Making a Bachi out of Acryl - looking for advice

Building/Repair
#1

Hey everybody!
Since I’ve got a broken plastic bachi laying around I was wondering if there would be an ‘easy’ DIY option for making an acrylic Bachi. I was thinking about using an acrylic plate where I can cut out the shape. then I’d cut of the broken front edge, cut the handle in half, glue everything together and grind it down as needed.

I’m interested if anybody here has experience with doing something similar (it would probably come close to the basic idea of the premium acrylic bachi), or even attempted to do something like that.
Also if anyone has experience with the materials I’d like to use, a few questions:

  1. Can you cut and sand the plastic Bachi without any concerns?
  2. Will the standard acrylic plates you can buy in the hardware store do the job?
  3. Which kind of glue would work best for glueing plastic on acrylic?

Thanks in advance :slight_smile:

#2

Hello Luke

What kind of plastic your bachi made of?
Is it extremely hard and fragile, like epoxy resin?
It would be very hard to cut it in 2 and not all glues would work on this material.
In this case I would suggest to use an old bachi as a template and to cut a new handle from a wood.

As for the material for the blade I would recommend to use 1/8" (3mm) Lexan (trademark, not the material name, actual material called polycarbonate). It can be bought at hardware stores or at Amazon at least here in North America. it is more flexible and less fragile compared to acrylic. It can be easy cut and sanded, just make sure you do not overheat the material (I have used water to cool it down during sanding with waterproof sand paper). can be polished to clear finish.
Also available in different colors (Black, white, red etc.)

Good luck!

1 Like
#3

I don’t know the material, it’s the one you can buy here in the shop.
I think the exact trademark is not available here, but polycarbonate sure is.
Wood might be an option, but now I am also wondering if I could polycarbonate for the handle as well. Like using a thicker plate to cut out the top and botton block, with the thin plate in the middle.

#4

Yes, this is the option. It is possible then to buy a polycarbonate rod or bar and “split” it in two to make a handle. Same stores who sell the plastic materials usually sell the glue as well to be used with acrylic and polycarbonate. You looking for a water like consistence in order to be able to fill the gap with capillary force between pieces. This way if you done all surface preparations well you won’t be able to see the glue and it would look almost like a single piece. (Technically it would be a single piece as this glue is not a glue but solvent for the material and it would weld 2 pcs together)

#5

Oh one more thing. Do you think it’s possible to cut through the material with a regular handsaw? I don’t have power tools available here right now.

#6

It is actually better as your chances not to melt material are much better. Just very slow. Hand tools, files, sand paper, polishing paste based on chrome oxide would do wonders used correctly.

#7

Thank you! I’ll probably try that once I can get some materials.
Maybe I’ll post some progress if I can make it work. :slight_smile:

#8

In case you didn’t see this, might help.
http://www.chungwanchoi.com/diy-shamisen-bachi/

#9

To answer your question,

  1. Wear a respirator mask.
  2. Not sure, but probably better with something that flex a little.
  3. I used thin superglue. beware of fumes, wear a respirator.
© 2020 Kyle Abbott