• Welcome to Overclockers Forums! Join us to reply in threads, receive reduced ads, and to customize your site experience!

Best glue for plexiglass?

Overclockers is supported by our readers. When you click a link to make a purchase, we may earn a commission. Learn More.

jamesavery22

Member
Joined
Jan 22, 2003
Im trying to make a shroud out of cheap plexiglass from HomeDepot, the pretty flexible stuff. Was like 3$ for a 1x3' sheet. I got all the panels made and tries to use plastic epoxy to hold it together. The shroud is a pretty tight fit so It had to bend a little to squeeze it in. But that broke one of the glue joints =(

Is there some cement strength glue made especially for plexiglass? Asked at homedepot and no one knew as usual.
 
Use acetone.

Just dip the halves to be glued or brush it on and clamp it or hold it together until it sets up.

It doesn't require alot of acetone to join the two together.

DO NOT USE ACETONE NEAR FIRE OR FLAME!!!
 
Acyrlic and polycarbonate are usually chemically welded with solvent glues like the various Weld-On cements. It's what they use to join the pieces of acrylic aquariums. Technique is important though.
 
I did use epoxy, that stuff just popped right off. Is there an epoxy specifically for plexiglass?

And where can I get acetone?
 
Tmod said:
Use acetone.

Just dip the halves to be glued or brush it on and clamp it or hold it together until it sets up.

It doesn't require alot of acetone to join the two together.

DO NOT USE ACETONE NEAR FIRE OR FLAME!!!

Those special glues just dissolve the plexi, then evaporate.

If acetone will dissolve the plexi, then it would be the best. Test it on a scrap , and see if it will. If it will, you can probably make some solvent of your own, by just dissolving some plexi in the acetone, and use it for glue. That way it will be thicker, and fill in some small gaps.

steve
 
You can get Acetone at any paint store.

DO NOT leave any plastic in the acetone for a long period of time as it will dissolve the plastic.

I used to bond plexiglass with this and it works very well.

The idea is to get the acetone to where it starts to dissolve the plexiglass and then take it out and join the two pieces together. It is like welding plastic.

The acetone will evaporate and leave you with a very sound connection if done right.

Try leaving the plexiglass in the acetone for about 1 minute and then see if it joins ok. Just make sure you clamp it well when you join the pieces.

Tmod
 
I don't think any "glue," will be as strong as acetone. Acetone will turn 2 pieces of plastic into 1 piece, much like welding does to metal.

Acetone literally dissolves the plastic, then evaporates, leaving behind one single piece of plastic. there's no seam, it is like running a movie of cutting something up, backwards.

steve
 
Another question, how much should the acetone melt acrylic if I leave it in acetone for a few min? Testing it on some scraps right now. Not sure how long I should leave them in there before I try and join them. Put them in for almost 2 min and didnt seem like it did much... wasnt melted or anything, still seemed pretty hard.
 
You want to stick them in there until the outer surface gets gummy.

Different plastics have different resistances to chemicals and you really need to find the sweet spot.

You also must have changed plastics as I see you went from plexiglass to acrylic. Don't know what resistance acrylic has to acetone.

Tmod
 
Yeah I had acrylic all the time =) Man reading labels is worth while =) If this doesnt work Im gonna desolve the two pieces IM testing with and a few otehrs and just make a cement
 
Will inhaling too much acetone make you sleepy? :D

Trying to dissolve scrap acrylic in an acetone bath so I left it out over night. Put a little cover over it that had a bunch of holes in it so the acetone didnt evaporate too quickly. I took the cover off this morning and inhaled a good cloud of it :D Now IM just realllllly sleepy and kinda light headed.
 
Back