Bonding Lexan/Arcylic/Plexiglass

[Celeron_Phreak]

I went to Home Depot to get some lexan for my CPU fan duct I'm building. I bought the stuff with the blue plastic coating on it, which they call arcylic, and it's made by Plaskolite, Inc.

Anyway, I've noticed that with all lexan that regular superglue or epoxy does not bond to it, which I think the glossy surface is responsible for. It does dry, and does hold, but after time, the other part starts to "peel" off of the part it's bound to.

I really need some way of bonding this stuff together for my duct. What does everyone else use, and where can I get it for, for how much?

TIA,
~C.P.

 

[NoteUser]

Here's a thought:

Create a bracket to join the panels. You'll need a drill, saw, aluminum L bar.

Edit --> Forgot to mention screws.

 

[Celeron_Phreak]

Hehe, I thought about that, but I put that at the back of my mind as a last resort, since I'm broke right now. Tommorw I get my paycheck cashed, but I owe my mom $200, so I'll have $17 to my name =\.

 

[NoteUser]

Thought of another idea

Maybe acid tone might work. From my understanding it melts plastic to a degree and forms a "weld".

 

[Celeron_Phreak]

where can I get that at, and for how much?

 

[NoteUser]

I don't know but it should be reasonable. Try the hardware shop.

 

[StreetPharmacy]

Couldn't you just sand the edges?

Plexiglass isn't exactly my field, but sanding should strip away the glossy, "hard-to-grip" surface, and give the bonding agent something to reside in.

Just a thought...

 

[JDXNC]

I know for a fact that Gasoline and paint thinner melts Lexan, But I don't know if you could control it to make nice bonds.

 

[Nightingale]

just use superglue if your making a CPU duct. I started making one but I decided not to waste the acrylic and just wait to get water cooling up and running. Otherwise if your committed to having super strong bonds you can buy solvents from www.usplastics.com .

 

[k3nshin]

I know for a fact that Gasoline and paint thinner melts Lexan, But I don't know if you could control it to make nice bonds.

paint thinner = acetone

 

[Celeron_Phreak]

k3nshin: why is your Palomino evil?

I sanded down the edges and used Super Glue's fast set Plastic-Fusion, which i must say is very nice. I first started with J-B Weld, but it was taking too long to cure, so I gave it and did the PF which I purchased last year during my clear case project. Happy I did

 

[Nightingale]

I found a neat article on how to make your own acrylic cement with scrap chunks of acrylic and acetone found here http://guides.pimprig.com/modding/diy_acrylic_cement.php. Now if only Lexan would work with this.

 

[Captain Slug]

just use superglue if your making a CPU duct.

The vapors off of superglue will fog-up or eat into the surface of polycarbonate and cleaner grades of acrylic. I DO NOT recommend using it for anything where aesthetic appeal is important.

If you can call a local plastics shop, they tend to stock material specific adhesives that are extremely strong and easy to use. I bought a small tin of polycarbonate adhesive for $4

 

[Nightingale]

well on the sample piece I had it didn't do much to the plastic. The glue isn't very noticeable until you look closely at the joints at which point you can see a slight bit of clouding. Other then that Superglue worked fine for me.

 

[Celeron_Phreak]

Okay. Time to bring this thread back from the dead . I'm wanting to make some cabinets for my rear 3" speakers, and I want to make them out of lexan. I bought a sheet of lexan and some acetone, but how long does it take for this stuff to cure fully? I found that using a cotten swab works great for applying it, just work quick.