resistant Poly was 3x the price of normal poly. So I just got a 3/4" acrylic which was about 1/3 the price of normal poly, and was plenty strong enough for what I was doing. It held up much better and the scratches were pretty much unnoticeable.
          What?? You dropped your cell phone in the Haunted house somewhere and wanted to know if I could go get it for you? Sorry, that's against the rules but I will let you go to the front of the line so you can go try to find it yourself. Just give me a moment to let the monsters know you are coming through again...Alone.

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          • #20
            I have had very good luck

            Cutting all sorts of plexiglass using a very thin circular wheel, .045", made for cutting steel , in my 4 1/2 inch electric grinder.
            The blade is made by DeWalt and sells for maybe $2.20 each and one blade will cut a lot of plexi. (Or steel)
            When I drill plexiglass I hold the drill back, allowing only a very slight pressure toward the plexiglas.
            Make sure and drill the hole larger than the bolt you are going to put through it and use a large washer to distribute the pull, and don't go crazy over-tightening it. Use more holes and bolts than you need too to spread out the destructive cracking forces more evenly across the plexiglass. Maybe seek out some washers that come with a rubber washer attached to them.
            That .045 DeWalt wheel changes my whole outlook when it comes to working steel, a Very Good Product.
            hauntedravensgrin.com

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            • #21
              Originally posted by ravensmoon View Post
              Yes Poly is WAY stronger, doesn't crack, and mills much easier, but it actually scratches WAY more than the Acrylic and it also bows a lot when laid flat (which is one of the reasons it is so strong)... Unfortunately when I did this effect a few years ago I went with the polycarbonate for strength and it scratched very easily. this year I researched to find something that wouldn't scratch or bow (basically went to a large plastic manufacture in the area where I bought the stuff and told them what I was doing) and the scratch resistant Poly was 3x the price of normal poly. So I just got a 3/4" acrylic which was about 1/3 the price of normal poly, and was plenty strong enough for what I was doing. It held up much better and the scratches were pretty much unnoticeable.
              Awesome- someone else did the guinea pig thing for us! Your info is good to know!

              I'm wondering if when you spoke to the manufacturer- did the question of information about load rating come up? For instance- 3/4" plexi is good for your application but at what weight and how much longer could it be made and still support the same weight proportionately?

              Steel beam load calculators are easy to find, but I doubt such a thing exists for plexi. Short of hiring an engineer to figure it out I'm not sure you could conjure the answer without expensive trial and error...

              Thanks again for the info!
              How can a man die better than facing fearful odds, for the ashes of his fathers and the temple of his gods.

              What you put into your mind- you put into your life.


              www.zombietoxin.com

              Comment


              • #22
                Originally posted by zombietoxin View Post
                Awesome- someone else did the guinea pig thing for us! Your info is good to know!

                I'm wondering if when you spoke to the manufacturer- did the question of information about load rating come up? For instance- 3/4" plexi is good for your application but at what weight and how much longer could it be made and still support the same weight proportionately?

                Steel beam load calculators are easy to find, but I doubt such a thing exists for plexi. Short of hiring an engineer to figure it out I'm not sure you could conjure the answer without expensive trial and error...

                Thanks again for the info!
                No specifics but it was a 4' x 4' span and at most you could only have 1000 pounds on it at one time (6 people+-) that being said most custom aquariums are made from acrylic and that is only 1 foot of water over the 16 sq ft. so I don't think it even begins to come close to its breaking weight.
                What?? You dropped your cell phone in the Haunted house somewhere and wanted to know if I could go get it for you? Sorry, that's against the rules but I will let you go to the front of the line so you can go try to find it yourself. Just give me a moment to let the monsters know you are coming through again...Alone.

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                • #23
                  you could use thin layer of plexi over lexan... if wanting to prevent scratching lexan, not sure how this would work/look overall ...just wanted to throw it out there

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                  • #24
                    There is a way to calculate the load rating of Lexan. Ready?

                    The tensile strength is 9860psi while the tensile strength at yield is 899. Elongation at break is 130 percent, while at yield is it is 7 percent. The flex yield strength is 13900psi. Its falling dart impact is 125 feet per pound and notched Izod impact is 15 feet per pound.

                    Or you can ask an engineer ;-)

                    Found this info by the way on e-How. By the way, I buy Lexan at Lowes Hardware, although I don't remember if they had really big sheets. I use them for ticket windows, etc. I also use plexiglass for some applications. When mounting, they make a special washer with rubber that goes into the hole and around the hole (like a grommet almost). I get those at Ace Hardware. Keeps the stuff from cracking when I screw them down.
                    Travis "Big T" Russell
                    President
                    Big T Productions Inc

                    Owner and Operator of "The Plague" and "Camp Nightmare"

                    Customer Quote of the year: "Damn, I pissed myself"

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