Where to buy hard cut plastic?

Question

So, I am trying to expand my jewelry making and I want to start experimenting with hard cut plastic . . . but I'm at a loss! I don't know where to buy it or how to shape it . . . but I am a quick learner, so I'm sure if I get my hands on some I will find a way. I want to make earrings, necklaces and bracelets . . . and I want the bracelets to be slightly curved (like a cuff) and I'm not quite sure how to do this with hard cut plastic.

So 1) Where to buy it?

2) How to shape it?

Thanks!

Answer 1

Any industrial plastics distributor has a good selection of most any plastic you may need.  Don't know where you are located, but I have often used Cadillac Plastics in the mid-west.  They have a web site and will sell small quantities to a non business using a credit card.  How to work plastics depends entirely on the type you buy.  Some are heat bendable, some not.  Some you can polish to a high finish, others are too soft and don't polish well.  Some you can cast at room temp, others take high temps and sometimes inert atmospheres.  Pick a plastic you want to work with, or at least identify the properties you are seeking, and repost.  Then we can be more specific with help.

BTW, Cadillac Plastics is far cheaper than McMaster-Carr, but you can't beat M-C if you want to be able to find darn near anything.  And they keep it all in stock.

Answer 2

You can type in plastic and learn a lot from this catalog.

You may want to check on PETG.