I borrowed a Stewart Mac binding laminater from a local luthier to see how well it works for making multilayer plastic bindings. The tool was originally mounted in a jig like that described on the Stew Mac web site but after using it for a little while I built a new jig with a couple of modifications to make the tool work a little better.
There are two things that the Stew Mac set up that needed to be changed. First the out feed side of the jig had a PVC pipe to feed the binding into. This prevented easy access to the binding to pull it through laminator so I replaced this with a set of dowels that guide the binding but leave more room for grabbing the bindings than the PVC pipe did. Secondly I added two pins to the infeed side of the jig to keep the layers of binding separated so that it is easier to apply the acetone to glue the binding together. Here is a photo of the setup with the exhaust hood to vent the acetone out of the room.
And here is a close up of the jig to show the details.
The laminator works very well and the basic process is to tack the pieces together with acetone. Spread the pieces apart with the pins and use a pencil to mark where your next application of acetone will end. Apply acetone to both sides and wait a second to let the plastic soften. Hold a paper towel over the two pieces where they enter the laminator to keep the edges even and your fingers clean of dissolved plastic and acetone. Put a clothes pin over the newly laminated section, mark off the next area and repeat the process.
