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

Right this is really strange...

I've just dug out a spair dash panel for my car that I had at work (same as the one Im trying to goo up) and it does say its ABS on the back ( <ABS> SAE ABS is the marking) but when I poured acetone over some cuttings it didn't appear to do anything. Some really fine little shaving didn't desolve, yet the ABS pellets (same size as rice) went tacky as soon as acetone contacted them and desolved completely in less than 1hour. I think I will try it anyway and see what happens...

Wish me luck

yes they were pieces and shaving from what I had already cannibalised

wow, I just read this whole thread start to finish & I can't belive that no one has mentioned using heat to melt the abs.... I own a body shop & repair bumpers all the time by welding plastics

I see some bezels here that have taken a week that could be done in an hour

also, while abs is great it also depends on what material your working with..... most of the times it is best to use the same plastic as your working on.... spare bezel or even the part that you trim off are great to insure compatability

there are fancy plastic welders that I use, but really it's nothing more than a variable soldering iron with a flat tip.... I use a cordless butane for quick repairs sometimes... it takes a little practice, the trick is to melt the pieces both & then kinda smear them into each other, works like a charm.... can build up as much as necissary really & with spare dash parts you can create anything you want really.....

there are also air welders..... there kinda like a tiny heat gun tip that welds kinda like a tig welder...... works really nice but a little elaborate for a casual hobbiest

now I'm not saying the method listed here is useless, I think it's pretty cool & I'm glad I saw this, gotta try it sometime really, but this is worthwhile if you need a quantity of pourable material, not to just fill a void or attach plastic. you'd be surprised at the fabrication that can be done with plastic using welding techniques, just thought I'd add this

also, a quick way of filling & smooting your creation is to weld first, then coat with a bumper repair product from auto paint supply store..... it will bond great, flex with the part & be easy enough to use that you can finish a whole bezel start to finish in a matter of a few hours

a good easy source of abs is black plastic garbage pails at like staples or something.... also good as a source for thin sheet depending on the size needed.... for welding just cut strips & weld away.... hope this helps

First off, this is a great thread!!

Have read it start to finish and am now extremely motivated to do my screen now using this idea. As others have said about dealing with the whole bondo/fiberglass thing, I too wasn't looking forward doing it.

I have checked my dash panel and it says PC ABS with either a R or P on the end of the ABS name, can't make out which.. ie ABSR/ABSP

Would this be a mix of PC & ABS?? I'm hoping NO, as that would make it more difficult??

Thanks for any info, I prob going to get a small bottle of acetone tonite after work and try it on a small section....fingers crossed

Mine said something similar on another piece of trim. SAE <PP ABS>...
It seems hard as **** on the surface, but I think it is just coated with something cause if I scratch it/rough it up with some grit paper, it will melt.