# Turning corian



## fredito (Mar 10, 2015)

I have decided I want to try turning Corian. I have called a few shops and one guy said corian is the brand name but he has stuff that is 100% acrylic same as corian that may have some polyester added. He said it's more or less all the same and tools the same from his end, just different brands. Anybody familiar with anything like this or should I just look for straight corian? I am wondering if it's like laminate when it first came out and everyone called it pergo since it was the popular brand
Thanks


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## JR Custom Calls (Mar 10, 2015)

From what I've seen, solid surface counter top material is used with several brand names. The biggest thing is gluing it up without glue lines. I haven't tried it yet because I don't want to have to justify buying the gun and glue


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## Schroedc (Mar 10, 2015)

If you want some 1/2 inch slimline blanks for pens, pm me your address, I have about 100 pounds laying around.


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## duncsuss (Mar 10, 2015)

I have a few pieces of Corian that Cody ( @gman2431 ) sent me -- I think he uses it in his job and can probably tell you what the differences between that and other materials are. He certainly knows the correct way to glue it up.


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## fredito (Mar 10, 2015)

JR Custom Calls said:


> From what I've seen, solid surface counter top material is used with several brand names. The biggest thing is gluing it up without glue lines. I haven't tried it yet because I don't want to have to justify buying the gun and glue



From what I'm seeing you sand and ca together. I have done lots of countertops but not solid surface yet...I leave that to the pros!



Schroedc said:


> If you want some 1/2 inch slimline blanks for pens, pm me your address, I have about 100 pounds laying around.



That is very generous of you. I'll send you a pm and we can work out some details



duncsuss said:


> I have a few pieces of Corian that Cody ( @gman2431 ) sent me -- I think he uses it in his job and can probably tell you what the differences between that and other materials are. He certainly knows the correct way to glue it up.


That would be great if a pro gave me some tips!


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## gman2431 (Mar 10, 2015)

I used to run a good size solid surface department for my company. 

Corian is actually and a brand from Du Pont and a slang term for other solid surface manufacturers. They don't think it's funny either and I used to joke with the reps about it to get a reaction from them. 

Gibraltar, Du Pont, LG, Wilson Art ya ya ya makes some form of solid surface. There's a ton of them...

In the end you have two different types of material and two different types of adhesion. When you see the counters with lots of spekals those are acrylic chunks added to the base mix and you only get a mechanical bond. Your more put white and solid colors achieve a fusion bond that acts as a weld and should be as strong as the material. All this granting you have the appropriate glue, and everybody has their own, and the guns to dispense it. 

I've personally never used anything besides to appropriate glue so I cannot comment on how that works. 

I have turned some pens from it and they look great. Run them into the micro mesh and it'll shine like No other. 

Heat is not a friend of this material on its joints so whatever you do make sure not to heat it up much. 

If you have any questions feel free to ask. I also have tons of this material if there's ever a need for any.

Reactions: Thank You! 2


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## duncsuss (Mar 10, 2015)

Never mind, Cody already gave the full story ...

Reactions: Like 2


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## gman2431 (Mar 10, 2015)

I should have said how any other glue works. And some words got away from me... Sorry for the grammar.


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## gman2431 (Mar 10, 2015)

And if you want to have some fun with the stuff it thermoforms real nice. 

We used to heat it up and make all kinds of silly crap in our down time. One guy that worked for me was a master at it and made these crazy flowers that were like 3ft tall and put em in his yard. Haha


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## fredito (Mar 10, 2015)

@gman2431 if you were laminating blanks together do you feel sanding with 180/220 and medium ca would work? Capt Eddie did that on a YouTube video and it looked neat. That said, I don't really want a fly piece of counter top in my shop either. Any tips for sanding/finishing?


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## gman2431 (Mar 10, 2015)

I honestly do not know. If I was to do it I would use epoxy first probably. I've never been a fan of CA. The back side of the material is a touch rougher than the face and I would use that side to glue. With such a slick surface I would be concerned with the lack of glue in there. You will see a line also unless you use correct glue. 

It's hard stuff so take it easy with light cuts. Sand as you would a wood piece but I would start at 180. We use a micron paper which is vastly different than traditional sandpaper and you could get bad scratches with 120 or 150 normal paper. Buffing will also do wonders with just a lambs wool after sanding. 

As far as finishing this stuff is pretty tough but will show fine scratches. If you're into doing CA that could be an option. Personally I don't see why this stuff isn't already as hard or scratch resistant as a finish itself. I never finished any of my pens.

Reactions: Thank You! 1


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## JR Custom Calls (Mar 10, 2015)

Cody, the big question I have... is it pronounced Corey-Anne or Corey-On? I've always heard the former, but seen lots of people recently using the latter.


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## ripjack13 (Mar 10, 2015)

I used CA glue and only glued and clamped two disks at a time then clamped each of the sections together until I got to the thickness I wanted. I haven't made anything out of yet, nor can I find where I put it. But it's in my house somewhere....
I was told by the company that I got the stuff from that I can use superglue to glue it together to make it thicker...and tape a piece of 220 sandpaper down to the flat surface to sand em...

Reactions: Thank You! 1


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## ripjack13 (Mar 10, 2015)

http://kurthertzog.com/articles/corian/workingwcorian.htm

Reactions: Thank You! 1


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## gman2431 (Mar 10, 2015)

JR Custom Calls said:


> Cody, the big question I have... is it pronounced Corey-Anne or Corey-On? I've always heard the former, but seen lots of people recently using the latter.



Corey-On


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## Schroedc (Mar 10, 2015)

I usually just wet sand all the way up to 3000 and polish with automotive rubbing compound. I've glued together with CA and as long as the pieces were flat and smooth they held together just fine and with the speckled stuff you really didn't see a glue line as long as you clamped tight to force out any extra glue. I've also seen blanks done with multiple colors of it to give a striped effect.

Reactions: Thank You! 1


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## gman2431 (Mar 10, 2015)

JR Custom Calls said:


> Cody, the big question I have... is it pronounced Corey-Anne or Corey-On? I've always heard the former, but seen lots of people recently using the latter.



I will add that I've heard some wild ways to Say it. Lol. 

Thickness also messes with people. 12mm or 6mm is what most of it is poured to. Not .5 or .25. 

The price of this stuff is amazing also.... Due to confidentiality with my employer I can't say who but some stuff that's 500 a sheet I can get for 200. Same stuff. You really pay for the name on some of it and it can also be hard to buy the material and adhesive. Du Pont used to make you be certified by them but I don't know if they still do with the influx of everyone else making it.


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## fredito (Mar 10, 2015)

Lots if info here, thanks guys. I'm going to have to get some and see how it turns

Reactions: Like 1


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## fredito (Mar 10, 2015)

Here is the video on lamination I was talking about....

Reactions: Like 1


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## fredito (Mar 10, 2015)

Also, when cutting would you go carbides or gouges/chisels?
When cutting on a band saw do you think it would work to use double sided tape and stick it to a board or something since the pieces are smaller? Just want to keep my fingers clear!


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## gman2431 (Mar 11, 2015)

I mostly use carbide but HSS works. 

The stuff is tough on tooling tho. Youd be better off ripping it on a table saw.

Reactions: Thank You! 1


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## fredito (Mar 11, 2015)

gman2431 said:


> I mostly use carbide but HSS works.
> 
> The stuff is tough on tooling tho. Youd be better off ripping it on a table saw.


Good idea....now I have to remember where I put my blades when we moved

Reactions: Funny 1


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## Final Strut (Mar 11, 2015)

I think turning Corian is kind of fun. It make a mess though. I have found that if you are not going to use carbide tools a good round nose scraper with a good hook on it works the best. After you get it roughed out it will be kind of like turning green wood when you get it started you can shoot ribbons of material 5-6 feet in the air. I have a bunch that I need to experiment with gluing because everything that I have is small slim line blanks. I like to use it for finials because it turns nice and clean.

Reactions: Thank You! 1


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## duncsuss (Mar 11, 2015)

Final Strut said:


> I like to use it for finials because it turns nice and clean.



Ooooh -- great idea!


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## rdabpenman (Mar 11, 2015)

Corian drills, laminates and turns easily.

Les

Reactions: Like 2 | EyeCandy! 1 | Way Cool 1


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## ripjack13 (Mar 11, 2015)

rdabpenman said:


> Corian drills, laminates and turns easily.
> 
> Les



Les , what did you use for glue?

Reactions: Agree 1


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## fredito (Mar 11, 2015)

rdabpenman said:


> Corian drills, laminates and turns easily.
> 
> Les
> 
> View attachment 73536 View attachment 73537


That top pen is neat with the lamination...actually both sets are cool looking. I'm excited to give it a try. Do you find it can handle a barrel trimmer okay or do you need to sand to square up?

Reactions: Like 1


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