working with plexiglass

On Tue, 20 Jul 2010 08:58:59 -0700 (PDT), Andy Dingley wrote the following:

Greenhouse friends of mine from the 1970s use acetone exclusively for their orchid containers. All solvents which attack acrylic will damage the surface and most work really well for glue. Acetone is thin, quick drying, and has a very nice capillary action.

-- Exercise ferments the humors, casts them into their proper channels, throws off redundancies, and helps nature in those secret distributions, without which the body cannot subsist in its vigor, nor the soul act with cheerfulness. -- Joseph Addison, The Spectator, July 12, 1711

Yeah. I guess I was just hallucinating when the whole class used it in a Summer school crafts shop dedicated to working with Fiberglas. Musta been from sniffing all that acetone.

Are there better solvents? Yes. MEK is fun, if you don't mind yer kid being born with flippers. DCM, the primary solvent in Tap acrylic cement. You checked the prices at Tap Plastics, lately? Bring $$$!! Otherwise, acetone (which is no saint) works jes fine. ;)

nb

Isn't the cleaning fluid that plumbers use to clean and prime PVC pipe before gluing MEK based? The stuff I have in my workshop is I'm sure. I'll check and report back

Prolly was, as you seem to be carping at someone who suggested using it.

Fiberglass and plexiglas are *not* the same thing. Acetone is an excellent solvent for the resins that make up the former; it has no effect on the latter.

Don't know what solvent you're actually thinking of, but it's not acetone. Acetone does *not* dissolve plexiglass. Here, try an experiment: soak a rag in acetone and wipe it across a piece of acrylic plastic -- then watch as the acetone evaporates, leaving the plastic totally unscathed.

It would "seem" your use of the word indicates you're not sure. Good thing, too, cuz yer wrong.

nb

Sniffing acetone again?

Don't know what solvent you're actually thinking of, but it's not acetone. Acetone does *not* dissolve plexiglass. Here, try an experiment: soak a rag in acetone and wipe it across a piece of acrylic plastic -- then watch as the acetone evaporates, leaving the plastic totally unscathed.

You were Not replying to Larry?

1. Methylene dichloride. Online hobby supplies may be able to help. And a GLASS syringe - the plastic ones weld themselves into a useless lump almost instantly! OTOH - a fine-tipped artist's brush works OK for small jobs.
2. If you can cut grooves for the acrylic to sit in, cyanoacrylate glue should work well. Paint some Pacer Technology "Zip Kicker" (hobby supplies again) onto the acrylic, let it dry for a few minutes, run the glue into the groove and assemble immediately - the glue will set rock-hard in about a second!
3. Depends entirely on size, construction, anticipated stresses, and whether or not you're right with Jesus. Talk to the supplier.

Nemo

----------------------------------------------------------- Posted using Android Newsgroup Downloader: ....

-----------------------------------------------------------