lexan cell door

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it's been awhile since i've posted here. i been setting up a winter place in fla.  we've had a couple suicides so the powers that be decided we needed more visibility in the m.o. cells. i built a steel frame out of tee sections. after welding, a piece of 1/2" lexan was bolted to each side. i took the mounting brackets off an old beat-up cell door and welded them to the frame before the lexan was installed. that hatch in the center is to pass food or to handcuff the inmate. Attached Imagesi.u.o.e. # 15queens, ny and sunny fla
Reply:I know a guy who said while he was in the joint the other inmates would break out the windows. The warden finally got tired of replacing them so he let them be and after the winter they never did it again. hahahaSent from under a Miller welding helmet
Reply:this is the top mounting bracket that i cut off a discarded cell door. i fit a piece of 3/8x2" across the top of the tee section frame and skip welded it along the top and welded the sides solid. i then put center marks on the bracket and frame, lined up the marks tacked and welded it with 3/32 7018. Attached Imagesi.u.o.e. # 15queens, ny and sunny fla
Reply:That's neat,I'd hate to be on the other side of that door!Miller trailblazer301gLincoln sa200Miller251Miller spectrum 625Victor oxy-acc2002 Chevy duramax 3500 dually 4x4
Reply:Hey Doc, I was wondering where you have been.  Great work. I have had the opportunity to work with Lexan before. Neat stuff, You can drill, tap, machine it just like steel. Even heat and bend it. What does m.o. stand for?If you cant fix it with a hammer, it must be an electrical problem."Boy, everyone starts with a full bag of luck and an empty bag of experience. The trick is to fill the bag of experience before the bag of luck is empty."-Grandad circa 1990ish
Reply:mental observationi.u.o.e. # 15queens, ny and sunny fla
Reply:I think Lexan is what they use in bullet resistant glass. laminated a few times over. It looks really cool to see a mushed bullet in the middle. My buddy had a sample from the company that he sold it for.Lincoln Power Mig 210MP MIGLincoln Power Mig 350MP - MIG and Push-PullLincoln TIG 300-300Lincoln Hobby-Weld 110v  Thanks JLAMESCK TIG TORCH, gas diffuser, pyrex cupThermal Dynamics Cutmaster 101My brain
Reply:lexan is the stuff separating you from your money at the bank or check cashing spot. i believe it's also what the clear plastic filter protection plates are made from. very pricey in thicker sections.i.u.o.e. # 15queens, ny and sunny fla
Reply:Originally Posted by docwelderlexan is the stuff separating you from your money at the bank or check cashing spot. i believe it's also what the clear plastic filter protection plates are made from. very pricey in thicker sections.
Reply:Tax dollars at work. A roll of barbed wire, evenly distributed, makes a lot more sense. Put it with nekked pics of Nan_see Pelo_sii in each cell.Bubble gumTooth pixDuct tapeBlack glueGBMF hammerScrew gun --bad battery (see above)
Reply:gotta take care of our guests to keep them coming back. if there's no them there's no me.i.u.o.e. # 15queens, ny and sunny fla
Reply:I worked in a max unit for a long time and have seen the unusually destructive things the convicts do.  I have also designed some control features to keep them guys in check.  I have seen the things you make and you do good work.  I would recommend some bars or grating be incorporated into that door.  Having that large an area of the door not reinforced just screams kick and beat on me with a trash can or heads, feet & hands.  If they get thru the lexan they are out of the cell and into the common area outside the cell.  Along with that is the shattered pieces of lexan that need to be accounted for, they would make great shanks that pass thru metal detectors. Horizontal reinforcement would minimize some of those concerns.  My observation has been that those guys will break an anvil if you let them have at it for long enough.
Reply:if there's no them there's no me.
Reply:It is not Plexiglas it is Lexan. there is no comparison other than they look like the same stuff.  I met a couple of guys in mexico that built a 70 ft steel sail boat. they were both pretty good scavengers. They bought some new old lexan 3/4 of an inch thick to make all the hatches and interior doors from.  they made the doors, hung them and then began to remove the protective paper that clear plastic is always protected with. That's when they understood why they got the lexan so cheap.  the stuff was so old that it could not be removed in the normal way. so they removed it with acetone. That worked just fine until in a couple of days the plastic began to check into little shapes all over both sides.  I never heard what they did with it.  Mac
Reply:If a dude can break through 1/2" lexan.....If you cant fix it with a hammer, it must be an electrical problem."Boy, everyone starts with a full bag of luck and an empty bag of experience. The trick is to fill the bag of experience before the bag of luck is empty."-Grandad circa 1990ish
Reply:Originally Posted by akpolarisI worked in a max unit for a long time and have seen the unusually destructive things the convicts do.  I have also designed some control features to keep them guys in check.  I have seen the things you make and you do good work.  I would recommend some bars or grating be incorporated into that door.  Having that large an area of the door not reinforced just screams kick and beat on me with a trash can or heads, feet & hands.  If they get thru the lexan they are out of the cell and into the common area outside the cell.  Along with that is the shattered pieces of lexan that need to be accounted for, they would make great shanks that pass thru metal detectors. Horizontal reinforcement would minimize some of those concerns.  My observation has been that those guys will break an anvil if you let them have at it for long enough.
Reply:The Lexan I worked with was 1/8" and 1/4". I remember we "tested" a piece of 1/8" to see if we could break it. Clamped it in a vise and hit it with a hammer. It bent. laid it on 2 2x4s and hit it. Bent. Even shot it with a 9mm and the bullet DID pass though. But left a perfect hole, Did not shatter.Pretty tough stuff.If you cant fix it with a hammer, it must be an electrical problem."Boy, everyone starts with a full bag of luck and an empty bag of experience. The trick is to fill the bag of experience before the bag of luck is empty."-Grandad circa 1990ish
Reply:I understand all that is involved. Mental Heath prisoner, on 15 min cums, nothing in cell, needs to be watched constantly....  Been there and done all of it, got the retirement check coming because of it (27 years).  We had bolted down beds until 1 was torn from the floor and used to help secure the door shut so we could not get in. We pulled the beds out and poured some elevated cement pads instead.  Believe me I am not criticizing the work. My experience with large pieces of transparent sheet goods is to reinforce it with steel. It sucks to have to chase someone down, risking injury to staff and the ding when they get outside their containment area. Besides their heads & hands don't forget the "anal suitcase" that every convict keeps their valuables in. Most normal folks don't think to put stuff up their arse like razor blades, handcuff keys, chewing tobacco, heroin... but once you get past the sphincter muscle their is a sizable cave for storage on every convict.  My experience is that there is never enough steel involved! Breaking things is not a 1 time event, it happens over time. I found a bunch of welds broken on ceiling panels once. They were stitched, every 12" a 6" weld. They started by forcing a pointed tooth brush in and gradually stressing the welds until they popped. They got lots of time brother, their at it 24 hrs a day. Your work looks great. Do you make any pass thrus for tray slots that provide that there is not contact between the prisoner & staff?  It is an excellent tool and if you have never seen them I may be able to send you the idea. I helps when you have poop throwers
Reply:Originally Posted by akpolarisI understand all that is involved. Mental Heath prisoner, on 15 min cums, nothing in cell, needs to be watched constantly....  Been there and done all of it, got the retirement check coming because of it (27 years).  We had bolted down beds until 1 was torn from the floor and used to help secure the door shut so we could not get in. We pulled the beds out and poured some elevated cement pads instead.  Believe me I am not criticizing the work. My experience with large pieces of transparent sheet goods is to reinforce it with steel. It sucks to have to chase someone down, risking injury to staff and the ding when they get outside their containment area. Besides their heads & hands don't forget the "anal suitcase" that every convict keeps their valuables in. Most normal folks don't think to put stuff up their arse like razor blades, handcuff keys, chewing tobacco, heroin... but once you get past the sphincter muscle their is a sizable cave for storage on every convict.  My experience is that there is never enough steel involved! Breaking things is not a 1 time event, it happens over time. I found a bunch of welds broken on ceiling panels once. They were stitched, every 12" a 6" weld. They started by forcing a pointed tooth brush in and gradually stressing the welds until they popped. They got lots of time brother, their at it 24 hrs a day. Your work looks great. Do you make any pass thrus for tray slots that provide that there is not contact between the prisoner & staff?  It is an excellent tool and if you have never seen them I may be able to send you the idea. I helps when you have poop throwers
Reply:These hatches I am talking about are actually boxes on hinges that we mounted outside the cell tray slot.  You put the tray or other item in the box and close the outer (box) door and then slide the cell door port open allowing the prisoner to get said item out of the box and the reverse to retrieve items from inside the cell.  It pretty safely prevents contact during the busy periods such as med pass, clothing exchange, food service etc... when staff tend to get noxious items tossed on. I got the design from a unit in Arkansas.  They really keep the liquids and sharp objects from coming out the slots.  Keep up the good work, it is a tough environment to work in. The challenges of remembering "why we do it this way" and passing those lessons on to the new guys is tough. The new guys are usually much smarter than us old guys, right.
Reply:some of the other jails here use the box type device. they have to outsource some of the material and parts to build it. the one i designed is built in my shop by me without "help" from outside contractors using standard mild steel shapes and tooling. i hate giving my work away.i.u.o.e. # 15queens, ny and sunny fla