outtafocus Posted July 11, 2005 Share Posted July 11, 2005 I know everyone suggests using Weld-on #16 for bonding acrylic. However, I was visiting my LHS (local hobby shop) when I found the plastic model "glues" section. In this section I found about four different brands of cement which where similar to weld-on #4, being like water. These included brands such as Pro-weld and MBS, all of the bottles had labels reading :"For solvent bonding ABS, Acrylic,styrene,butyrate & polycarbonate." Has any one tried using any of these types of solvents? I picked up a bottle of the MBS brand so I could perform a few experiments on some scrap acrylic I had laying around. And at $5 for a 100ml bottle I figured Iam not loosing anything in trying. Any opinions??? Link to comment
willlgr1 Posted July 11, 2005 Share Posted July 11, 2005 the question is, is it non toxic and will it hold water tight? Link to comment
Carinya Posted July 11, 2005 Share Posted July 11, 2005 That's two questions, will. I recall a guy on reefcentral posted a tutorial for diy acrylic tanks b/c he makes them for a living and he noted that he doesn't actually like the weldon products and that he blends his own personal bonding agent. So I don't think there's anything particuarly magic about weldon, per se. If I were you I guess I'd do two things: 1) see if you can find out if the product you bought and the weldon products contain the same ingredients 2) like you said, do a test on scraps and make a small box & see if it's watertight and if it holds up for a while...like a couple weeks? Not sure if that would be enough time but some kind of testing period would be wise, I'd think. Otherwise, I don't know. Sounds like it would be a possibility though. Link to comment
outtafocus Posted July 12, 2005 Author Share Posted July 12, 2005 For the most part I dont believe toxicity is an issue. The solvent evaporates and leaves virtually no residue, and since these products are not a glue, they only melt the acrylic I am sure that the solvent is ok. I highly doubt that any weldon product is non toxic, I know I wouldnt be drinking any. I will build a test box and check for strength and water tightness. Anything I do build to be used on any of my tanks will be thourghly cleaned and "cured" in a salt water bath. Im just experimenting any way. Link to comment
qualudethunder Posted July 12, 2005 Share Posted July 12, 2005 I used the Ambroid pro weld to build my fuge. Its been running for a few months with no issues. Methylene chloride is what it is. Link to comment
outtafocus Posted July 12, 2005 Author Share Posted July 12, 2005 Thats the same ingredient thats in my solvent. I have read its pretty nasty stuff because of the speed which it evaporates. So I must make sure I have the windows open. Link to comment
qualudethunder Posted July 12, 2005 Share Posted July 12, 2005 It's not that bad. You use such a small amount that I wouldnt worry too much. You would have to pretty much intentionally huff it to have a problem. Link to comment
MrYenko Posted July 12, 2005 Share Posted July 12, 2005 MEK + Acrylic chips to taste... Link to comment
ODOG Posted August 18, 2005 Share Posted August 18, 2005 Bumping this thread back up....where can MEK, Methylene Chloride, be purchased. I thought I read somewhere that acrylic shavings and acetone could be combined to make a weldon equivalent. Has anyone tried this? Link to comment
Jpl3k Posted August 18, 2005 Share Posted August 18, 2005 ODOG: Yes, acetone and acrylic chips will work, that was one of my threads. The only problem I had with this stuff is the acrylic starting cracking in some places, but I did not use it properly. I have looked into this, and it seems if you run a bead of the DIY acetone+chips (or MEK+ acrylic chips) along the bottom edge of what you are cementing, it will work fine. What I did (and the reason for failure) was I taped my project together, and then applied the glue/cement right ONTOP of the corner, not actually between the two sheets of acrylic. Here's a couple threads I was involved in: http://www.nano-reef.com/forums/showthread...&threadid=62345 http://www.nano-reef.com/forums/showthread...&threadid=63707 Hope this answers your questions! -Jonathan BTW: I'm still planning on having a [local?] plastics company cut my custom dimensions of 1/4" acrylic pieces and I'll glue them together. Link to comment
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