Acrylic display shelves

[GreyHobbit]

I recently bought some clear 5mm acrylic shelves (15"x5") to display my 8-bits computers, I've seen photos of similar displays by other retro collectors online.

 

I am more than happy to display my 130XE & 800XL on these, but when it comes to putting my 400 & 800 on the shelves I am concerned that they may not support the weight, particularly the 800 which is about 4.6kg.

 

Does anyone have experience with these acrylic shelves and are they strong enough to safely mount a 400 and 800 to the wall?

 

Thanks

Geoff

 

 

 

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[Beeblebrox]

@GreyHobbit  (Like the AA pseudonym BTW) 

 

Well my pennies worth - If they are premade shelves in said material then I am guess they'll take the load. Do you have load specs from the manufacturer? (I guess not otherwise you wouldn't be asking)

 

5mm thick is pretty robust AFAIK. How many wall mounts for they have?

 

Do you have any pics of them?

 

I think if you were making your own out of the material it would a slightly different matter.  One of the things to note with Arcylic is it can crack or have weak points near drilled holes. Plexiglass (acrylic essentially with a harder surface) resists cracking in these areas a bit more and is generally regarded as shatterproof, even when cracked.

 

I enjoy woodworking as a pasttime have my own workshop I built, (well it's actually a Hobbit workshop complete with Hobbit round door - hence the nod to your pseudonym). Anyways reason I am telling you this is that I made a fence for my table router and table saw, which includes a 5mm thick plexiglass component as part of it, (for dust extraction). Very strong and durable. I cut a notch in it, drilled multiple holes - no cracking, no weak points - no probs.

 

Edited December 19, 2021 by Beeblebrox

[Mr Robot]

I have some 5mm acrylic here that I can stand on and I weigh considerably more than 5Kg!

As long as the wall mounts are good enough and its a single piece of acrylic it should be fine.

 

[GreyHobbit]

Thanks for the replies, they have reassured me. I'm just worried about leaving my precious 800 hanging on the wall about 5 feet off the floor and directly above my PC!

The shelves came from Amazon and are mounted to a brick wall with two screws and the 5mm rawlplugs that were supplied. I don't have any specs apart from the physical dimensions.

The shelf flexes a bit when I put the computer on it but I suppose that's to be expected.

The 800 looks like it's bound to topple forward, but it's the angles of the case that make it appear to be mounted vertically, it seems stable enough.

I'm working in this room today so I'll leave it up there and listen for sounds of cracking!! :-)

(As for my username, I needed a gamertag years ago, my hair went prematurely grey, I'm rarely the tallest guy in any group and I can't count how many times I've read LotR so it seemed appropriate lol)

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[+slx]

I have to admit I wouldn’t feel comfortable with my 800 hung like that. You might want to spread the load on the acrylic a bit more by using washers and maybe rubber washers beneath (but then I‘m not an engineer and my wife accuses me of using double the size of bolt required for everything I mount to a wall or ceiling).

[Beeblebrox]

Looking at the images now, my concern is less about how strong the shelf itself it, but more with just the angle at which the 800 is at, plus the little lip at the bottom keeping it on the shelf. The plastic casings on 800's is very prone to shattering, despite the internals being build like a tank. It it happens to fall even a few foot could seriously damage the casing, and possibly components inside!

 

What SLX said about the washers makes sense - and don't overtighten the screws otherwise the acrylic will likely crack.

 

Nice to see it wall mounted though. Never thought I'd like the 800's as much as I found I do now I own em. The 800XL, 600XL and 800's are my fav. 

Edited December 20, 2021 by Beeblebrox

[Mclaneinc]

Add another concerned about the angle...

 

The shelving looks more than strong enough, my main worry would be the wall type, if it's a soft brick wall then make sure the mounting are as sturdy as can be. I say this because I put some shelves up in the front room, they had nothing really weighty on them, a few books and ornaments. One night I'd dropped off in the room on the couch and then SMASH and my head was battered. What had happened was the raw plugs and screws just pulled out of the wall (probably from the pounding of the kids above). Basically the wall was soft and prone to going powdery, so a standard screw and raw plug no matter how long was going to come out. Ended up getting mountings that expanded with little edges. Don't know the tech name...They worked fine..

[Asaki]

I see what you mean, that would make me nervous too.

[_The Doctor__]

the computers hanging like that need restraining tethers,

all trays/shelves/tethers should be affixed with anchor bolts an similar on solid wall, toggle bolts or similar on plaster / sheet-rock walls....

Edited December 20, 2021 by _The Doctor__

[Beeblebrox]

I suggest perhaps rather than focus on the shelves, maybe consider remodelling the walls.... or maybe the entire house!

 

Some possible suggestions:

 

 

Joking aside Mclaneinc does make a good point, especially if we are talking only 2 x standard supplied raw plugs. I bet the screws are only 25mm long. The shelf is small but there may well be enough leverage to eventually cause em to pull the plugs out.

 

 

[+scorpio_ny]

Hi @GreyHobbit,

 

Maybe you can find some shelving or brackets that sits on table or cabinet for more support  instead ? I wanted to show my collection as well, but I was uncomfortable doing any wall shelving since I was afraid it could be undone. That is why  I prefer keeping them on a desk or in cabinet. For my Atari 600XL and 800XL, I printed some really nice brackets that keep the machines at 72 degree angle. If anyone is interested, I could link the STL’s that I had used.

 

[StickJock]

I'm a big fan of the double-slotted shelf brackets.  They are adjustable and rated to hold a lot of weight.  You can get pre-made wire & wooden shelves for them, or make your own.  You could easily make a set with clear plastic shelving.

 

[GreyHobbit]

Thanks everyone for all the comments.  Very interesting reading and while I am reassured about the strength and durability of the acrylic, I am not particularly happy about having my 400 and 800 permanently displayed on them.  The 400 & 800 are considerably heavier than the 130XE or 800XL and I'm not going to risk it.  I'll either use the acrylic shelves for displaying some of my Atari software and books or I will find another solution entirely that is less fear-inducing   I had the 800 on the acrylic shelf all day yesterday, and it seemed stable and sturdy, but I still took it down every time I left the room!

 

Moving home or remodelling are probably off the agenda, it would a) probably not meet with my wife's approval and b) cost money I'd rather be spending on my Ataris... 

 

One wall here is fully loaded with the double-slotted brackets @StickJock suggested and they are holding a *lot* of weight (including the 400 & 800)  They are quite high up so I can really only see the joystick ports on the computers from any angle in the room, I might investigate mounting them on some sort of angled bracket that sits on the shelf, that's a good idea @scorpio_ny  I'd be interested in the STL files and I'll see if I can find someone to print them for me, I'm not sure what services are available in the UK.

 

Geoff

[StickJock]

3 hours ago, GreyHobbit said:

I might investigate mounting them on some sort of angled bracket that sits on the shelf, that's a good idea

Rubbermaid makes angled shelf brackets for displaying your shoe Atari collection.