# acrylic plastic adhesive



## ship (Dec 2, 2004)

I’m looking for either of two products I have forgotten the names to and those of you still in school might still be using. First was a plastic to plastic adhesive we used in junior high school during plastics class. Used to be in a clear bottle with a eye drop dripper applicator. What’s the name or type of adhesive that is clear like water but perminantly bonds acrylic plastic together?

The second product is sort of the same thing but more of a lens cleaner to safety goggles. Melts the surface slightly in removing scratches in the plastic.

Reason I’m looking for this is for the acrylic plastic lenses on strobe lights which are always getting scratched up. I’m getting tired of replacing them and nothing seems to clean them sufficiently much less remove the scratches. I’m thinking some form of melting the surface will make them clear again.

Any ideas on the above products or others beyond super glue which is just slightly still too thick? I would rather not start using a blow torch on them in removing the scratches.


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## Mayhem (Dec 2, 2004)

I know that chloroform will bond plastic together. We use to use it in industrial workshop / plastics class.

I still have a bottle floating around somewhere but I can't recall when or on what I last used it.

I have some scrap clear plastic that I might try the scratch removal application on.


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## Peter (Dec 2, 2004)

Sorry, I can ask my Chem teacher tomorow, but our school most certainly doesnt have anything close to a "plastics class"!!! What kind of school did you go to? We basicly have reading writing and math! (ya, I didnt want to spell the real last word of the rhyme!  )


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## ship (Dec 3, 2004)

Plastics class was about a two month course in junior high school along with wood shop, drafting and other courses.

Later in high school we had more drafting and wood shop but plastics construction was replaced with auto shop or something similar along with some course on printing in qualifying me to work in a old fashioned news paper place and typeset the print page as long as I don't pie my ... forget what the letters were called. Guess I'm not qualified any longer. Even learned silk screening.

Normal high school, ok, perhaps one of the top ten in the state later for drafting but still nothing special. Back than, computers were just coming to market and optional for students to take their time with in a single class which I avoided, and budgets were larger thus schools I guess had more money to spend on things like plastics class or something. 

Still hoping someone out there has had this class and can pull up from notes what that chemical was in the eye dropper. This was about 1980 thus I don't even think super glue was on the market yet. Perhaps but not what we were using.

We learned heating, casting and vaucueforming type things - stuff a good theater program will hopefully teach you. Just the lamination of one plastic to another that we were doing that my own college level plastics and metals for the theater class did not cover that I need to remember in fixing these lenses.


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## Mayhem (Dec 9, 2004)

Ok - I can confirm that cloroform will bond plastics but after trying it to remove scratches I couldn't acheive an acceptable result.

Toothpaste and a buffing wheel does remove scratches but I have not used this method since high school.


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## Peter (Dec 9, 2004)

Ya, sorry about not replying sooner, but my Chem teacher had no idea what it might be. :-(


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## bdesmond (Dec 10, 2004)

I forwarded this on to someone here, a chemistry teacher in fact who tells me it was likely an organic solution, and recommended starting with various alcohols.


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## avkid (Dec 10, 2004)

would this do the same thing?
http://www.scratchpolish.com/


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## thelightguy (Jan 2, 2005)

Hey Peter, I aggree, it would be great to have a plastics class. Then again, I am in middle school.:-(

Any how, I dont actually know about anything exsept-you may have seen the commercials for Krylon Fussion Spraypaint for plastic. I Think They have a spray adhesive, while that might not serve your purpose- just use a drop of gorrilla glue 

If that doesn't work, then metioning like avkid said, just grab a maglite, streamlight (you have to have one), a leatherman squirt, and a crecent wrench, and I promice, you will be OK.
Still looking for a light acid to clean your lenses, though.


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## ship (Jan 2, 2005)

avkid said:


> would this do the same thing?
> http://www.scratchpolish.com/



Don't know, I'll have to try it. Not to mention something I keep forgetting is that I have TAP and another plastic materials supplier catalogs at work that might be wise for me to have a look at.


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## ship (Jan 2, 2005)

thelightguy said:


> Hey Peter, I aggree, it would be great to have a plastics class. Then again, I am in middle school.:-(
> 
> 
> Middle school back in what... 1981 was when I last had plastics class. I now back in the scene shop we used to make the edges of plastic clear again after cutting and sanding by hitting them with a blow torch, but this would not remove fog goo built into the surface well.
> ...


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## ship (Jan 2, 2005)

thelightguy said:


> Hey Peter, I aggree, it would be great to have a plastics class. Then again, I am in middle school.:-(
> 
> > Middle school back in what... 1981 was when I last had plastics class. I now back in the scene shop we used to make the edges of plastic clear again after cutting and sanding by hitting them with a blow torch, but this would not remove fog goo built into the surface well.
> >
> ...


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## thelightguy (Jan 3, 2005)

Well, Ship, we do have _technology_ class for a 1/4 of the year (nine weeks). I think now, that when you had that plastics class was 23 years ago, school systems actually thought before they bought something. Any how, back to the subject...

I checked Krylon's Website, and their wasn't anything like a fussion adheisive, sorry- I must have heard things. But, I do start Technology class next week, so I will ask and see if Mr. Morgan has any suggestions. Meanwhile, Google and I will be seaching the web together for more information.

Sorry


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## ship (Jan 3, 2005)

Slipped a order on plastic cleaning/scratch removing stuff past my boss today in a McMaster Carr order. First I will try the McMaser stuff as it's easier to get, than if it does not work between the website and the similar stuff I found today from TAP, I'm sure I will have something going. Thanks for the info.

No slouch on the schools you have, I'm just seeing far too many part time (had a class in acting) type run programs in reading these forums in thinking it's a shame really in some ways all of you can't have what I had. Than of course, back .... 23 years ago (thank you,) the computer was something schools did not really have yet thus a new class to take the place of the others I'm sure to some extent. Have not seen a surface planer since froshmen year in high school, yet I still remember having at one point having used one and it's usefulness in some situations. That's the point.

Still my intent is simple. First Divesitronics 3000 strobe lights get scratched up too easily in the lens thus either live with the scratches and discoloring or get replaced at a high cost. Second the lenses on safety glasses around the shop get also scratched up and third the guards on various grinder shields either have to get replaced or cleaned at times. All of this for my interest is in finding what I once saw 23 years ago in now feeling old, but was simple in solving the problem.

Thanks for checking however.


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## avkid (Jan 3, 2005)

"you are only as old as you choose to be"-Phil


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