Thread: How to make liquid ABS plastic?

when i did mine i used MEK, since i had that lying around and no other good use for it. Acetone also works.

you need to make sure your plastic really is abs. i purchased a sheet of it from a local plastic supply store, 2'x4'x1/8" i used about 1 square foot of this material, maybe a bit more.

the smaller the pieces of abs the better, i cut mine into half inch square chunks. really the ideal size is shavings, but i didnt have the time or tools to achieve that. i put the pieces into a jar, and filled it with some MEK. didnt really measure, i just used quite a bit, about 1/4 of the jar. you can always let it evaporate out later. then i let it sit for a few days, came back and found that most of the plastic had clumped to the bottom. i got a wooden chopstick and mixed it around, and did this about every half hour for an entire day. it finally became a nice, but very runny liquid. i then let alot of the MEK evaporate by leaving the lid off for a while. then closing it and shaking, and stirring and repeat. i should have used less MEK and been more patient, but it was my first time.

i went to walmart and found PE containers for stuff like dressings and condiments. they are clear and have a little cap. i poured my mix in there and then used that to squirt my desired amount in the desired place.

my thick stuff is now even thicker after a month, which for me is good, but just an fyi

i used some of this stuff:

http://www.oatey.com/apps/catalog/sh...&prodgrpid=167



(Found at home depot, it was somewhat hidden, and if you ask you have to ask for abs pipe cement, otherwise you may have a blank stare returned.)

I had a sheet of abs plastic cut to the right dimensions and used this to "glue" it to the existing radio bezel. When I actually get my screen, hopefully the bezel is abs (as most are) then I will use this to glue the bezel to it. Also, my DVD Slim enclosure is abs, and this will be glued with the ABS cement.

This way it's all one chemically bonded piece, so it will expand and contract together and bend and flex as one, rather than two glued pieces.

I didn't even bother with letting existing abs melt in the MEK or acetone, this product has already done this.

The shelf life according to the website is 3 years from date of manufacture.

Be aware that this has MEK in it, which will dissolve the existing ABS. That's how it bonds. So make sure that whatever this is being used on that the faces that will be seen are left alone, unless you want to sand and sand and sand everything later.

Also, the MEK in this has strong fumes, and you will need a mask/breather and really well ventilated work space when using it.

Lastly, not sure if this (or the homemade version) would be suitable for larger pieces, since anytime the ABS is dissolved, it breaks down and sets back up, so this may alter the original physical properties of the ABS. So if it's just being used to fill in some small spots, and such, it's fine, otherwise a piece of ABS sheet is more suitable.

i filled in very large areas with it, and it is as strong as ever. i even did some tests with it and the abs sheet i had failed before the reconstituted abs did.

That's good to know. I think I am going to try and re-do my homelink "pod" with this stuff, and see how it goes. Right now it's made of fiberglass, and works, (except the velcro glue keeps melting off the velcro tabs, and the thing falls down.) but I want to redesign it, and make it slimmer.

I just thought that something that was broken down and built back up may not be as strong as the original. (Maybe this is true after multiple breakdown cycles, but who is ever going to build something, break it down, and re-build it again?) Also, I found it easier to manipulate the sheet of abs for flat areas. For more curvaceous spots, the magic mix would work. Thermoforming is another option for large spots, make a mold, heat abs over mold, allow to cool, done.

anyone else use this oatey brand stuff on larger pieces?