Plan: Apply glue and carborundum to 3 types of plexiglass plates. Do a simple fingernail scratch test every 24 hours for 4 days. Environment: Avg. 77° F, 58% Humidity. (Drying time should be extended for higher humidity environments)

AKUA Carborundum Gel

AKUA Plate

Applied 10/6/2023

10/7/23 Solid

10/8/23 Solid

10/9/23 Solid

10/10/2023 Solid

Min Acrylic (HP)

Applied 10/6/2023

10/7/23 Scratches off easily

10/8/23 Scratches off easily

10/9/23 Scratches off easily

10/10/2023 Dry but delicate

Optix (Lowes)

Applied 10/6/2023

10/7/23 Scratches off easily

10/8/23 Solid

10/9/23 Solid

10/10/2023 Solid

AKUA Gel with 100 grit mix

AKUA Plate

Applied 10/6/2023

10/7/23 Flakes with minimal scratch

10/8/23 Flakes with stronger scratch

10/9/23 Can be chipped off with effort

10/10/2023 Solid

Min Acrylic (HP)

Applied 10/6/2023

10/7/23 Solid

10/8/23 Flakes with minimal scratch

10/9/23 Solid

10/10/2023 Dry but delicate

Optix (Lowes)

Applied 10/6/2023

10/7/23 Scratches off easily

10/8/23 Scratches off with effort

10/9/23 Scratches off with effort

10/10/2023 Solid

Super Glue

AKUA Plate

Applied 10/6/2023

10/7/23 Solid

10/8/23 Solid

10/9/23 Solid

10/10/2023

Min Acrylic (HP)

Applied 10/6/2023 Solid

10/7/23 Solid

10/8/23 Solid

10/9/23 Solid

10/10/2023

Optix (Lowes)

Applied 10/6/2023 Solid

10/7/23 Solid

10/8/23 Solid

10/9/23 Solid

10/10/2023 Solid

Slo-Dri Acrylic Medium

AKUA Plate

Applied 10/6/2023

10/7/23 Scratches off easily

10/8/23 Solid

10/9/23 Solid

10/10/2023 Solid

Min Acrylic (HP)

Applied 10/6/2023

10/7/23 Scratches off easily

10/8/23 Solid

10/9/23 Solid

10/10/2023 Solid

Optix (Lowes)

Applied 10/6/2023

10/7/23 Scratches off a with little effort

10/8/23 Solid

10/9/23 Solid

10/10/2023 Solid

Gesso

AKUA Plate

Applied 10/6/2023

10/7/23 Flakes with minimal scratch

10/8/23 Flakes with minimal scratch

10/9/23 Can be chipped off

10/10/2023 Flakes

Min Acrylic (HP)

Applied 10/6/2023

10/7/23 Flakes with minimal scratch

10/8/23 Flakes with minimal scratch

10/9/23 Flakes with minimal scratch

10/10/2023 Flakes with minimal scratch

Optix (Lowes)

Applied 10/6/2023

10/7/23 Flakes with minimal scratch

10/8/23 Flakes with minimal scratch

10/9/23 Flakes with minimal scratch

10/10/2023 Flakes with minimal scratch

Summary:

Using Acrylic gesso as a medium does not adhere well on all plates.

AKUA Plate: Works well with plain AKUA gel, Super Glue and Slo-Dri Gel Medium after 48 hours. Easy to cut to size and a bit thicker than Min Acrylic Plate. Easy for dry point as well.

Min Acrylic Plate (HP): Best with Super Glue and Slo-Di Gel Medium after 96 hours of drying time. Easy to cut to size, thinest of all plates. Easy for dry point as well.

Optix Plexiglass: All but Gesso works well after 96 hour drying. Thick plate (1/16”), harder to cut to size and edges need to be beveled. Harder surface for dry point.

All things considered: AKUA and Optix plates outperform Min Acrylic for adhering carborundum with all glues except Gesso. A key take away is to make sure plenty of time is allowed for the glue-carborundum to dry thoroughly before printing to ensure a strong bond.

Super glue makes fast work for applying the carborundum and dries quickly. Be sure to have a clear application plan that can be executed in a 2-3 minutes. (Suggest working on small sections of the plate at a time, then let the glue dry for at least 5 minutes. Shake/brush off loose carborundum, then do another section. Plate can be printed after about 24 hours of curing time.

Slo-Dri Gel Medium is a good solution for those who prefer a slower development of the design. The Slo-Dri should provide about 20-40 minutes of wet time before starting to dry. Be sure to wait at least 96 hours before printing.

Pending

Pending