# What do you do with scrap acrylic?



## zozo (4 Aug 2016)

For the diy'ers whit this stuff laying around.. I create little things like this with it.

Small rectangular blocks





Drill a hole in the same size as the glass thicknes..


 
Saw the marked pieces out and file the sides straight and to the proper size


 
Make sure it fits the glass


 

Dril another vertical hole (whatever size i need it for)




Take a fine sandpaper and sand it smooth to get the rough saw marks out a bit. Take a small penn model gass torch and flame polish it. (This also brakes the sharp edges)




And finaly i got this.. Little hang on eye candies at the glass edge..




What do i do with it? Hang all sorts of things to it with a very thin strong piece of fishing line or a small screw. Such as a suitable piece of driftwood to create something with emersed plant growth..


 


 

My backlight ledstrip


 

Even my in tank dropchecker got more functionality like this.


 
I saw pictures of people trying to achieve the same with steel wire hooks etc. But i thought, this is just that little bit making it more appealing to watch and makes it also more fun to do and triggers even more new ideas for scaping fun..  

Just to let you know, don't throw your scrap acrylic away, the smallest piece still can be of use..  You just might yet not found it's purpose..


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## Paulus (4 Aug 2016)

i created a simple tube holder for the ferts dosing


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## zozo (4 Aug 2016)

Wonderfull Paulus..  Love this stuff.. Now polish it.. Tooth paste or cupper cleaner works pretty well on the larger flat surfaces.. If you don't want to torch the thing on the sides, you can use a small amount off paint thinner or acetone to drop on it and it'll clear up.. Just make sure it doesn't run over the edge else it will leave runner tracks.


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## imak (4 Aug 2016)

What glue did you use,  the specific one for acrylic?  Does super glue work?


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## zozo (4 Aug 2016)

Are you from the UK or USA? I believe the Weldon4 is available in the UK it's a USA product, that's glue number one for acrylic. That's solvent welding... Anywhere else it's not easily available. There also is acryfix and also brands like bison have glues for acrylic products.. But depending what the goal is paint thinner or acetone does solvent weld it too. For larger surfaces it does relatively ok smaller surfaces like welding a 90° corner with 3mm acrylic it aint a very strong bond. You could also look in the beauty shop and ask for (Dichloromethane) Acrylic nail brush cleaner this also welds acrylic. (Weldon4 contains 80% dichloromethane)..  Superglue never tried, but i guess it does, after all it's superglue.. But it wont probably very strong and not regular recomanded to use for acrylic..


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## imak (5 Aug 2016)

I'll have to search for dichloromethane then.  I'm not from U. S.  nor U. K.  but from Portugal .  
Thanks for the great response.


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## Paulus (5 Aug 2016)

i used a cheap superglue and it's still holding


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## zozo (5 Aug 2016)

imak said:


> I'll have to search for dichloromethane then.  I'm not from U. S.  nor U. K.  but from Portugal .
> Thanks for the great response.



I found it last year via ebay in the beauty industry as acrylic nail brush cleaner.. Very cheap, i just can't find the excact same brand back, so i can not garanty all is the same.
And not all give info about the contents of the bottle.. Anyway the brush cleaner from "Hongnuo" is 100% dichloromethane. Still not ideal to make super strong bonds, i wouldn't make an aquarium with it, but it will do for regular stuff, it's the best acrylic solvent on the market.  The girls ofcourse want super strong nails which don't brake off so easily. And the nails are the excact same stuff Acrylic.

Dichloromethane is also direct available via ebay, i just do not know about portugals regulations regarding (dangerous) chemicals per postage. Usealy this reflects in high shipping costs.. Funny is when it's sold as beauty product it seizes to be a dangerous chemical and shipped around worldwide for free.

Anyway if you find the stuff you need a glass syrigne, a plastic one will be dissolved.. Or a special little dispenser bottle with needle made for that kind of stuff.
http://www.banggood.com/10ml-Metal-...tle-Shisha-E-Cig-Liquid-Dropper-p-967088.html

Good luck..  Or go with the superglue as Paulus did..


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## imak (7 Aug 2016)

Will search on ebay for that brush cleaner.  I'm planing to make a stand for my eheim automatic feeder.  Is the old one,  without the stand.  Thanks for all the tips.


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## zozo (2 Jul 2017)

I guess some run into the same problem with the glass bulg for the sucker cup on the lily pipe.. Another mystery solved.. Attaching the lily pipe outlet without sucker cups..  So it can be rotated in a beter position and still held in place to the tank.




I know screw to long..


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## KipperSarnie (2 Jul 2017)

As Marcel shows, there is no such thing as scrap acrylic!
Super glue is not as clean looking as a solvent weld.
I used to use a syringe & needle for solvent welding place the 2 parts together then run a line of the solvent down the join with the syringe & needle letting capillary action take the solvent into the joint.
Careful use of a hot air gun allows you to make bends & shapes just do not over heat in one place to cause bubbles or burns.


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## zozo (2 Jul 2017)

KipperSarnie said:


> I used to use a syringe & needle for solvent welding place the 2 parts together then run a line of the solvent down the join with the syringe



https://www.banggood.com/10ml-Metal...tle-Shisha-E-Cig-Liquid-Dropper-p-967088.html


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## kadoxu (29 Jul 2017)

I did a test tube rack with a couple of pieces I had left...


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