Using Weld on 4 to 'bond/glue/weld" acrylic. Must SAND or Router edges so you get a 100% smooth bond. ALWAYS USE PRECAUTION WHEN HANDLING THIS CHEMICAL!
as an ex-fabricator, I think you have done a rather good job explaining in such a short time a nice basic instructional so well done, one thing to note is that as acrylic sheets are formed like a dough that you cant guarantee that your polished face your gluing to is 100% flat either. And on a safety note, liquid acrylic welding glues work by liquefying the materials therefore actually welding by mixing two liquid components and the bond is formed as the solvent evaporates . And just realize that alot of acrylic glues are derivatives of chloroform, just industrialized for safe handling. so make sure that your in a ventilated area as it can cause problems.
The drawing in of the fluid is called capillary action. The surface tension between the close surface is lessened for the fluid than forming a droplet in the air
Having worked with various types of acrylics and poly's, I find its easier to fire the end of the plasic untill it becomes transparant and lighty pressing it against a straigt edge piece of metal to cool; perfect angle every time.
hey man, im from mexico i got my own bussiness, im starting :) i tried to glue a box 2 meters large x 1.30 w, i used a syringe to glue my weldon , the problem is that some glue droped in the acrylic .... and i need to clean that because the client wont accept the work like that .... whats the best method to do it ? im going to use NOVUS 1 and try to polish it off , its there another way to do it?
Hello! great video, recently i have been thinking of making a replica Gibson L5 archtop guitar and i wanted to try making it out of arcylic! hopefully after testing and extensive design and testing. i live just outside of Toronto but still in the gta. i will definitely have a look into plastic world, they have every thing i think i will need! thanks for making this video!
To those of you who have cemented acrylic successfully: On the four brand new sheets I will be using, each one has a sort of "lip" on the longest edge. While all sides are perfectly square/straight/gapless, do I need to prepare that one side by softly sanding it down. I can provide pictures incase I'm not making too much sense. Thanks!
It's better to wet sand any plastic if you can or wear a respirator as fine dust is very dangerous. Keep the area clean after with a hepa vac and make sure you air out your work area. Thanks for remembering us ladies and how we like to do this stuff too.
hello i used chloroform for bonding 12 mm acrylic sheet ... bond are superb but now i want to dis-mental bonding .. how can i do ... with help of any chemical or tech ????
I'm trying to glue 2 pieces of acrylic together. The acrylic has been painted w water based paint. I've tried solvent based plastic cement. Work great but takes the paint color off the area that has been glued. I need to keep the color, but have a strong bond ( it will b hanging from the ceiling) Please Help!!!
I don't understanding why there are so many thumbs downs! I found it very informative, telling us what to look out for in the prep, application, and curing. Thanks.
As we say in the NAVY you can tell how much a person knows about something by length of time they can talk about it. Quite knowledgeable however, there is a glue that is kind of syrupy about like model glue available that can help when your edges aren't so smooth 😉
@@krishs9467 Hi, I don't do a lot of this k8nd of work but the I used to make our fish aquarium I can't find. It is quite similar to SCIGRIP 16. I haven't used this one but there are others out there as well. It has been a long time ago but I think the one I used may have been made by Dupont. Just search for acrylic glue by Dupont
Hi, may I ask a question, is it possible to make a acrylic tank that can hold with at least 3.7m3 of water (or let say 2.4 meter length x 1.3 meter width x 1.2 meter height) your answer is very much appreciated.
Very ambitious... for the sanding you can tape a bit of sand paper on the table and sand the edge moving the whole part. If its small like the one youre demonstrating with. And could it be that the glue you are using is Aceton?
I learned an awful lot from your video. It was extremely helpful 2 me as I was looking 4 an alternative 2 CA glue 4 a craft project using colorful pieces of acrylic. Maybe I'm just glue challenged, but I found it a messy pain 2 use. I experimented with acetone and it did work, but I want 2 try the weldon 4. I have a new Freud blade on my miter saw and it seems 2 cut quite nicely. When u use a router, what sort of bit r u using?
Can you test for gaps before bonding by using a needle bottle of water instead of glue? This way you can see if the water solution fills all of the bottom of the acrylic piece. If there are gaps, then resand and test again. I havent tried this testing phase personally. Would this work?
+ScreamHouseGames I suspect this would be a relatively safe way of testing for gaps; keep in mind, though, that water may tend to fill the gaps more readily due to surface tension.
I tried gluing edges with SciGrip 16. It worked ok but some edges arent very strong because the glue didnt make contact ( I guess I didn't use enough). Can I use Weld-on 4 to go back over all the edges and provide reinforcement? Will the 16 and 4 chemically react?
It's solvent, not glue. It softens and merges the material at the molecular level. That's why the process is often referred to as solvent welding. Glue is just that - glue. It sticks to each surface and forms a bond. Solvent evaporates and leaves behind the joined surfaces.
The manufacturer of the acrylic will add a pigment color when they make it. You can buy colored acrylic but it can be spendy. You cannot make clear acrylic white without painted it.
Hello, question if anybody can help me. I got a 600-gallon acrylic aquarium for next to nothing on Craiglist, the acrylic is 1.1/2 and it weights around 1000 lb. The front and top panel are off so I had to cut it in order to assemble it back together. I only cut one side thought. My question is how do you prepare the edge of a sheet of acrylic that weight almost 300 lb?. I'm having difficulties with the router since it does not go all the way through. And moving it around its a nightmare, It can be done but short distances between 3 or 4 people for the front panel alone. I need help in preparing the edges for 1.1/2 inch acrylic. I've been doing it with sandpaper, please let me know.
Anybody have any tips on a leaking seam on a 300 gallon acrylic tank using weld on? I'm in a bad spot here and I don't have a lot of time to drain it and fix it I'd appreciate it
I can second the tip about the router. I cut my panels in wooden jigs with a router and it leaves by far the cleanest edges you can get from a cutting tool. They never need sanding and if you need rounded edges you can skip right to buffing.
There is no Weldon 1 or 2. There was briefly a Weldon 5 years ago, but it no longer exists. Weldon 3 is intended for extruded acrylics and Weldon 4 is good for continuous cast and cast acrylics. 4 can be used instead of 3 on extruded acrylic with slightly longer setup times, but it's best not use 3 on cast acrylic. All of these joints will degrade fairly quickly, so if you intend to make a decent sized aquarium, intend to make one every other year or so as the joints WILL fail.
Probably, if it works the way he says it does. If the two pieces actually fuse together then it is like one solid piece and it will be as strong as the material allows it to be.
Usually I let it evaporate by itself. Otherwise I wipe it off as the needle goes along the edge. Now if you already have those marks you can use a 1200 grid sandpaper and then flame polish it.
when i made my DIY biocube sump, i used plastic surgery, which was more like a super glue, and i ended up with leaks!!! can i still use the weld-on 16?
Jonny Bravo that is correct Jonny thanks. and Juan's Reef Aquariums the concept of bonding 2 acrylic sheets in technical terms is called bonding (weld-on bonding). Using the term glueing is a incorrect term. Like metal welding, 2 pieces of acrylic is "welded"/"bonded" together just like how the metal concept is.
Yes, as i understand the acrylic welding method is really quite similar to metal welding, as the chemical kind of softens or loosens the molecules on each piece, so they really bond together, almost as they where one piece!
Don't depend on 'eyeballing' to determine the quality of your joining surface prep. Learn to make straight cuts, prep with a router where possible, and use feeler gages to check for gaps.
bro...acetone, u can thicken it up a little by dissolving chunks of scrap acrylic in it. if you spring for the glue ive noticed number 4 can handle shittier rougher cuts with a better bond. but considering how much acetone you can get for a few bucks it might not be worth it. cool tip with the pree squeeze on bottle. you do talk a bit more than needed b4 but there is some great info in here. I've also found that my miter saw plus a 26 buck 80 tooth blade from harbor freight produces chip free cuts that bond well with little to no sanding.
+Primo Reef Acrylics . Hoc can I bond strongly 5 walls of acrylics together length 50 meters, height 6 meters, thickness 1 meter. It will be a rectangular shape of 50 m long, 25 m width and 6 m high
+rstevewarmorycom MEK is a rather nasty carcinogen, use something like methylenecholide or dichloromethane, just note that any chemical used should be used in a ventilated area
is it possible to, for instance, take two 8x8x1 pieces of acrylic and adhere them so that it's 8x8x2 and still has the see through attribute clear acrylic is known for? I'm looking to cut channels in once piece and then closing it off
@@penaschmidt no its called he talks too damn much. he needs to shut his mouth and just do what hes doing. this video couldve been 2 minutes long and not have missed a single thing he needed to say
I find that most youtube videos are mostly talk talk talk...however this guy didnt do what others do, that i find highly annoying, which is to cut the video where there is pause in the dialog, and its constant chatter...very exhausting.
Superglue works just fine because it's cyanoacrylate and i've broken a glued piece and it didn't break at the connection. You should see through the superglue connection into the other piece.
+D MatLeo Superglue works and bonds near instantly with great strength indeed, but the problem you have with that method it is or can be rather ugly. This method using WeldOn is perfect for that professional seemless bond. Though of course if no one is going to see your work it won't matter what you really use as long as it does the job for you.
MidnightMarrow It can be made squeaky clean with acetone but it can also wash the bond, so use a little on a cloth piece or cotton swab, don't apply it directly to the bond.
![Eminem - Houdini [Official Music Video]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/22tVWwmTie8/mqdefault.jpg)
as an ex-fabricator, I think you have done a rather good job explaining in such a short time a nice basic instructional so well done, one thing to note is that as acrylic sheets are formed like a dough that you cant guarantee that your polished face your gluing to is 100% flat either. And on a safety note, liquid acrylic welding glues work by liquefying the materials therefore actually welding by mixing two liquid components and the bond is formed as the solvent evaporates . And just realize that alot of acrylic glues are derivatives of chloroform, just industrialized for safe handling. so make sure that your in a ventilated area as it can cause problems.
This is one of the most beneficial videos I've seen regarding this process. Thank you.
Don't use a sponge sanding block. It rounds rather than flattens a butt joint surface. Use a solid block and keep it flat against the edge.
The drawing in of the fluid is called capillary action. The surface tension between the close surface is lessened for the fluid than forming a droplet in the air
Having worked with various types of acrylics and poly's, I find its easier to fire the end of the plasic untill it becomes transparant and lighty pressing it against a straigt edge piece of metal to cool; perfect angle every time.
This video was extremely helpful thank you!
I was wondering if you can use water first to check for gaps?
Wow- you are really helpful!!! I am going to do whatever I can to support you.
what thickness sheet would you use for a sump about the size of a 40 gallon breeder ? always great videos thanks.
Very helpful tutorial! Thank you for this!
hey man, im from mexico i got my own bussiness, im starting :) i tried to glue a box 2 meters large x 1.30 w, i used a syringe to glue my weldon , the problem is that some glue droped in the acrylic .... and i need to clean that because the client wont accept the work like that .... whats the best method to do it ?
im going to use NOVUS 1 and try to polish it off , its there another way to do it?
is this strong enough to withstand the pressure output from 4 subwoofers? Or should I use screws too?
if your in the situation where your sanding the acrylic do you have to worry about over sanding trying to get that smooth edge?
if you are unable to get the weld on is there any jb wel;d or something like it equivalent?
Hello! great video, recently i have been thinking of making a replica Gibson L5 archtop guitar and i wanted to try making it out of arcylic! hopefully after testing and extensive design and testing. i live just outside of Toronto but still in the gta. i will definitely have a look into plastic world, they have every thing i think i will need! thanks for making this video!
How strong is the bond on a 90 degree and 180 degree butt end joints? Does 1/2 inch weld better than any other size like 3/8?
How to disjoint the acrylic sheet which were glued or how to remove the glue?
Thank you great information
Great video, thanks!
Very helpful vid! Thank you.
very good info , thanks for the vid.
To those of you who have cemented acrylic successfully: On the four brand new sheets I will be using, each one has a sort of "lip" on the longest edge. While all sides are perfectly square/straight/gapless, do I need to prepare that one side by softly sanding it down. I can provide pictures incase I'm not making too much sense. Thanks!
How to weld it so it will be a seamless sheet?
It's better to wet sand any plastic if you can or wear a respirator as fine dust is very dangerous. Keep the area clean after with a hepa vac and make sure you air out your work area. Thanks for remembering us ladies and how we like to do this stuff too.
HI, I am in the waterloo Kitchener area, how can I buy the glue from near by or online?
if I "burn" the acrylic with a dot. Is there any way to polish it?? Thanks
Hi is Weldon 4 strong enough for 300-gallon aquarium? using 1-inch-thick acrylic tank will be 96"Lx24"Wx36"H. do i need something stronger ? thanks
Can you use normal glue work for acyrlic to acrylic?
Whats a good place to order Acrylic at the best rates?
hello
i used chloroform for bonding 12 mm acrylic sheet ... bond are superb but now i want to dis-mental bonding .. how can i do ... with help of any chemical or tech ????
What do you use to cut the acrylic?
Are there different types of acrylic out there?
Cant see the wood for the trees. What glue are you using?
I'm trying to glue 2 pieces of acrylic together. The acrylic has been painted w water based paint. I've tried solvent based plastic cement. Work great but takes the paint color off the area that has been glued. I need to keep the color, but have a strong bond ( it will b hanging from the ceiling) Please Help!!!
I don't understanding why there are so many thumbs downs! I found it very informative, telling us what to look out for in the prep, application, and curing. Thanks.
thanks a lot for this :)
As we say in the NAVY you can tell how much a person knows about something by length of time they can talk about it. Quite knowledgeable however, there is a glue that is kind of syrupy about like model glue available that can help when your edges aren't so smooth 😉
Please tell glue name
@@krishs9467 Hi, I don't do a lot of this k8nd of work but the I used to make our fish aquarium I can't find. It is quite similar to SCIGRIP 16. I haven't used this one but there are others out there as well. It has been a long time ago but I think the one I used may have been made by Dupont. Just search for acrylic glue by Dupont
Thank you.....
How to make seamless join of to pieces acrylic to become one uniform piece?
Hi, may I ask a question, is it possible to make a acrylic tank that can hold with at least 3.7m3 of water (or let say 2.4 meter length x 1.3 meter width x 1.2 meter height) your answer is very much appreciated.
Good info
Blish K
Hi could u make a waterproof box using this method and equipment
cool, thanks so much...
Yes, a lot of talking, great, a lot of info too. Good video. Thanks.
I hate using the bottle. Is there any way to apply? Like Spong roller bottle or something?
Very ambitious... for the sanding you can tape a bit of sand paper on the table and sand the edge moving the whole part. If its small like the one youre demonstrating with. And could it be that the glue you are using is Aceton?
What is the name of the closing lineon before you laminate
Could it fill cracks?
So how bad does that Weld-on 4 smell?
I learned an awful lot from your video. It was extremely helpful 2 me as I was looking 4 an alternative 2 CA glue 4 a craft project using colorful pieces of acrylic. Maybe I'm just glue challenged, but I found it a messy pain 2 use. I experimented with acetone and it did work, but I want 2 try the weldon 4. I have a new Freud blade on my miter saw and it seems 2 cut quite nicely. When u use a router, what sort of bit r u using?
good info
Can you test for gaps before bonding by using a needle bottle of water instead of glue? This way you can see if the water solution fills all of the bottom of the acrylic piece. If there are gaps, then resand and test again. I havent tried this testing phase personally. Would this work?
+ScreamHouseGames I suspect this would be a relatively safe way of testing for gaps; keep in mind, though, that water may tend to fill the gaps more readily due to surface tension.
I tried gluing edges with SciGrip 16. It worked ok but some edges arent very strong because the glue didnt make contact ( I guess I didn't use enough). Can I use Weld-on 4 to go back over all the edges and provide reinforcement? Will the 16 and 4 chemically react?
It's solvent, not glue. It softens and merges the material at the molecular level. That's why the process is often referred to as solvent welding.
Glue is just that - glue. It sticks to each surface and forms a bond. Solvent evaporates and leaves behind the joined surfaces.
toxic to inhale? and will it only bont acrylic together what is it goes to palces it should not be or drip oin florr or so ? let it evaporates?
Do you have to clean the applicator between uses and if so what do you use
No cleaning, it evaporates clean.
Do you know where I can find 18"x18" 1"thick acrylic sheets? (online)
how do u make clear acylic white? u know what i mean.. not the frosted look, but where its white. u cna buy it this way but hwo do they make it ?
The manufacturer of the acrylic will add a pigment color when they make it. You can buy colored acrylic but it can be spendy. You cannot make clear acrylic white without painted it.
Hello, question if anybody can help me. I got a 600-gallon acrylic aquarium for next to nothing on Craiglist, the acrylic is 1.1/2 and it weights around 1000 lb. The front and top panel are off so I had to cut it in order to assemble it back together. I only cut one side thought. My question is how do you prepare the edge of a sheet of acrylic that weight almost 300 lb?. I'm having difficulties with the router since it does not go all the way through. And moving it around its a nightmare, It can be done but short distances between 3 or 4 people for the front panel alone. I need help in preparing the edges for 1.1/2 inch acrylic. I've been doing it with sandpaper, please let me know.
well done !
Anybody have any tips on a leaking seam on a 300 gallon acrylic tank using weld on? I'm in a bad spot here and I don't have a lot of time to drain it and fix it I'd appreciate it
I can second the tip about the router. I cut my panels in wooden jigs with a router and it leaves by far the cleanest edges you can get from a cutting tool. They never need sanding and if you need rounded edges you can skip right to buffing.
What kind of bit r u using on ur router?
There is no Weldon 1 or 2. There was briefly a Weldon 5 years ago, but it no longer exists. Weldon 3 is intended for extruded acrylics and Weldon 4 is good for continuous cast and cast acrylics. 4 can be used instead of 3 on extruded acrylic with slightly longer setup times, but it's best not use 3 on cast acrylic. All of these joints will degrade fairly quickly, so if you intend to make a decent sized aquarium, intend to make one every other year or so as the joints WILL fail.
i wanna see how you cut and use the router too..
If it is a tube, can it handle 150 PSI pressure after glue it together?
Probably, if it works the way he says it does. If the two pieces actually fuse together then it is like one solid piece and it will be as strong as the material allows it to be.
If the adhesive drips or gets on somewhere you don't want and reacts to the plexi how can you clean it up?
Usually I let it evaporate by itself. Otherwise I wipe it off as the needle goes along the edge. Now if you already have those marks you can use a 1200 grid sandpaper and then flame polish it.
+Primo Reef Acrylics flame polish ? i got hydrogen + oxigen ... but thats risky my man , whats ur tecnique ? :)
Don't touch it, let it evaporate and polish remaining shadow out.
Common Nail Polish Remover is the cheapest and strongest glue to join Acrylic sheets. But it must be Acetone based.
Roger that, thanks
Wow.
what happens if you get an accidental spill or a drop on the acrylic and how to clean it?
Dissolve and evaporate to bond. Acetone should work.
when i made my DIY biocube sump, i used plastic surgery, which was more like a super glue, and i ended up with leaks!!! can i still use the weld-on 16?
Oh you've caught me! I've never used superglue with acrylic (Plastics). The only and main method is using Weld-On 3, 4, 16 or 40
Hmmm...label is misleading!
Juan's Reef Aquariums
Why? He did not write "Glue acrylic", he said "weld acrylic". How is that misleading??
Jonny Bravo that is correct Jonny thanks. and Juan's Reef Aquariums the concept of bonding 2 acrylic sheets in technical terms is called bonding (weld-on bonding). Using the term glueing is a incorrect term. Like metal welding, 2 pieces of acrylic is "welded"/"bonded" together just like how the metal concept is.
Yes, as i understand the acrylic welding method is really quite similar to metal welding, as the chemical kind of softens or loosens the molecules on each piece, so they really bond together, almost as they where one piece!
Don't depend on 'eyeballing' to determine the quality of your joining surface prep. Learn to make straight cuts, prep with a router where possible, and use feeler gages to check for gaps.
How do u undo it if you mess up and it has set
You only have about one minute to make adjustments. Once it is set, no going back.
bro...acetone, u can thicken it up a little by dissolving chunks of scrap acrylic in it. if you spring for the glue ive noticed number 4 can handle shittier rougher cuts with a better bond. but considering how much acetone you can get for a few bucks it might not be worth it. cool tip with the pree squeeze on bottle. you do talk a bit more than needed b4 but there is some great info in here. I've also found that my miter saw plus a 26 buck 80 tooth blade from harbor freight produces chip free cuts that bond well with little to no sanding.
Didn’t even go over the actual bond. What is the difference in the 1,2,3,4 and it’s uses, applications?
1200 grit sand paper on acrylic with do jack for you. only need to take it down to 120
what is the liquid name
what acrylic thickness do you use
In this video it's 3/8" acrylic. However for all my builds I use 1/4", 3/8", 1/2", 3/4", 1", 1.5" and 3" thick.
Thanks. I'm a big fan of your work. Nice products.
*****
What can I use to bond acrylic to PVC???
+Primo Reef Acrylics . Hoc can I bond strongly 5 walls of acrylics together length 50 meters, height 6 meters, thickness 1 meter. It will be a rectangular shape of 50 m long, 25 m width and 6 m high
The watery substance is chlorophome and you can buy from any chemical store
Solution name and price.
omg.... just get on with the welding.... took 12mins just to glue that damn thing...
the story of my life 🤪
MEK, methyl ethyl ketone works fine, dissolves the two surfaces together. That's how they make acrylic aquariums.
rstevewarmorycom MEK is highly carcinogenic. I f you use it wear gloves and a respirator. The little masks aren't good enough.
+rstevewarmorycom MEK is a rather nasty carcinogen, use something like methylenecholide or dichloromethane, just note that any chemical used should be used in a ventilated area
so much talking in so much time yet conveyed so little!
There IS information here. Esp about the 12 to 24 hrs time and clear cut edges.
More like screaming :P
All the acrylic sizes...that you sometimes get 🤦
Please tell chemical name
chloroform
Anyone here know what whaled acrylic means?
you needed 2 min for this video
is it possible to, for instance, take two 8x8x1 pieces of acrylic and adhere them so that it's 8x8x2 and still has the see through attribute clear acrylic is known for? I'm looking to cut channels in once piece and then closing it off
No, you can't.
i bet it's possible, but you would need a VERY smooth coat of the welder and somehow take all the air bubbles out
How strong is that bonding? will it be water proof ?
If done properly it will not break at the weld but around it.
nail polish remover ,acetone
+Johnnie Blevins Is it used to remove the stains of dropped adhesive...?
You spind very.... interesting lol
never push....always pull the needle during the application.
Why is he yelling at me :(
Good info though :)
You want a soled ridged sanding surface. Lolol your rounding your edges
Still waiting for my order request. 2014
dichloromethane organic solvent
You still around?
no lol
You talk too much
that´s prejudice
Indians..
@@penaschmidt no its called he talks too damn much. he needs to shut his mouth and just do what hes doing. this video couldve been 2 minutes long and not have missed a single thing he needed to say
I find that most youtube videos are mostly talk talk talk...however this guy didnt do what others do, that i find highly annoying, which is to cut the video where there is pause in the dialog, and its constant chatter...very exhausting.
watching your video because an AIO aquarium came with absolutely stupid filter chambers that nothing fits into....
Superglue works just fine because it's cyanoacrylate and i've broken a glued piece and it didn't break at the connection. You should see through the superglue connection into the other piece.
+D MatLeo Superglue works and bonds near instantly with great strength indeed, but the problem you have with that method it is or can be rather ugly. This method using WeldOn is perfect for that professional seemless bond. Though of course if no one is going to see your work it won't matter what you really use as long as it does the job for you.
MidnightMarrow
It can be made squeaky clean with acetone but it can also wash the bond, so use a little on a cloth piece or cotton swab, don't apply it directly to the bond.