Modding Acrylic glue

hi im in need of a UK available acrylic glue, google brings up nothing of help and i searched for Methylene Chloride which was used on some ones project on a different site a few years back but searching for that brings up its a carcinagen, and i cant find weld on#4 in the uk. i have found some solvent poly cement style glue but i dont now if with will work with acrylic and it only comes in and around 30ml which may run out rather quick, any suggestions would be good even, or even if you know if the poly cement style solvents will work

thanks

 

Yeah, MEK is very very dangerous. What you need is IPS Weld-On #3 or #4. A similar product is Everflex Plasbond 65 Acrylic Adhesive. It may not provide as durable a bond as IPS Weld-On but it was the only one I could find through UK suppliers online that was even compatible with acrylic or polycarbonate.

You may want to call some plastics shops or signmaking businesses.

 

ok thanks for the help i may ring around next week or pop in to some of the local model shops and ask them and see if they have the answer. thanks.

P.s does anyone know if liquid ploycement would work

 

This is supposed to be good stuff, though I can't say that I've ever used it myself.

 

thats great, thanks for the site ill have to get it after xmas as the postal service is silly this time of year thanks guys.

 

not only is MEK dangerous stuff, it doesn't work very well either. I tried some joints with it, and they fell apart with almost no force. I found this stuff called Tenax-7R at a hobby shop, and it worked great, it was so strong it took a vice grip to get it apart. I don't know if it's available in the UK though, as I don't live there.

 

Chloroform is supposed to work really well. I've heard that pharmacies may carry it...

 

This is not advised either as the resulting fumes are dangerous.

 

Please consult a trained professional before using random industrial solvents.

Methylene chloride is converted within your body to carbon monoxide--prolonged vapor exposure will cause toxic amounts of CO buildup. Its typically used as paint stripper, I don't think it will join plastic well at all.

Chloroform is a potent liver toxin. I have personally seen folks require liver transplantation after chloroform exposures.

Methyl ethyl ketone, MEK, is generally without permanent toxicity, but may potentiate carcinogenicity with mixed with other similar solvents like n-hexane, or any hexanediones. Again, haven't seen it very effective at joining plastics.


FYI!

navig, md facep facmt

 

I've had good results with Humbrol brand poly cement - its designed for use on model kits and such like, really fine detail work, which its great at, but it also works great as an acrylic solvent/glue, and its safe as long as you're not a glue sniffer . It comes in a tube or in a little bottle with a needle applicator, which is better as the cement is about as runny as veg oil and runs into the joint via capillary action.
You can get it from model/RC shops and major toy stores. BTW, avoid other brands of poly cement - they are nowhere near as good and only work well on polystyrene-based plastics (HIPS and CHIPS)