OT: Gluing PVC

Epoxy works well, at least for low-stress use. Roughen up the spots where it needs to stick.

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Tim Wescott 
Wescott Design Services 
http://www.wescottdesign.com

Any acrylic plastic glue or plastic epoxy glue: etc... Remove any surface gloss, coating, grease, oil, or slime. Sandpaper or file mating surfaces. Be prepared to wipe up any glue that drips or runs.

You might also try your hand at plastic welding. There are various hot air, infra-red, propane, and gas welders that soften the plastic while you add plastic rod as filler. My hot air SMT rework station works nicely for small ABS parts, but I don't think it can handle 1-1/2 in PVC, where a propane torch or bigger hot air gun might be better.

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Jeff Liebermann     jeffl@cruzio.com 
150 Felker St #D    http://www.LearnByDestroying.com 
Santa Cruz CA 95060 http://802.11junk.com 
Skype: JeffLiebermann     AE6KS    831-336-2558

There is always JB Weld. I think they have a special formulation for PVC.

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Les Cargill

Some good leads! Thanks! ...Jim Thompson

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| James E.Thompson                                 |    mens     | 
| Analog Innovations                               |     et      | 
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I love to cook with wine.     Sometimes I even put it in the food.

The secret sauce is in the "primer", not the glue. The purple colored PVC "primer" is actually a solvent, which softens the surface so that the clear PVC "cement" has something to hang onto. The trick is to soften the surface, without using too strong a solvent or too much solvent, which might cause the pipe to soften, deform, or collapse.

Looking at a typical MSDS sheet, it looks like use some really nasty and toxic solvents: CAS # Component Percent 67-64-1 Acetone 40-50 78-93-3 Methyl Ethyl Ketone 30-40 109-99-9 Tetrahydrofuran 15-20 108-94-1 Cyclohexanone 10-15 Trade Secret Anthra-Quinone Dye 0.01-0.05 Anyway, that's what it takes to convince PVC and glue to stick together. The actual cement or glue is almost incidental and is more of a gap filler than a structural component.

--
Jeff Liebermann     jeffl@cruzio.com 
150 Felker St #D    http://www.LearnByDestroying.com 
Santa Cruz CA 95060 http://802.11junk.com 
Skype: JeffLiebermann     AE6KS    831-336-2558

Might not work if one needs geometrical accuracy as you can't get in there. But that would really be the strongest way.

That sounds expensive.

I didn't price it carefully. Looks like whatever quantity it sells at is five bucks.

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Les Cargill

TAP Plastics and some hardware stores sell solvents for welding plastic. You brush it on to each piece, wait a few seconds, then press the pieces together with as much force as possible. With enough force, the weld is as strong as if it was molded as once piece.

The trick is that you're squeezing away plastic damaged by solvent; joining a solid to a solid. The welding solvent also evaporates almost instantly to minimize penetration. Normal solvent based glue causes a lot of damage.

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Hot melt adhesive works well for me.

Cheers

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Syd

Plumbers goop ?

Greg

you can get the same stuff dye-free for non-plumbing uses (like lawn furniture)

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  \_(?)_

Welding PVC pipe is like welding wet noodles. If I wanted accuracy for side by side welding of pipe, I would stuff the pipes into a horizontal mill, shave off a controlled amount from one side in order to produce flat surfaces, and then solvent weld (acetone and MEK) the two pipes together. Also, a clamping fixture to maintain alignment until the glue dries. As you note, trying to do the same with hot air or gas welding is not going to be as neat or accurate. I would guess(tm) that gas welding would be stronger than solvent welding due to deeper penetration.

Now, you have me wondering what Jim is really building that requires a side by side weld. Probably a double barrel PVC shotgun, or something similar.

--
Jeff Liebermann     jeffl@cruzio.com 
150 Felker St #D    http://www.LearnByDestroying.com 
Santa Cruz CA 95060 http://802.11junk.com 
Skype: JeffLiebermann     AE6KS    831-336-2558

We have a small local outdoor furniture factory that makes its own frames from white PVC pipe. I've been to their back yard "factory" and watched them assemble the pieces using some kind of light green colored solvent. I didn't ask, but I assume the coloring was so that they could see where they are applying the solvent. The glue also has a pink colored dye added. When assembled, it looks like an ugly collection of plumbing pipe, complete with the pipe manufacturers markings. The furniture is then given either a fine sand, powder, or vapor blast to remove the mfg markings and excess solvent. The result is a nice clean and shiny white PVC chair frame. I don't recall if it was then coated with something else, such as clear acrylic, which I suspect would help with UV resistance.

--
Jeff Liebermann     jeffl@cruzio.com 
150 Felker St #D    http://www.LearnByDestroying.com 
Santa Cruz CA 95060 http://802.11junk.com 
Skype: JeffLiebermann     AE6KS    831-336-2558

There is enough of a demand for specialized PVC structure fittings not available, or needed, for plumbing:

Yes, but they didn't use, it at the time, because the furniture grade stuff costs more than the plumbing PVC. Checking for 1-1/2" pipe: $0.68/ft from Home Despot. and: $1.00/ft for furniture grade.

Disclaimer: I did their computer work and was not involved in their furniture manufacture.

--
Jeff Liebermann     jeffl@cruzio.com 
150 Felker St #D    http://www.LearnByDestroying.com 
Santa Cruz CA 95060 http://802.11junk.com 
Skype: JeffLiebermann     AE6KS    831-336-2558

[snip]

Stashing screws, bolts, nut, and washers in pill bottles; so we're talking only around 4" lengths of PVC. ...Jim Thompson

-- | James E.Thompson | mens | | Analog Innovations | et | | Analog/Mixed-Signal ASIC's and Discrete Systems | manus | | San Tan Valley, AZ 85142 Skype: skypeanalog | | | Voice:(480)460-2350 Fax: Available upon request | Brass Rat | | E-mail Icon at

| 1962 | I love to cook with wine. Sometimes I even put it in the food.

That plumbers stuf works fine if you can tolerate the purple primer dye. Clamping stuff will be tricky though, until the solvent dries the stuff is super slippery. Rub the parts together so the melted goo and glue really bonds.

Op 10/09/2015 om 02:01 AM schreef Jim Thompson:

Just regular PVC glue. Maybe a version with a filler so it is thicker and fills small holes. Either way the glue is PVC dissolved in a solvent.