Thread: Glueing Plastic

Originally Posted by Mocky

Hi.

I am trying to glue the white plastic that bread cutting boards are made out of, not sure what it is made out of.
I have tried Construction Adhesive, Sikaflex Pro, Sikaflex Marine, 2 Part Apoxy plus Locktite 406 Instant Adhesive. The Locktite sort of worked but will not stay glued while machining in a lathe.
If anyone has any good ideas please let me know.

Mocky.

Maybe hot glue gun or use heat gun to melt surfaces together?

I have a sneaking suspicion they're made of a plastic that cannot be glued...
- Came across similar plastic in German photographic equipment, (last Century...) where the composition was a deliberate choice to 'discourage' attempts to repair instead of replace...

Thanks Graz I thought I might try friction welding to see if they would stay together. I am trying to make some bearing blocks for a project and cannot use steel.

Yes Superquag I am of the same belief.

Mocky.

High or Low Density Poly Ethelene I believe. Difficult to glue for sure. Here is some info that might help - Polyethylene Adhesives and Glue - What are your choices...

Cheers,

TimJ.

I worked for a company in the UK years ago and got involved with Corona Discharge to treat the surface of plastics so that they could be glued. Corona Discharge is a blue glow around a wire when you put a high voltage through it, the air surrounding the wire starts to break down and ceases to be an insulator. Pass the wire over the surface and the plastic can be glued. What is Surface Treatment?
Might not be possible to replicate this at home so another alternative was flaming. The plastic component was passed through a flame and could then be glued for a period of a few hours.


Colin

Plastic welding would be your best bet. I've used mechanical in combination with JB Weld. But yeah, it's likely PE which to can't be glued - not from the choice available to Jonny public.

melt together with a soldering iron flowing the joining pieces together

Loctite have a primer available that allows many slippery (ungluable) plastics to be superglued. I can't recall the product name off hand tough.

Otherwise, roughen up the surface to give the glue something to bite.