So I want to swap out the metal board of an arcade stick with a something plastic because I scratched the metal board and it’s rusting out.
I thought about using plexiglass but it’s too brittle, using hand saw or bandsaw would make the break off the edges after cutting it. I thought about using sheet of ABS plastic, but it’s hard to sand down ABS plastic after you drill holes on it.
Is there cheat afford plastic that’s somewhere between plexiglass and ABS, and is available as a see that I can buy from homedepot or something?
My ABS Modular stick would like to have a word with you. 
I hand-cut and drill all my ABS and plexiglass-covers.
But is using ABS plastic for the face plate a good idea? So it’s easy to work with, but if I put buttons on it and play some period of time, will it deform? I know plexi glass doesn’t.
ABS won’t deform.
For my top panels, I sandwich two 1/8" layers (so total of 1/4" or 6.4mm) of ABS, and I have a 1/16" of plexiglass on top of that. Never had an issue, even with people who are relatively rough while they play.
I’ve used single layers of 1/8" ABS without any issue before, even without the 1/16" plexiglass on top. I wouldn’t recommend rage-quitting-Hulk-smashes on a 1/8" ABS, though.
where do you buy boards like that? homedepot doesn’t sell them.
I am thinking of using kitchen cutting boards, but it’s too thick, and I am not sure if the material for that kind of cutting board is good for building.
Off-hand, I don’t feel that kitchen cutting boards would be suitable.
I buy both my 1/16" plexi and 1/8" ABS from a local plastic supplier/manufacturer. A 48"x96" (4’x8’) panel is the standard that they offer, and runs me about $40CDN each (that is, each of the 1/16" plexi and 1/8" ABS).
I bought one of each back in the summer of 2011, and I just finished using most of the ABS sheet about 6 months ago, so I bought another sheet a couple of months back. I surprisingly still have at least 1/4 of my first plexi sheet lying around.
PM me with what you’re looking to do. I could probably cut some out roughly to size from my stash for you. Probably cost you a few dollars plus shipping (which would be the crappy part, as I’m in Montreal, Canada).
Another question: why not get someone like B-Boy Tekken here of Amp Up Customs (can never get the “@” to his name working) to cut you a new metal panel?
I like plastic, light, sturdy, doesn’t rust, and not heavy.
I am in Vancouver, I really just want the ABS boards, I need to make 1 for the top plate of Hori V3 with 8 buttons and the bottom plate of Madcatz TE. I guess you already have both sticks, so you probably know the size of the boards I am talking about. If you cut them and also drill the holes and ship to Vancouver, how much do you think it will cost? I can drill the holes myself, but I bet I wouldn’t be able to do it as accurately as you.
Why is kitchen cutting plastic boards bad for this? is HDPE hard to work with? dollar stores sell these for cheap, and if these boards can be worked on with bandsaw, it should come easily.
Vancouver. Even better.
Hori V3… Based on our previous conversations about a year ago, I’m presuming you’re talking about the Hori Fighting Stick V3, and not the Hori Real Arcade Pro V3. Both models of sticks have V3 as part of their names. (As an aside, in general, people REALLY need to be specific on the Hori model; they use “V3” as a designation on at least 3-4 sticks).
Anyhow. I no longer have my Hori FSVX anymore, but I DO still have a version of the top panel around. I’m guessing standard Vewlix-8 layout?
TE bottom plate, I could definitely check it out for you; I have a TE Rnd1 lying about.
Main follow-up question: ABS plastic sheeting comes usually with one smooth side, and one textured side. If you’re using bare ABS, I’m presuming you’d want the smooth side out? Keep in mind that the smooth side is more prone to scratches and scuffing than the textured side.
I won’t have access to my TE until Wednesday/Thursday night at the earliest. I’m kinda in the middle of packing for a move, and half my gear is at my place, while the other half is at my parents’ place for temporary storage.
I’ll PM you any additional details when I get them.
