Thread: Solvent adhesives... why don't more people use them?

my friend, also on here, Bellerophon- is suggesting that i use styrene. he used it on his Magnum install. How sturdy is the styrene and how durable/bendable? I need it to support a lil bit of weight.

also. would it be a good idea to use the ABS glue for the structural seems, and bondo/fiberglass for the final layers to get it to look perfect? or is that a bad idea?

Originally Posted by PJx5x

my friend, also on here, Bellerophon- is suggesting that i use styrene. he used it on his Magnum install. How sturdy is the styrene and how durable/bendable? I need it to support a lil bit of weight.

also. would it be a good idea to use the ABS glue for the structural seems, and bondo/fiberglass for the final layers to get it to look perfect? or is that a bad idea?

On the first question, my sample form the hobby shop is pretty sturdy. I bought .080", but there's thicker stuff available. I can't recall how much higher it goes. It feels slightly more flexible than the ABS parts I've handled, but I think that has more to do with it being in sheet form and the parts having shape that makes them stronger. I could be wrong though.

Originally Posted by yonu

I though i would interject in to this thread abit here if you are going to use ABS materials and need to bond them together or to other plastics the best do it yourself adhesive and filler is Methelethel Keytone(MEK) and ABS pellets/shavings it forms a nice paste like subtance that fuses the to materials together and is virtualy indestructable even on high tention items we just the same substance to repair the ABS Panels on our 25yr old apache popup it even works on nylon panels in cars it can be used like a glue or used to rebuild msing places and it sands out and accepts paint very well once it has hardened

My dash is made up of three different plastics, PP, ABS, and something else... Can't remember off-hand. I'm thinking that because of the different types of plastics, I'd use the MEK instead of Acetone. In CoachReed's original thread he mentioned "(MEK works too)". Is one better than the other?

Glad to see this thread is back alive, a couple weeks ago, I decided to follow coachreed's original instructions, and they worked awesome! I documented my ABS glue making process for others to get an idea of how to make it with visuals.

First off, I needed some supplies, I went to home depot and bought a gallon of acetone (way more than I needed for my screen molding, i recommend getting the smaller jug), and some abs cement (used it later for thinner areas to fill in). Earlier, I stopped by Target, and they had condiment bottles in the $1 section, for two bottles (ketchup and mustard). From lots of plumming my dad had donem there was extra ABS pipe laying around (says it on the side of the pipe for those who aren't sure).

My first issue was HOW do I make the shavings? I thought about using a router, or a drill, or (gulp) a hand sander, LOL. Turns out dad had a table-top planner at home, which worked PERFECT!

Pic of the pipe laying in the planner

This was pretty easy, works best with two people, one to run the pipe through the planner, and one to "catch" the flying shavings. Took a couple minutes to get enough to fill the bottle.

Closeup of the pipe after going through the planner

I would catch the shavings, and put them into a plastic box with a lid to keep them from flying off: closeup picture of shavings


Picture of the supplies used to make the glue, I found that a funnel worked for pouring the acetone into the bottle. Also, found that it was easier to use one bottle for the glue, and pour acetone directly into the other bottle, so I could regulate the amount I poured in easier (since the gallon seemed to spill more than I wanted sometimes).

I still had my doubts about all this working, but I went along with it. I added the shavings into the bottle, poured some acetone ontop, and shook it up.


Little hard to see, but its gooey black ABS glue, yay!!!!

I made more shavings, and added more acetone to make more of it. Was a nice consistency, so I was happy.



My center console hacked up after using a dremel so it would fit the Xenarc housing.


Test fitting of the housing, the room on the sides is okay, since it will all be filled in.

(continued in next post)

Tape dam to stop the glue from oozing out when pouring it in. I taped the front, and poured from the back. Don't forget to sand both surfaces to the bare ABS, because as I found, the Xenarc housing is actually a grey/white color, not black as shown, its just painted.


Closeup of the glue dried, just after one application, it was a solid piece that I could flex back and fourth about 10-15 degrees without any breaking.


Overall shot of the center console back.



Now for the finer areas, I used store bought Oatey's ABS Cement. I went to my local grocey store pharmacey, and got a free syringe to suck up the glue, and apply it to the areas i wanted. Also neater, and less mess. It was a thin mixture, and leaked through any holes, not a problem, because it begins to dry pretty quick, and the leaking stops soon after. Due to the thickness of the applications, it usually needed 1-2 days to harden before I added more.


After one application of the ABS Cement, i put tape over the buttons so I wouldn't get glue in there.

After it dried, it would shrink a little in size, and needed about 4-5 applications before I was satisfied.


Another shot of the back of the screen, fully glued to the console, yay!

After 4-5 more coats, it was time to sand!


Just beautiful, one complete piece, and again, you can flex it with our hands back and fourth, and no cracking or breaking.


Closeup of the two areas (where console meets screen bezel) after sanding, can't tell they were two very seperate pieces when I started. Thats like my favorite picture of the whole project, LOL.


Adding spot putty for some low spots.


And the primer


That is my project so far in the last couple weeks, right now I'm concentrating on getting the little pieces of the carputer together (its the small details that kick your ***, building the computer, getting the main components and all that is the easy part, its the specific cables and requirements thats a pain. I hope my write-up with pictures helps out someone else just as coachreed's post helped me with a new way to mold the screen and console (I orinally was going to use fiberglass and bondo, glad I tried something different).

Originally Posted by Tuned Vitesse

Looking good so far Sham

So how long did all that take?

Thanks Tuned Vitesse!

Took about a week from start to finish, but lots of time was spent waiting for the abs cement to dry, or the spray paint.