[Shop-talk] Plastic epoxy/solvent weld

[watsonm05 at comcast.net]

Jim

**HA!**  I just bought the exact same product based on the info from this thread.

I have some transparent acrylic windows on my son's special needs bed that have gotten cracked over the years and I really appreciate all the excellent input for everyone.

Thanks, all!

Mark Watson
P.s. Garage input: I'll be using this product in the garage so I don't fume up the house ;-)
________________________________
From: Shop-talk <shop-talk-bounces at autox.team.net> on behalf of Jim Stone <1789alpine at gmail.com>
Sent: Friday, October 10, 2025 6:25 PM
To: Shop Talk <shop-talk at autox.team.net>
Subject: Re: [Shop-talk] Plastic epoxy/solvent weld

Just to update - and hopefully close - this thread, I bought this solvent from Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0DS69HMN6?ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_fed_asin_title. It was a little less expensive than the Weld-On and I figured it was probably the same formulation.  And, even this was probably more than the hair clip cost to begin with.  As many of the reviewers had noted, the solvent poured pretty readily out of the applicator, but it seemed to do its job just fine.  I ‘glued’ the hair clip back together and left it lightly clamped for 72 hours.  I just tested it and it seems to be holding well.  The package says that the bond continues to strengthen for several weeks so I will wait a bit longer to give it back to my granddaughter.  I will re-weld it and add in a small stainless screw and nut, should “hurricane Ellie” break it again.

My thanks to all here for helping me keep my Grandpa Fixit status intact just a little longer.

Jim

On Oct 7, 2025, at 2:18 PM, David Scheidt <dmscheidt at gmail.com> wrote:



On Oct 5, 2025, at 17:50, Jim Stone <1789alpine at gmail.com<mailto:1789alpine at gmail.com>> wrote:

My granddaughter asked me to fix her favorite hair clip and I’d like to keep my reputation as Grandpa Fixit intact.  The part that came off will be under stress when the clip is used.  The plastic didn’t break; the larger, decorative part of the clip came loose from the spring clip.  It looks to me like it was originally solvent welded, not glued.


Methylene chloride is the traditional solvent for acrylic welding. It is now banned for most uses, so newer forulmulations use something else. I have not used any of them, as I don’t work with acrylic. But I did do some in the mists of time.  There were two types we used.  One was a thin liquid (straight methylene chloride, or very nearly, I think) that was used for fabricating stuff with tightly fitted gap free joints.  The other was a gel that would work for joints with a gap, it had acrylic in it, I think, which is what gave it gap filling power.  Pick the right sort, based on how well your parts go back together.


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