Gen: MEK=liquid plastic glue?
Mark Levine
I was in the hardware store the other day and noticed they had a solvent
called MEK (sorry I can't remember the chemical name). I vaguely seem to
remember reading somewhere that this was the basis for most liquid plastic
cement. Is that true? And if it is, can it be used in this "industrial"
form for kit building. It sure seemed a lot cheaper.
Mark
--
"Never give in, never give in, never, never, never, never--in nothing, great or small, large or petty--never give in except to convictions of honor and good sense." --Sir Winston Spencer Churchill
CharlieH
Yes MEK (Methyl Ethyl Ketone) is one the raw constituents of some of our
glues. The other popular one is Methelene Chloride (Ambrios, Tenex7r and
Superweld are all based on this hotter solvent)
For most of general purpose building I use MEK or MC. I very seldom use
brand name products.
Regards
Charlie
Mark Levine <mar...@clarityconnect.com> wrote in article
<marklev-1702...@pg069.clarityconnect.com>...
charlie dunton
Mark Levine wrote:
> I was in the hardware store the other day and noticed they had a solvent
> called MEK (sorry I can't remember the chemical name). I vaguely seem to
> remember reading somewhere that this was the basis for most liquid plastic
> cement. Is that true? And if it is, can it be used in this "industrial"
> form for kit building. It sure seemed a lot cheaper.
>
> Mark
>
> --
>
Mark,
The model shop I work in uses MEK straight from the can for bonding ABS plastic, It works really well. If you read the contents of several hobby cements, you will find a lot of them contain MEK.
Charlie
Maiesm72
MEK is Methyl Ethyl Ketone. For many years it was the standard of serious
modelers in the US.
Fast, effective, cheap. VERY flammable, pretty toxic. Well vented work area is
a must and keep it off of your skin. Safety goggles advised. Read the warning
labels and keep away from clear parts because it will craze them like crazy.
Tom Young
IPMS #3406
Paul Boyer
In article <marklev-1702...@pg069.clarityconnect.com>,
mar...@clarityconnect.com (Mark Levine) wrote:
> I was in the hardware store the other day and noticed they had a solvent
> called MEK (sorry I can't remember the chemical name). I vaguely seem to
> remember reading somewhere that this was the basis for most liquid plastic
> cement. Is that true? And if it is, can it be used in this "industrial"
> form for kit building. It sure seemed a lot cheaper.
>
> Mark
MEK stands for Methyl Ethyl Keytone, and it can be used as a plastic glue,
and even a "hot" thinner for enamels and lacquers. I will not recommend it
over other plastic cements as it and all the others are chemically
dangerous to your health. Perhaps others can provide more info on this
compound? By the way, if you don't like the prices on liquid cements,
trundle your butt down to a plastic supply store and buy a pint (or a
quart, or a gallon) of Weld On #3. It's a lot cheaper than buying those
1-oz. bottles!
Paul Boyer
Cyclists who wear helmets have something to protect.
SVanaken
MEK is usable as a plastic glue, however MEK is also very toxic. If you decide
to use it, I would highly recommend an respirator capable of filtering gasses
and to use it in a very well ventilated area. I have seen people die from
prolonged breating of MEK vapors.
__________________________________________________________________________
Scott Van Aken IPMS Canada 5729
The Aviation Nut Webzine
http://members.aol.com/svanaken
Fly by Nite Productions
CharlieH
Paul Boyer <pbo...@finescale.com> wrote in article
<pboyer-1702...@172.17.34.163>...
Paul
Whilst MEK is hot Mc and Toulene are hotter. They are all carcogenic to
some or other degree and apparantly the effect is exagerated if you smoke
whilst using these substances. IIRC MC penetartes thru your skin as well.
MAybe thats why our government (SA) has banned the sale of MC to the casual
user. BTW MEK is used in a lot of commercial aerosol spray cans as the
reducer for the paint.
Regards
Charlie
Richard Marmo
MEK-P (methel ethel ketone - peroxide) is even hotter. Used to be able to
get it in quart bottles and bigger at some incredibly cheap price. Don't
even know if the average person (you and I) can even buy it in pure form
any more. And I don't want to think about what the price has gone up to.
Anyway, all of these various chemicals tend to have a rather interesting
afinity for your liver. Howsomever, a little common sense and decent
ventilation will pretty well keep you out of trouble. Put another way,
don't stick the open bottle under your nose & inhale deeply and you'll
probably live to 85 in spite of the paints and chemicals you've been using
for the last 50 years.
Richard Marmo
Thesaurus Rex
Mark Levine wrote:
>
> I was in the hardware store the other day and noticed they had a solvent
> called MEK (sorry I can't remember the chemical name). I vaguely seem to
> remember reading somewhere that this was the basis for most liquid plastic
> cement. Is that true? And if it is, can it be used in this "industrial"
> form for kit building. It sure seemed a lot cheaper.
>
> Mark
>
> "Never give in, never give in, never, never, never, never--in nothing, great or small, large or petty--never give in except to convictions of honor and good sense." --Sir Winston Spencer Churchill
Methyl Ethyl Ketone.
This crap will give you serious brain-damage, so use in a well
ventilated area. It probably works by melting the plastic, because I've
seen mechanics in the Boeing plant use it for cleaning purposes.
TRex
Blind Baron
Ditto on the Weld-On #3.... Alot cheaper and just as good....
D2Kos
>> I was in the hardware store the other day and noticed they had a solvent
>> called MEK (sorry I can't remember the chemical name). I vaguely seem to
>> remember reading somewhere that this was the basis for most liquid plastic
>> cement. Is that true? And if it is, can it be used in this "industrial"
>> form for kit building. It sure seemed a lot cheaper.
I've used straight MEK as a model cement for15 years with no problems so far.
Be aware though that it's fumes are somewhat harmful (there are probably
warnings on the can you saw), so I never leave it on the workbench uncapped.
John Thompson
Mark,
Yes, this is the stuff you need. But for heaven's sake, be
EXTREMELY careful with it - it's VERY highly flammable! If
you're going to buy it in quantity (and be aware, a little bit
goes a long way), make sure you store it somewhere away from
sources of heat. To use it as a model cement, pour only a small
amount into a sealable container, preferrably made of glass or
metal, with a good lid (an empty paint jar or tinlet), and use
THIS as your day-to-day modelling supply, refilling it
(CAREFULLY!) from the main container as needed. Open this
working supply only when you're ready to use it, and close it
immediately afterwards, because it evaporates very quickly, and
again, the vapours are FLAMMABLE! Use it only in a
well-ventilated area, well away from sources of flame or
sparks. And NO SMOKING! To apply it, use a small paintbrush or
an old-style drafting pen tip. If you have ANY questions,
please feel absolutely free to contact me. MEK (methyl ethyl
ketone) works like a charm for cementing styrene, but it MUST
be used carefully; flammables of this type, carelessly used,
have caused numerous industrial fatalities and millions of
dollars worth of property damage. I know, I work with the stuff
every day, and it's nasty stuff in careless hands.
I hope this helps; PLEASE use this chemical carefully!
John Thompson
AMPSOne
IIRC isn't MEK one of the ingredients in Testor's Liquid Cement?
Cookie Sewell
AMPS
Richard Marmo
And Methylene Chloride is one of the ingredients in Ambroid ProWeld. Does
this mean that we're all gonna start using water based glues (Elmer's) so
the EPA can quit worrying about all those nasty fumes we're inhaling!?
Richard Marmo, IPMS/USA #2
Mike Dougherty
Maybe you should have told them not to breath the fumes.