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I know this list exist online somewhere. Wasn't sure if on dakka, the waaagh, or what but someone has.

More or less looking for the materials superglue will bond to well like plasticard to work in conjunction with plasticard.

What the stamps on those materials would read etc.

I was under impression not all plastics could be easily bonded together and that's why I was looking for what would work well with plasticard/superglue

(specifically things like bottles, packaging, etc.)


Any help finding this list or the information therein would be greatly appreciated. Thanks

well start with anything that has a recycle number of 6 ..that is poly styrene or the same thing most plasticard is made from so most plastic or model glues work well with it ..

For Sale Signs etc from the box stores ( the thin plastic ones) are a cheaper alternative and are also the same material ..

Almost all plastics are recyclable to some extent.

I know you scoffed at PVC but it is readily available and easy to glue with both solvents and adhesives like superglue. It is durable, and cellular PVC weighs about half styrene of the same thickness. Lots of modelers use it for large models. PVC should be 3.

Styrene in its various flavors is also recyclable and easy to use. Oriented styrene gives you clear options, but it tends to be brittle and harder to work with. It is generally softer than PVC though, so large spans can be more complicated without some form of bracing. Even going thicker with HIPS generally results in weight that exceeds the strength.

For lighter/thicker styrene you have the foams like extruded insulation boards. You can get it in thicknesses from about 1/8 inch all the way up to 6" or so. The thinner material is used by ultralight R/C airplane modelers a lot. Styrenes should be 6.

Polyethylene (think they refer to it as polythene in Europe...) is one of the few common plastics that is a pain to work with. The polymer chain is slippery and tight which is great for plumbing and packaging...but makes it resist most glues and solvents (and paints for that matter). PE plastics should be 1, 2 and 4.

Polypropylene is another one which will resist most attempts to glue it, and a large majority of solvents too. It is pretty rare in sheet form, but common packagin and also has replaced nylon for a lot of ropes and what not. I think that it should be code 7.

Acrylic/polycarbonate can glue readily if you scuff the surface but you can also use a solvent cement. You can get it readily in sheet and shapes of various sizes and thicknesses. Acrylic should be code 5.

Those should be the big ones which are recycled on a regular basis. For gluing with superglue - styrene, acrylic and PVC are the best suited...they also happen to be best suited for solvent cements as well though too.

You may come across ABS and various acetates too...though they dont have plastic recycling codes that I can remember.

Yea I personally wasted a huge amount of time on trying to get HDPE (2) to work with plasticard as I have tons of it from coffee cans and milk jugs ..(it also does not like paint) so save the heart ache and drop those in the blue bin

@ morfydd I was thinking 6 was the ticket but was unsure. THanks. I didn't want to get a bunch of HDPE (2) like you're talking about.

@ Sean, I didn't mean to come off like i was scoffing at the idea of PVC. Just from working with it in the past I dislike the material unless i HAVE to use it. It's been a while since I have done anything with it, but from my recollection it was quite the hard material compared to plasticard which seems softer. Thanks alot for all the info. I recently got surprised with a reprap 3d printer that I haven't had the bravery to assemble and get going, and believe it prints in ABS

Look for foamed/cellular PVC - it is actually quite nice to work with. I can cut sheets that are 1/4" thick by scoring and snapping them - and it gives a nice amount of bulk for things like barricades and building walls.

The structure is a bit like foam core (two solid skins with a lightweight center - but it is all extruded from a uniform PVC material which gives you edges that...while porous can be primed safely with aerosol paints.

You can heat form it as well - though because of the cellular nature...that can be interesting to say the least.

See if you can find a sample of it from a plastic supplier (or sign printer as it is popular as a base for them) and play with it a bit. Most people who try it love it.

I have a buddy who owns a sign shop, I will be asking him about some of this. Thanks Sean.




Automatically Appended Next Post:
@ sean. buddy hollared back at me and thinks what I'm looking for is called coroplast. Ribbed inside and flat on outside?

Same stuff they make political signs/weedeater business signs out of so they can metal stake them into the ground?

Sound about right or am I lookin at the wrong stuff?

Thanks!

-Skyler

NO...

Well, that stuff works too - but that is more like corrugated cardboard...only made out of plastic.

Foamed (cellular/expanded) PVC is a solid looking material. I get mine from here:

http://www.usplastic.com/catalog/item.aspx?itemid=23330&catid=733

Take a look at this thread to see it in action:

http://www.crooked-dice.co.uk/forum/Blah.pl?v-print/m-1292637757/

http://w-ired.org/forum/viewtopic.php?f=26&t=2657

http://www.009.cd2.com/members/how_to/nouaillier_a.htm (He actually is using Featherboard - which is similar, but it is a urethane foam instead of a PVC foam core).

(Most the white bits are foamed PVC)

You can find plenty of other examples by searching under the trade names (Sintra, Forex...)

Coroplast is useful too, and as an added benefit for you is made out of styrene. You have some of the same issues with it though as you do with cardboard (exposed edges need to be filled for example) - but it also doesn't warp like cardboard does when you paint it with water based paints.