glueing plexi glass
 

thinking of building a small refugium out of plexiglass. what do you use to glue this stuff together?
what would be the minimuim thickness required for a small unit.

thanks
rob

size
 

how small is small? depending on the volume, you could get away with 3/16 but 1/4 would work better.if you use 3/16, go get some corner braces from plastic works on 132st/80 ave in surrey or some plastic store. they are basically corner pieces that you can glue into corners to reinforce the corners on thinner plastics.

something in the 12"l by 12" deep and 3-4 " thick.
sounds like those corners would be handy...if only i could get to the coast...

For glue use WeldOn 16 ... takes a while to set but stronger than hell and is a "conversion" cement capable of gluing PVC, ABS, Lexan, Acrylic and almost any other plastic. I've used it on Calcium Reactors, Fluidized bed filters and a few other reef projects with great success.

reply
 

Methylene Chloride, then re-inforce with silicon.

For that height, use 1/4" at least. I like Weldon 3 or 4 and a thin bead of Weldon 16 afterwards.

I second Methylene Chloride. I built my DIY overflow and refugium out of it, with 1/4" acrylic. You just have to make sure the pieces are perfectly FLUSH. The solvent wicks into the crack and bonds them.

if you cuts are good and the fit is tight then use weldon 3 (Methylene Chloride) or weldon 4 which is just a tiny bit thicker than 3 but not noticable. if you have very small voids you can use weldon 16 as it is quite thick but it isn't as strong as Methylene Chloride. The trick is to make sure your edges are absolutly smooth, strait and square in order to get a good joint. Also you shouldn't need any corner reinforcement but it won't hurt.

Steve

where can i pick up the weldon product? plumbing stores? cdn tire?

thanks

Most plastic shops carry it Rob. Maybe your local glass shop might have it if they deal in acrylic products as well.

I prefer using Weldon-4 with a syringe type bottle. For acrylic to pvc joints and problem spots Weldon-40 mixed and applied with a small plastic squeeze bottle or large syringe without the needle works.

If it doesnt have to look pretty I would use weldon 40... its a bunch thicker and fills in larger gaps better.however... if you spend the time to sand and fit all the pieces together weld on 4 will make a less obvious joint and a nicer looking end product

what prices have you paid for weldon? i want to make sure im not paying too much locally when i find the stuff.