Good ways to bond acrylic to copper and acrylic to acrylic?

[SpasticTeapot]

I'm woring on some custom enclosures for homemade amplifiers, and I was wondering if anyone knew an easy way of fusing acrylic to both itself and/or copper without simply using a bunch of epoxy.

 

[magnuspah]

acrylic to acrylic I would use crazy glue. It will essentially melt the two sides together and will be impossible to take apart. May also work with acrylic to cooper. I know that with acrylic and aluminum, crazy glue bonded those two together very well.

 

[Qtip42]

acrylic to acrylic I would use crazy glue. It will essentially melt the two sides together and will be impossible to take apart. May also work with acrylic to cooper. I know that with acrylic and aluminum, crazy glue bonded those two together very well.

acrylic to acrylic = acrylic cement. Crazy glue is not specifically for acrylic.

As far as the copper is concerned, it might fare well but it depends on the strength he's looking for.

 

[Diablo2K]

I think for the Acrylic to Copper a 2 part epoxy would be best. I would stear clear of Crazy Glue as it will look like crap and the strenght will be quistionable. Crazy Glue is really brittle and will weaken the acrylic as well.
i knowits scary the first time someone uses Epoxy, but just get the working time for your project and take your time. Not sure what your doing exactly but my guess would be 15 minute epoxy should be fine for most projects. get some popsicle sticks and some small mixing bowls at the hobby store and its really easy, get some extra and experimint on some scrap before working on the final project.

 

[jreffy]

acrylic to acrylic = use Weld-on #4. I can't say enough of how amazing this works, and it's incredibly fast and simple. It actually breaks down the acrylic and let's the two pieces sort of "melt" into each other to form the bond. Pretty much appropriately named "weld-on" because it resembles welding but for plastics. It also results in a clear bond, not clouded or white like a regular glue would give you.


acrylic to copper = you might be better off using a regular type of adhesive. However, my intitial thought is that you're still not going to get a great bond, but it depends on what you're doing with it. If it needs to be a heavy-duty/support piece, I would look into fastening it together with bolts/screws before relying on an adhesive. Some testing of the bond you get with adhesive is probably the best first step.

 

[digital_exhaust]

Here's a simple recipie for do it yourself acrylic glue.....

Grab a couple acrylic scraps, smash them into little bits, and put them in a glass jar. Next, add acetone in an amount equal to the scrap acrylic, and cover the jar with a rag. Let it sit for a few houre, stirring occasionally with a screwdriver, and presto! Homemade acrylic glue that works awesome, leaves a clear and strong bond, and best of all, it's basically free...



Um, you should probably do this outside or in the garage...

 

[SpasticTeapot]

acrylic to acrylic = use Weld-on #4. I can't say enough of how amazing this works, and it's incredibly fast and simple. It actually breaks down the acrylic and let's the two pieces sort of "melt" into each other to form the bond. Pretty much appropriately named "weld-on" because it resembles welding but for plastics. It also results in a clear bond, not clouded or white like a regular glue would give you.


acrylic to copper = you might be better off using a regular type of adhesive. However, my intitial thought is that you're still not going to get a great bond, but it depends on what you're doing with it. If it needs to be a heavy-duty/support piece, I would look into fastening it together with bolts/screws before relying on an adhesive. Some testing of the bond you get with adhesive is probably the best first step.

Where can I find Weld-On?

It sounds handy.

The acrylic/acrylic joints need not be pretty; the ones I am concerned with are acrylic/aluminum. Would JB-weld do the trick?

 

[Qtip42]

Where can I find Weld-On?

It sounds handy.

The acrylic/acrylic joints need not be pretty; the ones I am concerned with are acrylic/aluminum. Would JB-weld do the trick?

Weld-on is acrylic cement. If you have a tap plastics in your area, buy it there.......otherwise here's a google link: http://www.rplastics.com/weldon4.html

If you are not concerned with looks, tap a hole and use screws or nut/bolts.

 

[infin@]

cant go wrong with a little clear silicon from any home depot nice and cheap, however not the strongest option. Although if you mess up, a little goo gone + 5 minutes and the pieces come apart like cake, plus its easy to clean up spillage after.

 

[uzor]

Where can I find Weld-On?

It sounds handy.

The acrylic/acrylic joints need not be pretty; the ones I am concerned with are acrylic/aluminum. Would JB-weld do the trick?

In my experience, JB-Weld will stick any two things together permanently if applied properly. It should work in your application just fine, since I've read many a heater-core-turned-wc-rad tutorial/article that use it as their "cold weld" agent for ppl that don't want to get their torch and sweat the copper pipes.