Perspex for fretboard templates

Talk about musical instrument construction, setup and repair.

Moderators: kiwigeo, Jeremy D

Post Reply
User avatar
zendo
Myrtle
Posts: 86
Joined: Sat Jul 04, 2009 7:04 pm
Location: Brisbane, Queensland

Perspex for fretboard templates

Post by zendo » Thu Sep 11, 2014 2:20 pm

Anyone know where I can buy perspex for making fretboard templates.... online or in Brisbane...

seeaxe
Blackwood
Posts: 768
Joined: Thu Dec 18, 2008 7:20 pm
Location: Auckland NZ

Re: Perspex for fretboard templates

Post by seeaxe » Thu Sep 11, 2014 2:57 pm

I get mine from Bunnings
Richard

vandenboom
Blackwood
Posts: 414
Joined: Sun Oct 26, 2008 2:27 pm
Location: Melbourne (Ringwood), Australia

Re: Perspex for fretboard templates

Post by vandenboom » Thu Sep 11, 2014 4:30 pm

I perspex is the same as polycarbonate, then yep, Bunnings.

User avatar
Allen
Blackwood
Posts: 5252
Joined: Thu Oct 11, 2007 5:39 pm
Location: Cairns, Australia
Contact:

Re: Perspex for fretboard templates

Post by Allen » Thu Sep 11, 2014 5:54 pm

If you go by any sign shop, ask if they have any that might be suitable. I get all of mine that way. Just rubbish to them.
Allen R. McFarlen
https://www.brguitars.com
Facebook
Cairns, Australia

simso
Blackwood
Posts: 1768
Joined: Mon Apr 25, 2011 10:36 pm
Location: Perth WA

Re: Perspex for fretboard templates

Post by simso » Thu Sep 11, 2014 7:10 pm

If you are using a laser to cut with, make sure its acrylic sheet, not pvc, when pvc burns it emits a green gas, which is chlorine gas and it will kill you with enough exposure
Steve
Master of nothing,

Do your own repairs - http://www.mirwa.com.au/How_to_Series.html

seeaxe
Blackwood
Posts: 768
Joined: Thu Dec 18, 2008 7:20 pm
Location: Auckland NZ

Re: Perspex for fretboard templates

Post by seeaxe » Thu Sep 11, 2014 8:14 pm

vandenboom wrote:I perspex is the same as polycarbonate, then yep, Bunnings.
Agreed, its polycarbonate not Perspex but does more or less the same job.
I remember being told at school that Perspex is polymethylmethacrylate - no wonder the trade name is shorter.
Whatever it is. it's not cheap, so the sign shop sounds like a good tip.

Good luck on your search!
Richard

User avatar
Nick
Blackwood
Posts: 3641
Joined: Thu Feb 26, 2009 11:20 am
Location: Christchurch, New Zealand
Contact:

Re: Perspex for fretboard templates

Post by Nick » Fri Sep 12, 2014 6:11 am

Perspex = Acrylic sheet- polymethylmethacrylate (PMMA for short, thank an omnipotent being for that!) Perspex is one of it's trade names
Polycarbonate has a different chemical structure so "technically" it is actually different from Acrylic. It is a tougher plastic and has more impact resistance, for that reason it's the stuff they use for aircraft windows.
Both types are sold in sheet form and will perform well as fretting template material ( the templates you buy from either Stewmac or LMI are Acrylic), be aware that Acrylic will be affected by direct sunlight and it becomes brittle over time as the internal structure is affected by UV, so if you do go with Acrylic then be sure to store your templates in shaded areas or in a cupboard somewhere.
Bunnings aren't that advanced here in NZ, I've never seen it in the stores so if they supply acrylic sheet in Oz then go for it! Other than that any trade plastics supplier ( Dotmar is an excellent supplier) will be able to provide you with either type. If you have an outlet near you it's always worth a trip down there as they quite often have offcuts from sheets they've cut up that they will sell cheaply (they've already charged out the sheet to the original customer so sell any small offcuts for a few dollars, I'm sure that money goes toward the social club :wink: :gui ).
"Jesus Loves You."
Nice to hear in church but not in a Mexican prison.

User avatar
soulman
Blackwood
Posts: 160
Joined: Fri Apr 05, 2013 8:48 pm
Location: Ipswich QLD

Re: Perspex for fretboard templates

Post by soulman » Tue Sep 16, 2014 9:11 pm

The Guys at school get acrylic from Cottage Plastics.
28 Bronze st Sumner Park.
073376 7588

Regards Ross

Post Reply

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: Google, TKAY and 105 guests