attaching plastic to acrylic

[Europhyllia]

If I want to attach something plastic to acrylic, would I use silicone? Or superglue?
Or does it matter?

(I know I'd use weld on if I wanted to bond acrylic to acrylic but this is a different material)

[hobogato]

superglue will probably be your best bet. silicone does not bond well with acrylic or plastic.

[Europhyllia]

Thanks! Superglue it is :)

[ReefCube]

weldon if you want to do it right

[Europhyllia]

really? I always thought of weldon as something that bonds acrylic to acrylic by somewhat dissolving and melting it together. Will it really work on random plastic? I figured it would have to be acrylic. I have no idea what type of plastic my plastic is

[jroescher]

I think Weldon is MEK (Methyl Ethyl Ketone) or similar. It will bond a lot of different plastics, and ruin some. If you have some it's certainly worth a try. Otherwise I agree superglue would be best. Maybe abrade the acrylic and plastic some for a better bond.

Superglue, or cyanoacrylate is a form of an acrylic resin.

[stoneroller]

I had great success with Loctite extreme repair but I don't think they make it anymore.

[afgun]

Weld-on. Use their application guide at http://www.ipscorp.com/sites/default/files/assemb_selection.html depending on what type of plastic you are trying to attach the acrylic to...

[Europhyllia]

Thanks. After attending the acrylic workshop last Saturday I decided to make snazzy little acrylic tracks and slide my plastic sheet into the track (removable!) ;)

[txav8r]

Pics!! We need pics!!

[Europhyllia]

I still need to buy a TORCH! Pics after... :thumbs_up:

[Europhyllia]

Well... I didn't buy a torch. Or a wood finishing blade... :o
I went strictly for function.

Felt kind of bad for defacing Jack's beautiful sump :(

made a track for my plastic canvas because I am just too lazy to clean cheato parts out of the pump (it was the plastic canvas that I was thinking of glueing straight to the acrylic. the track -while ugly- will be much better though. makes it removable if I want to change stuff up...):
http://www.dominopads.com/acryl2.jpg

and a little rack for the auto feeder so it doesn't fall into the sump (the little legs that came with it just didn't work well for me):
http://www.dominopads.com/acryl1.jpg

[txav8r]

Great job Karin! I told you it was easy to do that stuff. :)

I like the canvas track. You had mentioned that in the early stages of building your sump. Good idea!

[Europhyllia]

It really made me appreciate what a fabulous clean looking job you do, Jack!
Mine looks terrible close up.
Cutting stuff up, glueing it together - I guess that is the easy part. Making it look as beautiful and professional as you do - that's a whole lot harder than you'd think :)

[txav8r]

Well, I think it looks great for your 2nd and 3rd acrylic project. The seams just take a little practice to get them to come out clear. You will have it mastered in no time!

[Europhyllia]

The worst part is the rough cuts.
I only have one more acrylic project planned and didn't want to spend $40 to $50 on a 10" wood finishing blade (80 teeth I believe) for the table saw just for a couple of projects so I cut it all with a regular rip blade (28 teeth I believe).

I had to get more stuff for the seahorse tank at Lowes though and found a plastic blade (180 teeth) for only $12! so for the mangrove suspension system I am hoping for a cleaner look. It will be much more visible than the stuff in the sump so it better turn out pretty.

And I had the two main pieces cut for me by Allied so it shouldn't be too horrible.

[tebstan]

and a little rack for the auto feeder so it doesn't fall into the sump (the little legs that came with it just didn't work well for me):
http://www.dominopads.com/acryl1.jpg

Awesome! My little shelf wasn't attached firmly, and the feeder took a dive. After days of drying out and cleaning tiny plastic clock bits, it is finally working again. I may have to change my shelf to include a rim like yours. And I'll have to attach it more firmly. Are you planning on attaching the shelf permanently?

[Europhyllia]

yes this is actually fishmate #2 for me because the first one did NOT recover from it's under water activities. :(
This one is not permanently attached but I might in the future.