What is the ideal adhesive for bonding acrylic to acrylic?

[Guy Burt-Davies]

Tensol is the stuff Carrie and I don’t know about anyone else but we buy it from Amari Plastics.

If you don’t get any joy let me know and I’m sure we can get a bit sent to you.

Guy

[Rodney Gold]

You have opened a can of worms here , depends on the bond you want to achieve , how you processed the acrylic and what type of acrylic it is.
The stongest are the 2 part tensols , single part solvent based glues do not give a strong bond.
You can use methly chloride , chloroform or tensol 30 for a capalliary type glue. If you do use a 2 part , there are specific ways in which you have to cut the stuff , bond the stuff etc.
Give me more details and I will give you the correct way to make the bond.

[Robert Lambie]

same here i use tensol and i think it was from amari also…
there are a few good alternatives too but names slip me.
i used to always use acryfix, (spelling) it bonded almost instantly and was like a water rather than a gel. tensol acts like a filler too which is a bonus.

[Carrie Brown]

Thanks for the replies everyone, much appreciated 😀

We are trying to achieve similar to what Rob did in this link:
https://www.uksignboards.com/viewtopic.php?t=7080

Crikey …. it just took me 15 mins to find that link … yet this morning when I looked for it I found it in a few seconds 😮 Just thought I would share my little frustration moment with you all 😕 … anyway …..

Therefore, what do we need to use to apply the acrylic letters to the acrylic rear panel …. the one that holds the letters in place ….. hope that makes sense?

Carrie 😀

[Rodney Gold]

You can use superglue for that.

[Carrie Brown]

quote Rodney Gold:

You can use superglue for that.

Oh well thats nice and simple :lol1:

Im sorry if I made it sound a lot more complicated than it was 😳

Thank you Rodney 😀

[Rodney Gold]

Heh – ~!!!
We do stuff with acrylic that needs sort of structural bonds so I assumed you wanted to do the same.
A tip with superglue , it bonds with moisture , so before sticking one thing to another , breathe on it.

[Adrian Hewson]

Never liked the Tensols

We use Fusion for flat acrlic to flat acrylic and Fsion 500 for right angle joins or rough surfaces

Both adhesives are one part and cheaper than tensol

Regards Adrian

[mark walker]

Hi all, I used to use a single part glue many moons ago that was applied using a syringe (always got funny looks when I asked for a syringe at the chemist, a long explanation usualy followed 😮 ) for accuracy. Could it be the stuff you mention Adrian? Where do you get the fusion from or info on it please 😀

Mark

[Reflexing]

quote signco:

Never liked the Tensols

We use Fusion for flat acrlic to flat acrylic and Fsion 500 for right angle joins or rough surfaces

Both adhesives are one part and cheaper than tensol

Regards Adrian

Hi, just wondering where I can purchase this Fsion 500? Trying to bond some acrylic at right angles, is it transparent when set?

Thanks.

[Rodney Gold]

A single part adhesive is niot a great idea for right angle stuff as it has a very low bond strength and will generally not set clear unless the edges of the upright piece is totally flat and polished. Essentially it works by capilliary action and is something that disolves a little of the surface of each part. If the 2 parts dont meet exactly at all points , the bond will be real visible
The 2 part Acrylic glues fill in gaps and contain acrylic in them so create a bond that is supe strong and dont require the edges to be particularily well finished – but they take much longer to dry and need more care to use. Ideally when doing right angle stuff , the upright part’s edge that is contacting the flat should NOT be cut dead straight but should have a small bevel so that the acrylic glue DOES fill a gap. Degussa make some wonderful glues as well. You need different glues for different acrylics , like one for extruded and one for cast.
Be VERY careful of solvent based single part adhesives as if the acrylic has been milled , sawed or has been subjected to any operation producing heat , the pex will stress crack.

[Vince Francis]

quote :

methly chloride , chloroform

Is this now not legal to use in the UK, think it is. Good stuff though lol