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Made in us
Longtime Dakkanaut




Central California

I bought a set of Plasti-card from greenstuff world. The package says ABS plain, and that is all my information.
The issue is my normal use plastic glue is not working. I use Testors in the red tube. It hardens and sets like normal glue rather than "melting" the plasti-card together with whatever other bit I am using or itself. This means I seem to have it set, but any pressure pops it back off.

Anyone have an idea what is going on here? I know there are various types of plastic glue, which one do I need? And if I need a different one for this ABS stuff, how will it bond with say GW bits?

Keeping the hobby side alive!

I never forget the Dakka unit scale is binary: Units are either OP or Garbage. 
   
Made in gb
Regular Dakkanaut




Well to put it simply ABS plasticard won’t be melted by any plastic glue. You would have to use superglue to bond it with another item. Plastic is a very broad term, and ABS(Acrylonitrile butadiene styrene) is a different type to what is used in model kits(I think it’s a polystyrene derivative). I’ve made the mistake before so you’re not alone in trying to used plastic glue.
   
Made in au
Anti-Armour Swiss Guard






Newcastle, OZ

ABS is a styrene, but it's NOT polystyrene (which that plastic glue is designed to work on). (The S in ABS stands for "Styrene"). In the same way that that plastic glue will not work on PVC, either.

You will need something like Plastruct's Plastic weld or a proper ABS solvent adhesive.
https://www.modeltrainstuff.com/plastruct-00002-plastic-weld-cement-2-fl-oz/

I'm OVER 50 (and so far over everyone's BS, too).
Old enough to know better, young enough to not give a ****.

That is not dead which can eternal lie ...

... and yet, with strange aeons, even death may die.
 
   
Made in us
Longtime Dakkanaut




Central California

Templarted wrote:Well to put it simply ABS plasticard won’t be melted by any plastic glue. You would have to use superglue to bond it with another item. Plastic is a very broad term, and ABS(Acrylonitrile butadiene styrene) is a different type to what is used in model kits(I think it’s a polystyrene derivative). I’ve made the mistake before so you’re not alone in trying to used plastic glue.


Thanks for saying that. I was feeling a bit of a fool, especially since I've been in the hobby for 30 years...

chromedog wrote:ABS is a styrene, but it's NOT polystyrene (which that plastic glue is designed to work on). (The S in ABS stands for "Styrene"). In the same way that that plastic glue will not work on PVC, either.

You will need something like Plastruct's Plastic weld or a proper ABS solvent adhesive.
https://www.modeltrainstuff.com/plastruct-00002-plastic-weld-cement-2-fl-oz/


Great information. Thanks to both of you!

Keeping the hobby side alive!

I never forget the Dakka unit scale is binary: Units are either OP or Garbage. 
   
Made in gb
Ork-Hunting Inquisitorial Xenokiller




See, this is what happens when people refer to solvent as "glue".
   
Made in us
Ancient Venerable Dreadnought




San Jose, CA

Plasti-weld is the best stuff for that kind of plastic.
   
Made in au
[MOD]
Making Stuff






Under the couch

Fictional wrote:
See, this is what happens when people refer to solvent as "glue".

Or when people get used to thinking 'plastic' means 'polystyrene'.

Having said that, I've been caught by the ABS trap before. Although the bigger problem for me wasn't the glue, but the fact that the tubes I bought had thinner and inconsistent thickness walls, so didn't neatly nest the way the styrene stuff does.

 
   
Made in gb
Veteran Inquisitorial Tyranid Xenokiller





Watch Fortress Excalibris

This is weird, but I've been sticking ABS tubes and H-section girders to GW plastic models and bases with Revell Contacta for years without any problems. Did I just get lucky and happen to find the one substance that works as both a polystyrene cement and an ABS glue?

A little bit of righteous anger now and then is good, actually. Don't trust a person who never gets angry. 
   
Made in au
[MOD]
Making Stuff






Under the couch

How sure are you that the tubes and girders you're using are ABS? As far as I'm aware, most of the 'brand name' stuff at least is polystyrene. Trends to be only the smaller companies that do ABS.

 
   
Made in au
Anti-Armour Swiss Guard






Newcastle, OZ

Plastruct's I-beams, H-columns, pipes and struts are grey, but the same polystyrene that GW and every other plastic injection moulded model kit maker uses.
Evergreen's stuff is white, but also made of the same stuff that GW and every other plastic injection moulded model kit maker uses.

Poly-cement works fine on all of those.

Plastruct ALSO do some ABS products, but the packaging/labelling for those usually also indicates that they are ABS and not polystyrene.

I'm OVER 50 (and so far over everyone's BS, too).
Old enough to know better, young enough to not give a ****.

That is not dead which can eternal lie ...

... and yet, with strange aeons, even death may die.
 
   
 
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