Static Electricity in Plexi Glass

[shicks5319]

I have been using Plexi glass to frame prints and like the fact that it is less expensive and much lighter than glass.

HOWEVER, the static electricity on this material drives me crazy.

Has anyone out there found a practical method of "draining" this condition in plexi glass long enough to seal it up in a new frame?

thanks for your thoughts.

 

[frotog]

I recently saw commentary on how to deal with the static electricity problem on an web-based frame supplier - I think it was Frame Destination, one of the sponsors here at APUG. Anyhow, they recommend using a cleaning spray called Brillianize that supposedly has anti-static qualities and that won't scratch the acrylic. I intend on trying it out as I have a very large diy framing job coming up.

 

[Richard Wasserman]

In the distant past I manufactured a variety of items of acrylic plastic (Plexiglas) and used Brillianize to clean and remove static electricity. It works very well. I used well washed and very clean cloth diapers for buffing the plastic, you need to be a bit careful not to scratch it. http://www.brillianize.com/products2.html

Richard Wasserman

 

[eddym]

I use a product similar to Brillianize (I'm away from home now and don't remember the name), and it works wonders. My wife is a pastel artist, and the acrylic glazing really sucks the pastel bits right off the paper! But cleaning it first with a product like Brillianize renders the plastic statically inert. Don't frame without it!

 

[shicks5319]

Static

Thanks folks. I'll give this a try.

 

[MurrayMinchin]

http://www.brillianize.com/products2.html

Thank you - thank you - thank you

Murray

 

[Richard Wasserman]

You're welcome Murray, I think you'll like it!

Richard Wasserman

 

[Murray@uptowngallery]

Heed that advice about cloth diapers or other soft COTTON.

NEVER use paper towels on acrylic. Paper is abrasive. I used to work at a newspaper and the rolls of paper, of course many thousands of feet at high speeds, would wear cut lines into some steel parts on the press.

Don't overdo the cleaning on acrylic, as you would be careful with a lens.

If you get cleaning marks, they are tough to get rid of. Then you have polish marks, buff marks, etc. They get bigger and shinier and you may not even see them until one day the sun shines on your acrylic and ....grrrr.

Other Murray

 

[Jon Shiu]

Hi, if framing with new plexiglas I don't clean it. Just dust off your matted picture. Peel off one side of paper from the plexi and place it over the mat. Then peel off the other side and inspect for any dust underneath the plexi. I reach in with a post-it note to grab any specks of dust. Then place the whole thing in the frame. I use metal frames, but can understand if there are more dust problems with wooden frames. By the way, I remove the paper by rolling up from the corner with a dowel. If shipping the framed print, I put the paper back onto the front of the plexi.

Jon

 

[wildbill]

Excellent advice, Jon. I've used the dowel trick for removing it from 4x8 sheets of lexan too. I like the post it idea and i'll try it. Dust is not our friend. Living in souther california where we often have single digit humidity doesn't help either.

 

[MurrayMinchin]

Other Murray

Hey Murray, since you joined two years before me, that means I'm;

The Original Other Murray

 

[jeroldharter]

Excellent advice, Jon. I've used the dowel trick for removing it from 4x8 sheets of lexan too. I like the post it idea and i'll try it. Dust is not our friend. Living in souther california where we often have single digit humidity doesn't help either.

The "dowel trick" might solve one of my most vexing problems that makes me hate framing: peeling the plastic/paper off the plexiglass. The whole process is embarrassing: tugging, tearing, bending, cursing. I have to get a big dowel rod. Thanks.

 

[Reinhold]

Amen about the "dowel trick". I use a 3" paper core from a roll of Freestyle photo paper. If I didn't have a big paper core, I'd use a piece of 1-1/2" or 2" PVC pipe. I like a large diameter "dowel", it's easier use when dealing with larger pieces of plexi.

Reinhold

www.classicBWphoto.com