Gluing slippery plastic

[Charlie Bress]

I have one of those plastic "noodles" that are used for beach or pool floats.

I want to glue the ends together to make a hoop. I don't know what kind of plastic foam it is made of, but it is one of the closed cell slippery plastic foams. I have not been successful finding an adhesive that works. I expect that joining the ends will require a fusing or welding operation.

I have at my disposal a small soldering iron, a large soldering iron, a simple glue gun and a heat gun.

What has been the experience in using the available tools to secure the ends? Or do you have a better idea?

The only glue I tried was a contact cement that seemed to stick, but under the tension of the hoop trying to open just stretched apart.

Charlie

[Roger Taylor]

Slippery plastic is one of the most difficult things to bind to itself. There may be some kinds of plastic cements found in hobby shops or hardwares, but most glues will not hold, especially if the noodles are torqued in use.

[Edwin Pawlowski]

No adhesive os going to work. You have to weld it in place. This can be done by heating the material to the softening point and then putting the two together. The contact adhesive you used with have to be cut off to expose a clean end. You may have some luck heating it with an iron they quickly putting hte two ends together. Hold of a minute and done. Alternative it so heat a metal plate between them and pull the heated plate out.

Too small, maybe, but doubtful, no good. not hot enough. Household iron with a Teflon coated sole plate may work.

[Charlie Bress]

propane torch as I have no idea of the flammability of this stuff. A hot piece of scrap metal might be just the ticket to get the plastic soft enough to weld..

Thanks Charlie

[Edwin Pawlowski]

Torch is OK as long as the flame does not get too close and melt the plastic. There won't be any explosions. It will be good to heat the metal plate though. If you got just the right temperature you could hold the flat ends on it until it starts to melt and quickly press them together.

[Duane Bozarth]

Any reason an Al pop rivet wouldn't suffice?

[Red Cloud©]

You might have better luck if you find a section of flexible tubing that fits tightly in the hollow center, and use it as a splice in addition to the contact cement. It wouldn't hurt to spread some adhesive on the splice, too.

rusty redcloud

[Edwin Pawlowski]

The material (polyethylene) is very flexible and the rivet would just expand and pull out.

[Goedjn]

[pool noodle]

What is the intended application?

Cut a deep 'V' in one end, and a matching wedge in the other end, and then ream a hole in the middle of each so you can insert a pipe-insulation "dowel". Use a GOOD rubber cement all over the dowel and the wedges. Then, if your application permits, stitch through the whole thing with a thick, soft cord, and whip the outside.

You can heat a nail to red-hot and draw it across the seams to get a fairly strong weld, but that will leave hard crunchy bits every where that you melt the plastic.

[G Henslee]

He'd have better luck if he had a real life.

[Charlie Bress]

Sounds like the Alabama Henslee. Just adds noise.

[Charlie Bress]

The end of the story.

Lots of ideas here, but no real solution.

While it is easy enough to melt the plastic, the fact that it is made of lots of little bubbles so that it will float and not absorb water makes it a task not worth pursuing. When the plastic melts there is extreme shrinkage as the bubbles (cells) have very thin walls and thus there is not have very much actual material to work with. Even a soldering iron just produced big gaps as the plastic shrunk. Using the glue gun might have worked as the glue did melt to the plastic and adhere, but the shrinkage was too great to try and fill with hot glue. Since this project is just to make a beach toy, will gracefully give up. Thanks to all. Even you g. henslee, whatever ( I mean wherever) you are.

Charlie

[G Henslee]

Awe, just yanking your chain Charlie. But geez man, they probably have what you want for $3.99 at Wallyworld! ;)

[DJ]

I have not tried it specifically on a water weinie, but I'd suggest 3M Super 77 Spray Adhesive. I have yet to find a foam it will not glue.

From the can:

"Extremely versatile, securely bonds most lightweight materials including metal foil, plastic films, polystyrene foam, flexible foam, fiberglass insulation, felt, cork, cardboard, etc. Not recommended for use on vinyl materials or automotive headliners."

DJ

[Diamondfitz]

duct tape!

[Frank]

I'd try my hot melt glue gun. Otherwise polyethylene is difficult or practically impossible to glue. Fusion might work but it is foam and would shrivel.

[Ed Pawlowski]

Put both ends on a hot iron. When they start to melt quickly put them together. You only get a short time and one placement so practice a time or two before heating.

[Glueguy]

replying to Charlie Bress, Glueguy wrote:

[Ol Red]

Try using Barge contact cement.It’s used in shoe sole repair because it’s waterproof after curing.I’ve used it myself on EVA foam and it is excellent on it.It’s not forgiving ,get it put together the first time.No do overs or adjustments.

[Tekkie©]

On Sat, 13 Feb 2021 21:45:02 +0000, Ol Red posted for all of us to digest...

Gorilla glue has been in the news lately. But it's 15 years since this was posted so I hope the OP has a new set of gummies.