Words of wisdom
Posted: 12 Jun 2009, 23:04
I thought we could post some words of wisdom, learned the hard way.
A. When assembling the acrylic platen, always check that the top of your applicator bottle is on tight before each application. Otherwise, solvent will spill all over your project and mar the surface of the platen.
B. Peel back more than 1 inch from each edge before applying the solvent, and tape down that protective coating. In the event you have said spill of solvent, you want to minimize the amount that might get wicked under the protective sheet.
C. Make your platen LONGER than the book cradle that it will rest in. That way, if you have a mistake on one (or both) of the ends, they will be inconsequential since the book can be placed well away from the ends of the platen. Thankfully I did this by luck. Hopefully it won't make the device too hard to use if the book is a ways inward from the end.
D. I have yet to figure out what the best material is to have underneath, but I can tell you that newsprint will stick to the acrylic if the solvent spills on to it. Once again, if you build your platen long enough, this won't mar the part of the platen that the book rests under. However, if your newsprint or overspill occurs along the long side of the platen (the part that rests along the spine of the book), then you've pretty much made a $20 disaster.
A. When assembling the acrylic platen, always check that the top of your applicator bottle is on tight before each application. Otherwise, solvent will spill all over your project and mar the surface of the platen.
B. Peel back more than 1 inch from each edge before applying the solvent, and tape down that protective coating. In the event you have said spill of solvent, you want to minimize the amount that might get wicked under the protective sheet.
C. Make your platen LONGER than the book cradle that it will rest in. That way, if you have a mistake on one (or both) of the ends, they will be inconsequential since the book can be placed well away from the ends of the platen. Thankfully I did this by luck. Hopefully it won't make the device too hard to use if the book is a ways inward from the end.
D. I have yet to figure out what the best material is to have underneath, but I can tell you that newsprint will stick to the acrylic if the solvent spills on to it. Once again, if you build your platen long enough, this won't mar the part of the platen that the book rests under. However, if your newsprint or overspill occurs along the long side of the platen (the part that rests along the spine of the book), then you've pretty much made a $20 disaster.