Step 2: Heating and Bending

Step 2: Step 2: Heating and Bending

Step 2: Heating and then bending your cut parts.

First take your bookends and place them on the heat strip. It's important that you heat them up evenly, but only in the area you wish to bend. Timing is important here. You may want to practice bending a few scrap pieces before going for the real thing. Once your part has become malleable but before it begins to blister, move it over to the angle guide (optional--and shown below). If you don't have an angle guide available, then use a carpenter's square and the table top. Push the connected arms of the bookends back, to the reverse side of the stand and the single tab forward, facing you. Maintain them perpendicular. Let it sit for about a minute. It takes a while to fully cool, but being patient pays off. Acrylic will want to move as it cools, so keep constant pressure on for a little while.