[chbot] Polishing 'Sistema' box lid

[Helmut Walle]

I agree that trying to remove the logo and polishing the PP to something 
even near-transparent is likely to be a lot of work for mediocre results.
And yes, acrylic / PMMA / Plexiglas is a much better material for good 
windows. However, bonding acrylic to PP is likely to be the next 
challenge... take a look at this article and table for the welding 
compatibility of different plastics. PP is not listed as weldable to 
anything but itself, though.

...so why don't you just build your own acrylic box? That way, you will 
get any dimensions that you want, and acrylic can even be welded 
chemically. Have a look for fish tank building tutorials on Youtube - 
from memory, there was a simple welding process using Acetone or some 
other readily available substance. It may take a bit of practicing to 
get the process under control, but it will give you much greater 
flexibility than having to work with standard box sizes - and you do not 
need to do any work to get a really high quality clear viewing port.

I know - it's a different approach that still requires work, but the 
results can be expected to be great, and the cost and effort required 
ought to be reasonably predictable, too.

Kind regards,

Helmut.

On 21/01/2021 16:27, edwardsw at steadfast.co.nz wrote:
> Hi Robin
>
> All of my Sistema Klip It food storage boxes are marked on the bottom of the box with recycling symbol "5" and "PP" so they are made of polypropylene.  Sistema do various products including ones intended for the microwave, and they may have different plastic.
[...]
> If you can't polish the logo off, perhaps you could cut out a section of the lid and glue in a sheet of acrylic instead, but from memory one downside of PP is finding an adhesives that will stick to it, but it can be welded.  You may get epoxy or hot glue to work if you roughen the surface and don't put a lot of load on it.  An advantage of acrylic is that it is more scratch-resistant than PP.
>
> Wes Edwards
[...]
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