One very useful material when building wargames scenery is acrylic and polycarbonate. It is readily available in a number of different sizes and colors, easy to work with and very durable. However if you are not familiar with the material it can be a bit of a nightmare. Here I will discuss some of the techniques and tools you should be familiar with for working with solid acrylic (as opposed to acrylic resins - that is a different article all together).

Acrylic is an attractive option for wargamers for a number of reasons. It is a thermoplastic - which means that you can heat it up, bend it and then when it cools it retains the new shape. You can use the same solvent cements that you use for common plastic models to glue pieces of it together. It is relatively inexpensive. While a 4x8 sheet of 1/8" acrylic costs around $80 when you compare that to sheet styrene from hobby stores it is about a quarter of the price. Since you can glue it up using solvent cements the joints are quite strong and durable. However it isn't all rosey. There are some specific tricks you will want to be aware of before you start working with it.

Drilling Acrylic

• When drilling acrylic slow penetration and slow drill speed is essential. If you try to drill too deep too fast, you will likely chip out when exiting the back side. Too high of a drill speed will cause the acrylic to melt and can lead to cracking as well.
• Use clean, sharp drill bits, preferably bits that are not used for anything else. If the drill bit is dull or dirty, too much heat can form at the tip of the drill and lead to cracking.
• Brad point and Forstner bits are the best. Because you want to clear the material you have removed quickly, both of these bits are ideally suited for use on acrylic. Also, the outlying spurs help to scribe the hole on the backside preventing cracking.
• If you have a drill press use it. Most of the problems that happen when drilling into acrylic occur as a result of heat. When you are using a hand drill, it is very hard to keep the drill perfectly positioned - and the added friction can create added heat.

Cutting Acrylic

• When cutting acrylic with a saw it is best to use a saw blade specifically designed for plastics. They have them for table saws, circular saws and jig saw - and the extra money definitely does produce a much cleaner cut.
• The best way for most people to have acrylic cut is to have it cut at your supplier. Most will have a glass cutter that is designed to scribe and snap all but the thickest acrylic.
• Let the blade do the work for you. If you try to force the material into the blade, it will likely melt the acrylic as opposed to cut it and ruin your material.
• Do not use whole saws - at least none that I have found. Every one that I have used (including a couple designed for plastic) do not clear the material efficiently and end up producing a bad smell and a gooey mess.

Gluing Acrylic
If the look of the joint isn't particularly important, just know this - a little glue goes a long way. For everyone else (making a display case for example) read the following.

• If you had the acrylic scored and snapped, you will need to dress the edge in order to remove the forough that gets created by the scribing process. I like to use my jointer or a template and guide bit on my router - however you can sand or scrape the edge to remove it. If you don't a gap will be visible along the scribed edge.
• If you cut the acrylic with a saw, you will need to remove the tooling marks. Scraping the edge will take care of this quite quickly unless a bade blade was used, in which case the router table and a pattern will be your best bet.
• When gluing to edges together you want them to be touching but not squeezed too tight. The capillary action of acrylic cement needs a slight space to flow into, but not too much. Normally gravity will keep things tight enough.
• The use of magnetic clamps makes things go so much easier. I do most of my glue ups on a metal table. The glue doesn't affect it at all, and the magnetic clamps are easy to align and reposition.
• Make sure you have everything in the right position. Solvent cement isn't something that can be undone. If you need to move a joint once you have started to glue things together, the best you can hope for is a mess.

Polishing Acrylic and Upkeep

•  Keep the protective coating on until it has to be removed.  You can peel it back in order to gain access to edges for gluing.  Preventing scratches is much easier than fixing them.
• Flame polishing provides the best results, but takes more practice.  The process of flame polishing involves running a very hot flame from a torch along the edge of the acrylic to melt it for a breath moment.  The fluid acrylic will form a glass smooth surface once it cools back down (normally within a second or so).
  Care must be taken to ensure that the areas to be flame polished are clean of all dust and oil.  If they are not, these items will actually burn and discolor the acrylic or worse.  It can be somewhat trying to learn the proper technique for flame polishing, so be sure to get a few scrap pieces when you get your projects acrylic.
  Do not attempt to flame polish coated acrylic (either with a mirrored coating or with a UV inhibitor).
• The degree of roughness or depth of scratch will determine how you want to proceed with polishing abrasively.  Rough edges or deep scratches will need a bit of prep work to be done with some 600 grit sand paper.  If the edge is really rough, you can use sandpaper that is coarser, but remember - acrylic is very soft and a little will go a long way.
  Following prep with the sandpaper (or the first step if it isn't too bad) I use NOVUS No. 3 Heavy Scratch Remover.  Using a clean cloth polish back and forth perpendicular to the scratches.  Continue until you only see very fine scratches.  Once that is done - be sure to clean the surface completely otherwise the next step will just create more scratches.
  The next step uses NOVUS No. 2 Fine Scratch Remover.  Again polish in back and forth motions perpendicular to the scratches.  Once you can barely see any scratches, apply some more No. 2, and now buff the surface in short circular motions.  Allow the polish to dry to a light haze - and then using a clean cloth buff again till clean.
  The final step helps to keep the acrylic clean.  For that I use NOVUS No. 1 Plastic Clean and Shine.  This is a protective coating that helps prevent fingerprints and dust from gathering.  Think of it like Armorall for your project.  It also works as a great cleaner when you need to remove fingerprints and what not.
  As always, use a clean cloth and apply with long light strokes.  You do not want to use much pressure at all, otherwise you may inadvertently cause scratches.  Following the first cleaning coat, reapply using circular motions and buff to a high luster.  The better the shine, the better protected the acrylic is from future damage and dust buildup.