Oldguy
Member
Dichloromethane ebay 1 to 5 litres from 'pure' to paint stripper grades, but I am in the UK. Sod it just found a similar post on page 1. Note to self read threads from the beginning😡.
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Building Acrylic Tank
- Thread starter dphood81
- Start date
Dichloromethane ebay 1 to 5 litres from 'pure' to paint stripper grades, but I am in the UK. Sod it just found a similar post on page 1. Note to self read threads from the beginning😡.
These do not contain dichloromethane, but if you dig around enough you will find they contain n n-dimethyl-p-toluidine and ethyl methacrylate. The reason for this is the safety issues of dichloromethane in enclosed spaces, eg nail bars !!! so an alternative safer non chlorinated solvent is used and by using a slower evaporating solvent and a longer chain polymerised methacrylate (ie ethyl not methyl) you have a product with a longer "opening time" before it hardens. You will find, if you paint methyl methacrylate and dichloromethane as nail art (tried it on a piece of wood, Tensol 12) it does not dry shiny but a matt & bubbly finish and it dries on the brush rather too quickly before you have been able to paint very far.
Oldguy
Member
Only ever used this as a paint stripper. (Once worked for a company that made paint strippers for the car industry & made then by the ton). Used chloroform as a cement either neat with a needle for models or thickened with perspex off cuts to give it 'body'.
Very little experience with nail bars other than they use UV to cure some their resins. How do ladies with long nails manage to do anything?
Following this thread with interest as I will be making a transparent raised top for a project with growing emersed plants and hope to be using perspex from oddments in the garage if only to say 'they were worth keeping and I knew they would come in handy'.
zozo
Member
Most of them probably do not. But likely will do weld acrylic. In the old school days, acrylic tanks were built/cemented with Chloroform from the pharmacy. And it worked, in the private sector, there was nothing else available that did better back then.
I can only quote my local plastic supplier i went to ask information and advice. They stated that only solvent welding by far is no longer the best nor strongest bond for acrylic and they no longer use it. As said above they use an UVA glue for bonding PMMA, seems to also fill gaps with crystal clear end result if done correctly. It's a far safer bond that also seals. It's a resin type glue that likely also contains a part solvents. They offered me to build me an aquarium, but after hearing the price i backed off. €250 on top of the material cost. 😕
Nowadays MEK (methylethylketone) based strippers are used. This also seems to weld acrylic. I did read articles about it that people used this to build tanks, even paint thinner is successfully used for it. But it's internet, we read a lot out there.
Theoretically, Dichloromethane based still is allegedly the best solvent for it. I guess that's a reason for lots of people to stick with that with a better safe than sorry idea. But there seem to be a lot of stuff out there that do a similar and also sufficient job.
They do weld, but if it is the wrong type of acrylic (extruded that has not been annealed) or has laser cut edges (and not annealed) or flame polished edges, MEK and acetone cause crazing due to release of stress, where as dichloromethane (and trichloromethane) tends to be more forgiving.
Oldguy
Member
Tried UVA glue, but was very disappointed. My dentist uses some wonderful resin which is UVA cured. Assume if it is dental, one would have to remortgage the house to buy a pot. Sets a nice white colour, thinking of replacing all of my teeth with it. Lol.😀
A strong easy to use gap filling clear setting glue/resin bonding agent for perspex and/or poly-carbonate sounds to good to be true. If it does exist could some one out there let me know.
zozo
Member
https://www.bestklebstoffe.de/en/produkte/pl-5373-plexiglaskleber/
Seems also to be solvent-free.
There a quite a lot different brands out there.
But as said, i'm only quoting a professional who told me. I''m sceptical as well.
Oldguy
Member
Thank you Marcel. I have emailed the company. Now I must do the jobs I have to do so that I cant start on the jobs I want to do.
dean
Member
Omg the product may be good but it isn’t cheap 
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zozo
Member
Since i also experienced that Dichloromethane products are about unavailable for private sale in My country as well in Germany. I searched at Google Germany. Found a webshop, selling plastics (pmma) cut to size and likely preped and the glue and present a complete tutorial on how to build an Acrylic tank.
https://kunststoffplattenonline.de/acrylglas-plexiglas-aquarium-selber-bauen/
They advise using Acrifix® 192
https://kunststoffplattenonline.de/product/acrifix-192-acrylglaskleber/
All tho if all is done correctly the aquarium should be super strong and waterproof. Still, the advice is its best to apply also additional Ottoseal S 72 PMMA sealant in the corners.
https://kunststoffplattenonline.de/acrylglas-plexiglas-aquarium-selber-bauen/
They advise using Acrifix® 192
https://kunststoffplattenonline.de/product/acrifix-192-acrylglaskleber/
All tho if all is done correctly the aquarium should be super strong and waterproof. Still, the advice is its best to apply also additional Ottoseal S 72 PMMA sealant in the corners.
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Paulwilsonwhite
Seedling
Hi there Midlands plastics cut aquarium grade acrylics any size or shape.