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Author Topic: How to make "clear plastic" opaque?  (Read 13526 times)

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Offline tp4tissue

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How to make "clear plastic" opaque?
« on: Fri, 01 February 2013, 15:01:15 »
any experts on this?

dip in acetone?  :-X




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Offline alaricljs

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Re: How to make "clear plastic" opaque?
« Reply #1 on: Fri, 01 February 2013, 15:05:08 »
Cyanoacrylate fogs many plastics.
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Offline sth

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Re: How to make "clear plastic" opaque?
« Reply #2 on: Fri, 01 February 2013, 15:13:10 »
fine steel wool on the 'inside' would work too.
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Offline inteli722

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Re: How to make "clear plastic" opaque?
« Reply #3 on: Fri, 01 February 2013, 15:41:36 »
Or, if you want to have a odd-looking keyboard and/or you're on the kind of budget where you should've never bought a mechanical keyboard in the first place, cut-and-tape paper/fiberboard/whatever.

It would work. May not be pretty, but it works.
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Offline tp4tissue

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Re: How to make "clear plastic" opaque?
« Reply #4 on: Fri, 01 February 2013, 15:47:36 »
Quote from: alaricljs on Fri, 01 February 2013, 15:05:08
Cyanoacrylate fogs many plastics.

is this glue?
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Offline alaricljs

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Re: How to make "clear plastic" opaque?
« Reply #5 on: Fri, 01 February 2013, 15:49:05 »
craaaaaaazy glue, often the fumes are enough.
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Offline clickclack

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Re: How to make "clear plastic" opaque?
« Reply #6 on: Fri, 01 February 2013, 15:55:08 »
Quote from: tp4tissue on Fri, 01 February 2013, 15:01:15
any experts on this?
dip in acetone?  :-X

LoL, this must be some part of another conversation that I was not privy to. So my answer might be overly simplistic
as the complicated one is well... complicated.

Paint it.

With you know, opaque paint.
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Offline inteli722

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Re: How to make "clear plastic" opaque?
« Reply #7 on: Fri, 01 February 2013, 16:04:03 »
Well, I suppose that DOES work, and probably better than my suggestion :))
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Offline TotalChaos

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Re: How to make "clear plastic" opaque?
« Reply #8 on: Fri, 01 February 2013, 17:57:25 »
Replace the clear plastic with a piece of opaque plastic.  Voila!  ;)
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Offline x2o

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Re: How to make "clear plastic" opaque?
« Reply #9 on: Fri, 01 February 2013, 18:59:37 »
Would dying the plastic do the trick maybe?

I've never toyed with clear plastic too much, but RIT Dye does wonders on most plastics I've used it on.

note : it can get messy!
« Last Edit: Fri, 01 February 2013, 19:01:19 by x2o »
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Offline BucklingSpring

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Re: How to make "clear plastic" opaque?
« Reply #10 on: Sat, 02 February 2013, 10:42:40 »
Do you really mean opaque?
vs translucent...

Some of the solutions above will fog... But light will still go through. ie not opaque.
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Offline fohat.digs

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Re: How to make "clear plastic" opaque?
« Reply #11 on: Sat, 02 February 2013, 11:14:55 »
Use paint - on the inside.

It gives you whatever you want, with a nice, bright, well-protected exterior.

Any paint on the outside will wear and chip, no matter what.
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Offline davkol

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Re: How to make "clear plastic" opaque?
« Reply #12 on: Sat, 02 February 2013, 14:28:18 »
What about sanding?

edit: I meant nail polish + sanding
« Last Edit: Sat, 02 February 2013, 14:39:17 by davkol »
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Offline hoggy

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Re: How to make "clear plastic" opaque?
« Reply #13 on: Sat, 02 February 2013, 14:57:38 »
Or just nail varnish, but that's a different story...
Are we talking about key caps, or something else?
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Offline tp4tissue

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Re: How to make "clear plastic" opaque?
« Reply #14 on: Sat, 02 February 2013, 15:05:01 »
Quote from: hoggy on Sat, 02 February 2013, 14:57:38
Or just nail varnish, but that's a different story...
Are we talking about key caps, or something else?


I have these acrylic plates that I'd like to become Opaque for lighting purposes..

Also Some of these LEDS I have are "clear lenses" I'd like them to be opaque too, and no i checked, they don't make opaque diffused versions of these.
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