NEED: acrylic bonding advice

  • We are currently upgrading MFK. thanks! -neo
the guy at my plastic shop reinforced my tanks' seams with weld-on 40. it is some serious stuff and gets hot to the touch! when you repair your tank, you should tilt the tank at a 45 degree angle on the seem you are repairing and let gravity do the work
 
I think that the fact that you don't see any mention of 16 being used for "aquariums" on any of the manufacturers literature, yet they specifically state that 40 is for use on aquariums should tell you that you should leave 16 on the shelf and grab the 40.
 
aldiaz33 said:
I think that the fact that you don't see any mention of 16 being used for "aquariums" on any of the manufacturers literature, yet they specifically state that 40 is for use on aquariums should tell you that you should leave 16 on the shelf and grab the 40.
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No one has replied to the annealing question though. Everything I have read is that 40 will make the bond but won't last unless anealed.


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jeffers said:
No one has replied to the annealing question though. Everything I have read is that 40 will make the bond but won't last unless anealed.


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Click to expand...

Regarding the annealing part, I think I've figured it out. Most fabricators will provide only so much information...so many trade secrets out there. So you have to piece together the answers over time and check them against each other. From what Ive found the 2 part stuff is still strong as hell without annealing. And I doubt if those thick massive windows used in public aquariums were ever put into ovens prior to installing. The seams on these tanks are held together by 2 part polymerizable adhesives such as #40,42, PS-30 or the stuff Acrylite makes... and some of the newer types of adhesives are even UV cured (Acrylite). Annealing should be performed if the acrylic was stressed or overheated in any way due to machining. Think of the heat used in annealing as a muscle relaxer for the acrylic to relieve internal stress created by the mechanical process of machining which can compress the material and put it under tension. It is recommended and should be done if you know your material needs it but IMO is not necessary if the acrylic was machined correctly. A good way to tell is to wipe the edge with alcohol prior to bonding, if it crazes then it needs to be re-machined. Or anneal it, then wipe with alcohol if no crazing then it's ready to be bonded. Hope this helps.
 
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