Joining acrylic
- Thread starter Miah2bzy
- Start date
I learned to work with acrylic watching videos from this site.
http://www.tapplastics.com/product_info/videos/how_to_glue_acrylic
The videos are posted on their site. Of course, they want you to buy the products from them. However, solvents are available at local acrylic shops. I can't find what I usually use and forget the name. I lost it in the move and haven't replaced it yet.
Maybe someone can direct you to a reputable local shop. They should have the solvents in stock.
http://www.tapplastics.com/product_info/videos/how_to_glue_acrylic
The videos are posted on their site. Of course, they want you to buy the products from them. However, solvents are available at local acrylic shops. I can't find what I usually use and forget the name. I lost it in the move and haven't replaced it yet.
Maybe someone can direct you to a reputable local shop. They should have the solvents in stock.
Don't know what you have up by you but down here Plasticare near Red and Jerry's at Oxford and Santa Fe has Weldon 16. They also have Weldon 4 which is liquid solvent that you will need a applicator bottle. 16 is good for cracks and filling gaps since it is more of a gel but 4 will give you a cleaner look. They also sell acrylic scrap cheap there.
Halmus and Mike are right - you need something made specifically for joining acrylic or it doesn't work well. Plasticares was my go-to acrylic shop in Denver because they had everything you need, the scrap area was tons of fun, and they were really good about showing you what to do and giving you advice. Hopefully you can find a good acrylic shop near you that's similar.
I'm only bringing this up because nobody specifically mentioned it. Plain ole "silicone I" which is primarily what we use in this hobby is not designed to bond with acrylic. It will stick to it but will not form a chemical bond and IMO should never be used on acrylic. With that said yes there are silicone products out there offered by Dow (Dow corning 795) which are both reef safe and will bond to acrylic but its just not worth the cost or mess when dealing with acrylic alone. It is however great for bonding acrylic to glass.
As so many have already pointed out any one of the suitable Weldon products will work best.
As so many have already pointed out any one of the suitable Weldon products will work best.
szavoda;356600 said:
Weld-on 4. If you want some hands-on instruction, I can spend some time this weekend. I need to finish up some of my projects as well as another member's tank 
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and my wife is on bedrest so my projects get behind quickly