acrylic globe?

[froky]

Question is about seamlessly joining plexiglass pieces. I'm assuming it's possible with glue/acrylic cement and then heat treatment, but I don't know.

I need it because I need a transparent sphere with a hole in the bottom.
There are domes/hemispheres for sale, but they are spheres cut from the middle,
http://i.imgur.com/A3CZGNp.jpg

I need more of the sphere shape, like here:
http://i.imgur.com/8fOT7DE.jpg

Haven't found anything ready for sale.

The issue I fear from buying two hemispheres and gluing/cutting is the edges of the two hemispheres are already not perfectly smooth. It's not like if you put them on top of each other without merging them you cant see any seam, right? If I smooth polish the edges before gluing, then the bonding wont go well... right? If I polish after gluing them with dichloromethane, I can only smooth the outer parts, not the inside. If I flame it, will the seam in the inside disappear?

This is actually for a special effects project but it seemed to me like people here have enough experience with cuttign/merging plexiglass to know.

[Gorgok]

Before joining the pieces you cannot polish them with a flame, probably not with chemicals, as that will stress the seam when you do go to bond them and it will show. They just have to be scraped/machined as flat as possible, then bonded without trapping any air... Seamless seams are a learnable skill. Practice on scraps both the smoothness required and the technique to apply solvent and eventually you can do it.

Now, joining two edges together is much harder than joining an edge to a flat. But you could technically route a hole in a flat piece the same as the ID of the domes and some extra on the OD, and turnwise join the domes to the flat. This will give you a ledge to apply solvent on. You will have to remove the extra material of the flat and smooth and polish the whole joint later. If using something thin it probably won't be very noticeable that the domes are actually spaced 1/16th or so apart...

[mcgyvr]

No need..
You can just buy that exact thing whole..
https://www.1000bulbs.com/category/clear-acrylic-globe-lamp-covers-with-opening/

[Ron Reefman]

Good job mcgyvr! I almost wish I had an application for one in the tank.

[KafudaFish]

Though not exactly what you are looking for this may be of interest.

http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1997195&highlight=globe

[mcgyvr]

Good job mcgyvr! I almost wish I had an application for one in the tank.

I just googled "acrylic globe" and like magic right there at the top..
:hmm2:
Maybe the OP has never heard of Google :lmao: