plastic welding, alternative to MEK
Gazz
i installed it about 7 years ago i got a tube of MEK based 'sealant' with
it, i got the tray and that lot from a static caravan suppliers as it's the
size usually used in static vans (cant be doing with the tiny shower
cubicles they put in mainstream motorhomes)
I stupidly decided to store a couple of crates of coke in the shower tray
whilst in germany a few years ago, and of course they moved about as i drove
and smashed the corners of the shower tray to bits.
i used the last bits of the tube of mek stuff to repair, but ripped it all
out and fitted a new tray and wall liner last year.
But i couldent get any of this mek stuff, which apparantly melts the plastic
a bit, and it sets hard so made a great joint, was told to use silicone
instead.
did this and regret it, crappy stuff keeps coming loose due to vibrations
and that of the motorhome when driving along our silky smooth roads (not)
Does anyone know if there is a way to get hold of some of this mek stuff, or
if it is banned as i think i read (it was a tube that went in a sealant gun,
came out like a sealant, but set rock hard in about 20 minutes)
Or should i look at an alternative, maybe plastic welding?? got a hot air
gun, and have seen the adaptor things that allow you to feed in the filler
rods, but no idea how hard or easy they are to use,
the joins are all right angles plastic to plastic, but i have 2 places where
it's plastic to metal of the door, so guess i need a sealant for there.
Tabby
use solvent welding liquid for plastic waste pipes.
NT
Peter Parry
>
>Does anyone know if there is a way to get hold of some of this mek stuff, or
>if it is banned as i think i read (it was a tube that went in a sealant gun,
>came out like a sealant, but set rock hard in about 20 minutes)
You have been repairing this shower tray for 5 years - that's going
some even by normal DIY standards :-)
You can buy Methyl Ethyl Ketone (MEK), a clear colourless liquid quite
easily - eg.
http://www.shinyhardware.co.uk/prods/showprod.asp?pid=23725
It will melt polystyrene so if your tray and panels are made of this
will join them very firmly.
MEK will also dissolve acrylonitrile butadiene styrene ( ABS , the
plastic used in some water pipes). By mixing chips of ABS in MEK (a
slow process) a thick adhesive can be made.
http://www.apachepopups.net/OldSite/howto.htm
has some ideas on the first pages.
Peter Twydell
I thought MEK had been banned. EMA replaced it with this stuff:
http://tinyurl.com/3c2jlob
--
Peter
Ying tong iddle-i po!
PeterC
> I stupidly decided to store a couple of crates of coke in the shower tray
Is that the equivalent of coal in the bath?
--
Peter.
The gods will stay away
whilst religions hold sway
Gazz
"Peter Parry" <pe...@wpp.ltd.uk> wrote in message
news:ddqbp6hvf25k0qju2...@4ax.com...
> On Fri, 1 Apr 2011 14:22:01 +0100, "Gazz" <n...@spam.ta> wrote:
>
>>
>>Does anyone know if there is a way to get hold of some of this mek stuff,
>>or
>>if it is banned as i think i read (it was a tube that went in a sealant
>>gun,
>>came out like a sealant, but set rock hard in about 20 minutes)
>
> You have been repairing this shower tray for 5 years - that's going
> some even by normal DIY standards :-)
i know, actually i fixed it with this mek stuff once, then i decided to 'do
it properly' and got the complete wall enclosure and tray, they come
seperate and are to be joined with that mek stuff, but when i got them, and
asked for a tube, i was told it's been banned, and to use silicone.
> You can buy Methyl Ethyl Ketone (MEK), a clear colourless liquid quite
> easily - eg.
>
> http://www.shinyhardware.co.uk/prods/showprod.asp?pid=23725
>
> It will melt polystyrene so if your tray and panels are made of this
> will join them very firmly.
>
> MEK will also dissolve acrylonitrile butadiene styrene ( ABS , the
> plastic used in some water pipes). By mixing chips of ABS in MEK (a
> slow process) a thick adhesive can be made.
>
> http://www.apachepopups.net/OldSite/howto.htm
> has some ideas on the first pages.
excelent, i'll check those out, the mek stuff on it's own wont do as i need
gap filling, the tube of stuff i had came out like a sealant, then sets like
plastic.
Nick Odell
Available here AFAICT
http://www.theplasticpeople.co.uk/cleaning-fluid-methyl-ethyl-ketone-p-75.html
Nick
Gazz
>>http://tinyurl.com/3c2jlob
>
> Available here AFAICT
>
> http://www.theplasticpeople.co.uk/cleaning-fluid-methyl-ethyl-ketone-p-75.html
aye, i've found supplies of the plain mek fluid, bloke on ebay is selling 5
litres of it for about 15 quid, but then a tenner more for specialist
delivery,
BUT, i need more than just mek, it needs the filler stuff in it, which i
have found out is most likely just ground abs/styrene,
there is something called 'styrene sludge' which has the filler in it, goes
on like sealant from a tube, melts the plastic a bit, evaporates, and the
'sludge' bit solidifies to plastic, just like the 'mek solvent cement' stuff
did, just they use something other than mek nowadays,
but it's about 50 quid for a 310ml tube, prolly just enough to do my shower
tray, and i guess in the end i'll have to go down that route,
Sodding annoying, i've been fannying about with this tray since day one,
before i had the motorhomes body built, i had located a complete tray and
walls, in one single moulded piece, so no leaks, but obviousely it's a fair
bit larger than a motorhomes entry door, hence it'd have to be put in whilst
the body was being built before the roof went on,
i went to buy it, and the twonk selling it used a forklift to get it off the
racking, by poking the tines through the walls of the cubicle,
mind i'd have still broken the tray when i put crates of coke in it,
The Natural Philosopher
>>> I thought MEK had been banned. EMA replaced it with this stuff:
>>> http://tinyurl.com/3c2jlob
>>
>> Available here AFAICT
>>
>> http://www.theplasticpeople.co.uk/cleaning-fluid-methyl-ethyl-ketone-p-75.html
>>
>
> aye, i've found supplies of the plain mek fluid, bloke on ebay is
> selling 5 litres of it for about 15 quid, but then a tenner more for
> specialist delivery,
>
> BUT, i need more than just mek, it needs the filler stuff in it, which i
> have found out is most likely just ground abs/styrene,
>
> there is something called 'styrene sludge' which has the filler in it,
> goes on like sealant from a tube, melts the plastic a bit, evaporates,
> and the 'sludge' bit solidifies to plastic, just like the 'mek solvent
> cement' stuff did, just they use something other than mek nowadays,
> but it's about 50 quid for a 310ml tube, prolly just enough to do my
> shower tray, and i guess in the end i'll have to go down that route,
>
buy a 500ml carton of acetone, and get all the expanded polystyrene you
can muster.
Mix and apply.
Tabby
> >>I thought MEK had been banned. EMA replaced it with this stuff:
> >>http://tinyurl.com/3c2jlob
>
> > Available here AFAICT
>
>
> aye, i've found supplies of the plain mek fluid, bloke on ebay is selling 5
> litres of it for about 15 quid, but then a tenner more for specialist
> delivery,
>
> BUT, i need more than just mek, it needs the filler stuff in it, which i
> have found out is most likely just ground abs/styrene,
>
> there is something called 'styrene sludge' which has the filler in it, goes
> on like sealant from a tube, melts the plastic a bit, evaporates, and the
> 'sludge' bit solidifies to plastic, just like the 'mek solvent cement' stuff
> did, just they use something other than mek nowadays,
> but it's about 50 quid for a 310ml tube, prolly just enough to do my shower
> tray, and i guess in the end i'll have to go down that route,
>
> Sodding annoying, i've been fannying about with this tray since day one,
> before i had the motorhomes body built, i had located a complete tray and
> walls, in one single moulded piece, so no leaks, but obviousely it's a fair
> bit larger than a motorhomes entry door, hence it'd have to be put in whilst
> the body was being built before the roof went on,
> i went to buy it, and the twonk selling it used a forklift to get it off the
> racking, by poking the tines through the walls of the cubicle,
>
> mind i'd have still broken the tray when i put crates of coke in it,
so dissolve some plastic from the kitchen bin in it. Don't use
polystyrene, its not the most durable, better to use ABS.
NT
root
>>>I thought MEK had been banned. EMA replaced it with this stuff:
>>>http://tinyurl.com/3c2jlob
>>
>> Available here AFAICT
>>
>> http://www.theplasticpeople.co.uk/cleaning-fluid-methyl-ethyl-ketone-p-75.html
>
> aye, i've found supplies of the plain mek fluid, bloke on ebay is selling 5
> litres of it for about 15 quid, but then a tenner more for specialist
> delivery,
>
> BUT, i need more than just mek, it needs the filler stuff in it, which i
> have found out is most likely just ground abs/styrene,
The other solvent that's used widely as a plastic glue/cement/weld is
dichloromethane. Again, it's readily and cheaply available on ebay
Tabby
> On Mon, 4 Apr 2011 00:01:23 +0100, Gazz wrote:
> >>>I thought MEK had been banned. EMA replaced it with this stuff:
> >>>http://tinyurl.com/3c2jlob
>
> >> Available here AFAICT
>
>
> > aye, i've found supplies of the plain mek fluid, bloke on ebay is selling 5
> > litres of it for about 15 quid, but then a tenner more for specialist
> > delivery,
>
> > BUT, i need more than just mek, it needs the filler stuff in it, which i
> > have found out is most likely just ground abs/styrene,
>
> The other solvent that's used widely as a plastic glue/cement/weld is
> dichloromethane. Again, it's readily and cheaply available on ebay
One not to mess with there, ventilate properly. What's cellulose
thinners made of?
NT
The Natural Philosopher
> NT