Laminating sheet styrene..what glue?

[sandusky]

Bottom layer will be .030"x3"x10". Laminating .010"x3"x2", five pieces side-by-side to on top (four seams will show, and this is the point of my project). So, no goo/pliobond, no MEK,....I'm thinking 3M super77 or something like that? I tried epoxy and the top pieces all curled at the edges.

[bearman]

Duro plastic model cement

[UNCLEBUTCH]

CA ??

[richhotrain]

sandusky

Bottom layer will be .030"x3"x10". Laminating .010"x3"x2", five pieces side-by-side to on top (four seams will show, and this is the point of my project). So, no goo/pliobond, no MEK,....I'm thinking 3M super77 or something like that? I tried epoxy and the top pieces all curled at the edges. 

You want Plastruct Plastic Weld cement in the orange label bottle.

https://www.hobbytown.com/plastic-weld-cement-2oz-by-plastruct-pls00002/p424867?gclid=Cj0KCQjwtOLVBRCZARIsADPLtJ3t0Wz9G-kkNjbOl8Up3TBVtYfpP6PP_xbNS4G_L66bmOE03K60JxUaAnHiEALw_wcB

I used this glue in a scratch build where I was laminating styrene sheets together.  It is awesome.

Rich

[bearman]

That plastic weld cement is the stuff that melts the styrene, isnt it?  Yeah, that should work just fine.

[richhotrain]

bearman

That plastic weld cement is the stuff that melts the styrene, isnt it?  Yeah, that should work just fine.

 

bearman

That plastic weld cement is the stuff that melts the styrene, isnt it?  Yeah, that should work just fine. 

Can't say for sure that it melts the styrene, but it sure does bond one piece to another. Very, very effective.

Rich

[bearman]

Yeah, I have a bottle of that stuff, and plain forgot to suggest it.  I think it does melt the styrene a little so what happens is the two sheets essentially become one.  There is only onoe thing, there are two types of the plastic weld, one bonds dissimilar plastics and the other bonds similar plastics.  The OP should double check which one he needs, sounds like he is bonding styrene to styrene.

[mbinsewi]

It does kind of melt it, it has a little MEK in it, and I can't think of the other ingredient, methyene chloride?  Not sure.

It's great stuff.

Mike.

[zstripe]

It will even produce a much stronger bond if you lightly sand both pieces that are to be joined. The sanding breaks up the surface tension that a smooth piece has. Gives the weld a head start so to speak along with the capillary action which will adhere better to a rough surface. I use 180 grit.

It contains MEK (Methyl Ethyl Ketone) if You have any objections to using it...

Take Care! 

Frank

[doctorwayne]

Why do you not want to use MEK?  It's a very effective solvent for styrene, and cheaper than the model-type solvent cements.

Wayne

[sandusky]

doctorwayne

Why do you not want to use MEK?  It's a very effective solvent for styrene, and cheaper than the model-type solvent cements.

Wayne

 

 

I am afraid MEK would distort the plastic (although perhaps not using the can I recently discovered in the workshop that was not tightly capped). I also thought you yourself had previously suggested contact cement for this sort of application, was seeking an update or commentary on that.

 

[gmpullman]

sandusky

I am afraid MEK would distort the plastic

I agree! You are laminating .030 and anything that thin will be distorted by any solvent-type liquid. On broad areas, of course, the solvent evaporates before any bond can take place.

I have laminated thin styrene (.015") using the 3M "Safe For Photographs" general purpose photo mount spray adhesive.

https://tinyurl.com/y85xuoqq

Even the "77" may be a bit aggressive unless you are careful not to make too heavy an application of the glue. Spray in light coats.

Let it get tacky before pressing the pieces together otherwise trapped solvents may distort the styrene.

Once you have the .010 pieces securely pressed and cured to the .030 backing, then you might want to touch a bit of liquid — MEK or otherwise — cement to the corners of each sheet to keep them securely fused.

Of course testing on some scrap pieces would be a good idea.

Good Luck, Ed

[tstage]

bearman

That plastic weld cement is the stuff that melts the styrene, isnt it?  Yeah, that should work just fine.

I like to say it "melds" the styrene surfaces together; kind of a cross between melting and welding so that they become virtually one.

Tom

[j. c.]

make shure that the plastics are the same , i lamanated .020 abs to .040 styreen  it warped over time. also acetone has a slower evap time than mek and is not as agressive.

 

[doctorwayne]

Any adhesive which doesn't somehow react with the plastic (melt it) won't make a permanent bond.  That's one very good reason why ca is not a good cement for styrene - it'll stick, but not permanently unless there's also a mechanical connection, such as interlocking mating surfaces.

If you're using MEK, or any other solvent type cement, don't necessarily use the brush-in-cap for all jobs, as sometimes, it's simply too big.  I have laminated .005" styrene to .060" styrene without issue:  the key is to use the proper amount of solvent cement and to let it dry to a degree where it will still make the bond, but not distort the materials.  That may call for a little experimentation, but the key is to not trap still-wet solvent between the two surfaces - you can get away with it with thick styrene, but not the thin stuff, although .030" isn't all that thin.
In fact, were I attempting the job which you've outlined, I'd coat the thicker piece fairly liberally with MEK, and then the thinner stuff less so.  The thinner application will dry more quickly, but the solvent has already, by that time, prepped the surface, and when the heavier piece shows no more patches of liquid, you should be able to bring the two together without issue.

As for contact cement, I use it primarily where I want to join dissimilar surfaces, and if one of those surfaces is styrene, I've found that prepping it first with an application of MEK, then applying the contact cement to the other surface first, the MEK on the styrene, by that time, has mostly evapourated.  However, it has affected the styrene enough that when I apply contact cement to it, it goes on much more smoothly because the solvent in the cement isn't being absorbed by the styrene, as it would if the surface hadn't received the preparatory application of MEK.

Wayne

[mbinsewi]

I've never had anything warp or distort using MEK.  It evapoates quicker than the stuff in the little bottle with the orange label.  And all of the bottles I have with the orange label have been refilled, many times, with MEK.

Mike.

[Steve McDonough]

Try using a vinyl acetate polymer emulsion glue like Pacer Formula "560". It won't melt or eat the plastic. You may have to wait for the glue to dry in between sheet applications as it needs air to do so. Very good adhesive quality to plastics whether clear or not despite what some may say your small pieces should glue just fine. I only use it to glue clear window glass plastic to structures. It works great! Don't use any superglues on styrene plastic as over time the styrene becomes very brittle especially thin plastic!

[MisterBeasley]

A word of caution:

I laminated some styrene for sidewalks.  When I got to drilling holes for streetlights, I found the layers separated just a bit and the shavings from the drilling process got in between the layers.  It was impossible to get the junk pieces out, so I had to live with it.  I would suggest drilling the holes first, before laminating.