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Any suggestions for attaching a hinge to 1/4" acrylic sheeting? (sh.itjust.works)

submitted 2 days ago by WoodScientist to c/[email protected]

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I'm building a box out of 1/4" plexiglass, and I would like to mount a sheet on a piano hinge or similar. However, all the piano hinges I find have mounting screws that are around 3/4" long. And drilling into acrylic can very easily cause cracking. Is there a better way to attach a hinge to an acrylic sheet?

I know I could build a frame of wood or some other material and attach a hinge to the frame. But this is going to be a box made out of only plexiglass panels, acrylic joined directly to acrylic. I need a way of directly connecting two acrylic sheets with a piano hinge or similar.

Any suggestions? The box will be about 48" long, 24" deep, and 36" tall. I want a portion of the lid to be on a hinge that runs along the length of the box. I've attached a rough not-to-scale sketch of what I'm building.

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[–] xzot746 1 points 2 days ago

Maybe you could find someone near you with a CO2 laser, they could essentially predrill it and you could tap it and thread right into it or a backing plate with nut & bolt.

[–] smuuthbrane 1 points 2 days ago (1 children)

I've seen live hinge trim, where it's a single piece of plastic but thin in the middle to act as a live hinge, and it's just pressed on to each edge.

For that and other options I'd see what you find at McMaster Carr and go from there.

Cheapo short-term option: use duct tape on both sides as a live hinge.

[–] WoodScientist 2 points 2 days ago

Hmm, you're right! You can get living hinges like this: https://www.amazon.com/DistinctAndUnique-Clear-H-Style-Living-Material/dp/B09HJC86FM

Thanks!