Plexiglass gluing options from factory glue to the usual “Moment”

The need for gluing parts from plexiglass can arise from designers, modellers, advertisers, repairmen, lovers of reptiles and fish, and even from the creators of jewelry. But just how to glue Plexiglas outside of factory production so that the seam is really strong and does not spoil the appearance of the product? It doesn’t matter what exactly you are going to tinker with - one of the methods described below will definitely suit you for work!

The main problem when gluing plexiglass

When the gluing result is far from what I would like to see, people in most cases blame the glue on this. Because of this, you can stumble on real verbal skirmishes on Plexiglas forums! But the fact that the glue advised by someone did not suit you last of all indicates that glue - the only 100% identical variable in your cases - is the culprit of failure.

When we talk about the thing that it is “plastic”, in fact, plastic may turn out to be one of hundreds of polymers or their mixtures — we have the same situation with plexiglass. Depending on the composition of this plastic, the same glue will give different results, therefore, unfortunately, there is no escape from the share of risk, experiments and the selection of the ideal glue experimentally.

Important!

What you call Plexiglas may well turn out to be not polymethyl methacrylate, but polypropylene, polystyrene or polycarbonate. Accurate information about the origin of the material will best help in the selection of glue.

How to glue plexiglass: types and brands of the best tools

If you do not have reliable information about the type of polymer, we will select glue for plexiglass with the expectation that it is truly PMMA. In principle, if you have already dealt with gluing plastic, then there will be no intrigue in the question of how to glue plexiglass: the guarantee of the strength of the seam is still in solvents.

A small educational program for those who had not previously dealt with gluing plastics: the most reliable option for gluing polymers is to dissolve the glued edges to a viscous state with solvents and dock them before drying. So the product is essentially monolithic, and the seam holds even when the product begins to crack and break in other places.

How to glue plexiglass so that you are pleased with the result? There are several options.

Factory glue

Of course, the most convenient formulations for working with plexiglass are various types of factory glue. Indeed, why look for something to glue plexiglass, and come up with something, when everything has been invented for us?

• Artifix It is a reaction glue, which at the moment is considered the highest quality and most convenient when working with plexiglass. The seam obtained with its help is strong, transparent and durable, and the toxicity is lower than the toxicity of solvents if there is no dichloroethane in the composition (there are variations without adding it). True, it is better to use this glue for plexiglass if you have a small production: putting out about 6-8 thousand rubles per liter packaging to glue the model is not very profitable. The most commonly used numbers are 116, 117, 106, and 190 - depending on the degree of viscosity that you need.
• Colacril is a slightly more budgetary replacement for the previous glue, but judging by the reviews, Artifix can’t surpass it. The most commonly used numbers are 20 and 30. Different numbers can be mixed to obtain the desired viscosity.
• Cosmofen for acrylic glass - superglue based on cyanoacrylate, it is also called liquid plastic. That is, a monolithic compound will be obtained only if the acrylic glue corresponds to the acrylic from which plexiglass is produced. Most often it is used when working with plastic windows: there it fits perfectly. In other cases, you will still get a rather strong and durable seam, and for not the biggest money. Please note that Cosmofen may require UV curing!

Important!

Many plexiglass craftsmen believe that any cyanoacrylate-based adhesive does not provide the most durable seam, which, moreover, loses its strength even more when it comes into contact with water.

Solvents

You can make your own glue with a completely identical polymer, and this can be done with solvents. Yes, grappling will be a little slower, but the result will be no worse!

• How to make perfect glue at home? Dissolve some of your plexiglass shavings in dichloroethane! Yes, the substance is quite toxic and it’s better to work with it in the fresh air, but the parts will stick together tightly!
• If DCE could not be found, tetrohydrofuran can be searched. Depending on the nuances of the composition, it glues some types of plexiglass even better than the famous dichloroethane.
• In hopeless situations, pieces can be glued together with formic acid, glacial acetic acid, or even ordinary acetic essence. Only not table vinegar, namely concentrate.

In general, it is possible to glue the parts without diluting the chips - if you apply a solvent to both parts, connect them and fix them before drying, the seam will again be monolithic.

Important!

Other solvents, such as acetone or toluene, may work for other polymers, but if you try to dissolve PMMA chips in acetone, nothing good will come of it, since these substances do not interact.

Contact adhesive

And what about the other options? There are many other types of glue, which no, no, yes, they will advise on some resource. Unfortunately, you should not count on a really high-quality seam and gluing them “for centuries”, and that's why.

• Sometimes epoxy resin is recommended for gluing plexiglass, because it really holds the joint well, and even is completely transparent. But it only connects the two parts of plexiglass, not turning them into a monolith.
• Adhesives like “Super Moment” do not change the structure of the material and create a very fragile seam: they can be used only for gluing elements of the product, which practically does not experience stress. In addition, when using them, plexiglass becomes cloudy and the seam becomes very noticeable.
• The usual “Moment” and similar compositions will also not last long: you can only glue them together that you are not going to actively use, and that will be mediocre.

By the way

The adhesive film is only suitable for smooth, smooth surfaces with a fairly large bonding area. That is, for models and an aquarium it is not suitable for sure.

How to glue plexiglass at home

How to glue Plexiglas, we figured out, but how to do it right? If you pick up a good glue or solvent, it remains a small matter.

1. Remove the gloss with a sandpaper and degrease the surface.
2. If you are afraid that the glue will ruin the glass, cover everything except the joint area with tape.
3. Apply solvent to both parts. When the plastic softens, connect them and fix until they set. Leave to dry completely.
4. Or glue the elements with factory glue or a home-made chip-based compound and fix until completely dry.
5. Or connect the parts with a solvent for quick setting, fix them and fill the seam with glue using a syringe.

That, in principle, is all: the products and substances that can help you in this matter, as you see, are not so small, so a little patience - and everything will work out!