Joining acrylic

Miah2bzy

Nurse Shark
M.A.S.C Club Member
#1
I'm making a few frag racks and not sure what to use to join acrylic. I tried silicone but that was too flimsy.
Any suggestions? Thanks!!!
 

halmus

Registered Users
M.A.S.C Club Member
ex-officio
#3
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.
 

MuralReef

Administrator
Staff member
M.A.S.C Club Member
M.A.S.C. B.O.D.
MASC Vice-President
#4
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.
 

FinsUp

According to my watch, the time is now.
M.A.S.C Club Member
#5
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.
 

Miah2bzy

Nurse Shark
M.A.S.C Club Member
#6
FinsUp!;356440 said:
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.
Thanks! I knew I needed something that would bond like the PVC glue did with the PVC. I'll look for a shop near us.
 

Dr.DiSilicate

Great White Shark
M.A.S.C Club Member
ex-officio
#7
Look up a couple you tube videos of how to join. You do need the solvent. It melts the acrylic a bit and the two pieces actually become one. Really fun to play with!
 

SynDen

Administrator
Staff member
M.A.S.C Club Member
M.A.S.C. B.O.D.
M.A.S.C President
M.A.S.C Webmaster
#8
yep depends on what your doing but weld-on 16 most likely the best for this situation
 

Walter White

Reef Shark
M.A.S.C Club Member
#9
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.
 

Miah2bzy

Nurse Shark
M.A.S.C Club Member
#10
Walter White;356500 said:
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.
Thanks! after working with the PVC all last week knew I needed a bonding agent just had no idea what. Will be getting some Weldon later this week.
 

szavoda

Butterfly Fish
M.A.S.C Club Member
#11
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 :)!
 

Miah2bzy

Nurse Shark
M.A.S.C Club Member
#12
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 :)!
I'd take you up on the offer but I'm 3-4 hrs west of Denver :) and my wife is on bedrest so my projects get behind quickly :(
 
Top