Are my classmates really that terrible?

November 12, 2006 5:07 PM

Are the other kids at my school going to draw on my arcade machine?

A year and a half later, and I'm putting the final touches on this project, that two of the alumni of my robotics team started. I'm using a computer monitor for a screen, and right now I'm planning on putting plexiglass in front of it, to stop people from drawing on (the plexiglass is much easier to replace/clean).
This will, however, make the screen quite a bit harder to see. I'm considering going without the plexiglass and hoping that my classmates can show some basic respect for my hard work/property, but I'm not sure if this is a good idea.
Do you think that this machine is going to have a big, invisible, "vandalize me" sign on it, or will it be okay?
It's basically vandal-proof besides the screen. In fact, it's been compared favorably to tanks

posted by martinX's bellbottoms to human relations (16 comments total)

Also, is there a good way to get sharpie off of plexiglass?
What about stickers?
posted by martinX's bellbottoms at 5:08 PM on November 12, 2006

previously
posted by Arcaz Ino at 5:18 PM on November 12, 2006

The secret to getting sharpie off of the dry-erase boards is to use a dry-erase marker and write over it...


Other than that.. can you use REALLY THIN plexiglas (like 2-5mm)? Maybe some glass (cheap frame @ a department store would be a good source) instead of plexi?
posted by hatsix at 5:32 PM on November 12, 2006

If that thing isn't bulletproof and it's being left unattended, it's going to get trashed. I can't think of any environment where this wouldn't happen, least of all any type of school.
posted by cillit bang at 5:35 PM on November 12, 2006

some kids are dicks. someone will trash it somehow. even with the plexiglass, someone will somehow do something bad to it eventually.

your best bet, is to take a few precautions, like the plexiglass, but overall, work on accepting the fact that its not going to be in glorious condition for very long unless you have someone keeping a direct eye on it all the time.
posted by teishu at 5:37 PM on November 12, 2006

I assume it isn't PUCK MAN. That's asking for trouble.
posted by Arcaz Ino at 5:52 PM on November 12, 2006

out of curiosity, what makes you think plexi will make it harder to see? Just make sure you buy clear stuff, not tinted. Plexi only looks cloudy in the store because it has a peel-off protective layer on it.
posted by cosmicbandito at 6:14 PM on November 12, 2006

Hey! One of those alumni is me!

Use the plexi. We built it like a tank for a reason. (Post pictures too!)
posted by phrontist at 6:17 PM on November 12, 2006

The plexiglass doesn't detract too much, there's a bit more glare and it just seems weird. I'm also worried that the plexiglass screen will be more prone to being vandalized because drawing on it won't feel as destructive, (the vandals won't actually be destroying a monitor, just marking up some glass) but I may just be crazy.
Also, our team sponsor insists that the machine will be fine without the plexiglass, and he called me cynical for even suggesting the possibility of vandalism. I think I'm going to suck it up and use the plexiglass, unless someone can convince me otherwise.

I assume it isn't PUCK MAN. That's asking for trouble.
May I ask why?
posted by martinX's bellbottoms at 6:54 PM on November 12, 2006

here
posted by Arcaz Ino at 6:58 PM on November 12, 2006

Stickers and permanent marker should be easy enough to remove from plexiglass surfaces with lighter fluid. I use it to clean anything! It works much better than the citrus-based Goo Gone because the lighter fluid evaporates. I've found Goo Gone to leave a slightly oily residue.

In my experience, ligher fluid won't hurt powder-coated finishes, but be careful near anything that is painted or otherwise marked on by your team. This may not need to be said, but avoid using anything sharp or abrasive on the plexiglass, as it will leave scratches. If you need to scrape on the plexiglass, perhaps a thin, hard plastic spatula (in combination with the lighter fluid) would be safe.

hatsix: About getting sharpie writing off a dry-erase board, wiping it down with rubbing alcohol has always worked for my boyfriend and me. (He's a network engineer and apparently it's necessary to have them all over our house. I have a friend that works for sharpie, so we have those all over the house too. Our friends drink a lot.)
posted by youngergirl44 at 8:39 PM on November 12, 2006

The best way to take off sharpie is to use some kind of alcohol, rubbing etc. My college ultimate team discovered that about 5 mins of soaking followed by vigorous scrubbing got sharpie off of most plastic materials with ease. After we figured this out, the number of frisbees in our disc bag would double after tournaments.....
posted by wuzandfuzz at 8:56 PM on November 12, 2006

we used deodorant to get sharpies of plastic sheets. I don't think plexiglass is very different to plastic sheeting.
posted by yeara at 1:09 AM on November 13, 2006

Even without malicious intent, something could get thrown nearby, a missed catch, whatever, and crash into the cabinet. So I suggest going with the plexi. If the glare is what you don't like, perhaps look at those anti-glare covers people buy to put over their screens - they're not expensive.
posted by -harlequin- at 4:32 AM on November 13, 2006

As far as your sticker question, once you've used a razorblade to scrape off the top layer and that annoying layer of adhesive remains: Using a small amount of butter (spreadable works best) with a paper towel actually works surprisingly well.

It seems as though the butter saturates the adhesive and eliminates it's stickiness. Used it once on my laptop and used normal cleaner to remove the small amount of remaining grease. No joke.
posted by jeffrygardner at 6:21 AM on November 13, 2006

on subways, people who really want to vandalize the thick plexiglass windows use a key or other metal implement to scratch large letters/etc. - kind of like this. so maybe a replaceable thin piece of plexiglass would be a good way to go (or even an 'extra' piece of replaceable plexi?).
posted by chr1sb0y at 6:34 AM on November 13, 2006