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Butanone / MEK


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What are you trying to attach to what, and struggling to achieve?

 

Mekpak is stil available from Slaters, and Butanone (sseing as you mention it in the title) froms Carrs which is now with Phoenix I believe (there may be short term supply issues while the handover from C&L pans out).

 

With all glues its horses for courses.

Edited by Jub45565
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Agreed but MEK is the same thing as Butanone, just Mekpak is not MEK.

Agreed.

 

Also, if acquired from non-modelling suppliers, MEK (Methyl-Ethyl-Ketone) nowadays seems to be designated EMK (Ethyl-Methyl-Ketone).

 

It still smells the same and joins bits of styrene together, though. 

 

John

Edited by Dunsignalling
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sorry   its to stick 7mm chairs to sleepers  I have found a supplier of MEK  1 litre for 12 pounds and 8.50

pounds delivery  cheaper than slaters 475 Ml 

 

 

and just ordered it from Amazon  for 9.99  for a litre with free P&P

Edited by nigelb
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sorry   its to stick 7mm chairs to sleepers  I have found a supplier of MEK  1 litre for 12 pounds and 8.50

pounds delivery  cheaper than slaters 475 Ml 

 

 

and just ordered it from Amazon  for 9.99  for a litre with free P&P

Please let us know how you get on with this. Could you post a link to the item?

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If you ordered from "Shiny Hardware", then it should arrive a day after they confirmed dispatch.  I got a litre of isopropyl alcohol (essential for track and electrical contact cleaning!) from them recently and I was very impressed by how soon it arrived!

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If you ordered from "Shiny Hardware", then it should arrive a day after they confirmed dispatch.  I got a litre of isopropyl alcohol (essential for track and electrical contact cleaning!) from them recently and I was very impressed by how soon it arrived!

Yes ordered  from them  Plus  a litre of iso alco as well the email said delivery today  so  just waiting for the courier to arrive

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As requested a bit about  the MEK I purchased from Amazon   ( Shiney Hardware)

It arrived  2 days after  being ordered in  sturdy cardboard box containing the plastic bottle with child proof cap 

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Litre-1000ml-M-E-K-99-9-CHILD/dp/B005Z1K4SM/ref=pd_sbs_147_2?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=JGJEHADDVXD6FHCS2EHA    is a link to it   there are other  suppliers  and I have no  connection to  Amazon or teh supplier.

 

I got it home and thought i  would have a play ,  

 

1. Thing to  note  OPEN THE WINDOWS  this stuff is  a solvent and is not nice to breathe in

2. Make sure you have a clear area away from the edge of your  work bench as its a bigish bottle  ( i will be looking for a smaller suitable container to decant  some into)

 

I stuck a couple of C&L's chairs to  a laser cut sleeper and was impressed how quickly it bonded   and  as I have read you can pop them off by slipping a scalpel blade between the chair and sleeper,  I tried  and yes it was possible

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An alternative is Plastic Weld, as here;

http://modelshop.co.uk/Shop/Adhesives/Item/Plastic-Weld-Solvent-57ml/ITM5060

I buy it in larger quantities by it's chemical name, Methylene Chloride or dichloromethane, and it seems to stick most modelling plastics.

.

I get acetone, limolene and dichloromethane off of eBay, cheap as chips by the litre or more.

 

Stored ( in a metal cabinet retrieved from a skip) in the garage and I decant into smaller bottles as and when needed.

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I would also recommend "Shiny Hardware" as a supplier - no connection except as a satisfied customer.

 

I'd also strongly endorse Black Rat's suggestion about the metal cabinet in the garage - these are,after all, highly inflammable chemicals! In addition, if I might be so bold, keep the containers in a polythene box (like a "really useful box") big enough to act as a bunding just in case of leakage. As well as being inflammable, these are not chemicals that should be getting out into the environment.

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I use the brown 'medicine' bottles for my solvents. A good anti spill base can be made from the lid from Q-tip containers - or a block of wood with a (large) hole bored through it.

 

 

 

Emma

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As requested a bit about  the MEK I purchased from Amazon   ( Shiney Hardware)

It arrived  2 days after  being ordered in  sturdy cardboard box containing the plastic bottle with child proof cap 

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Litre-1000ml-M-E-K-99-9-CHILD/dp/B005Z1K4SM/ref=pd_sbs_147_2?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=JGJEHADDVXD6FHCS2EHA    is a link to it   there are other  suppliers  and I have no  connection to  Amazon or teh supplier.

 

I got it home and thought i  would have a play ,  

 

1. Thing to  note  OPEN THE WINDOWS  this stuff is  a solvent and is not nice to breathe in

2. Make sure you have a clear area away from the edge of your  work bench as its a bigish bottle  ( i will be looking for a smaller suitable container to decant  some into)

 

I stuck a couple of C&L's chairs to  a laser cut sleeper and was impressed how quickly it bonded   and  as I have read you can pop them off by slipping a scalpel blade between the chair and sleeper,  I tried  and yes it was possible

Thanks Nigel and I'm glad it works well. I had an issue with an Ebay supplier of 'MEK' - it smelt a bit 'solventy' but it didn't dissolve/glue anything... You can set fire to it though :) 

 

In fairness, the Ebay seller refunded my money without question.

 

Thanks again.

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Thanks Nigel and I'm glad it works well. I had an issue with an Ebay supplier of 'MEK' - it smelt a bit 'solventy' but it didn't dissolve/glue anything... You can set fire to it though :)

 

In fairness, the Ebay seller refunded my money without question.

 

Thanks again.

no promlems with this stuck sticking like  s**t to a blanket  breaking the joint with  a scalpel was  hard  so i can recomend this suppliers

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  • 4 weeks later...

Just an update on my experience of the MEK supplied by 'Shinyhardware'.

 

Bought 1 litre (probably see me out for the duration :) ) on Ebay for £9.99 including P&P. It works very well bonding styrene sheet/strip, Cambrian kits and also the black 'plastic' underframes on old Hornby OAA wagons.

 

I've no connection with the supplier.

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  • 2 years later...
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So,  my conclusion from this is that MEK = butanone and can be used for bonding styrene  and for sticking c&l chairs to ply sleepers.

Skaters MEK PAK is slightly different.

And Dichloromethane is different again.

Is seems like butanone (MEK) is the best all round bet.

Is my summary correct?

Thanks 

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5 hours ago, ikcdab said:

So,  my conclusion from this is that MEK = butanone and can be used for bonding styrene  and for sticking c&l chairs to ply sleepers.

Skaters MEK PAK is slightly different.

And Dichloromethane is different again.

Is seems like butanone (MEK) is the best all round bet.

Is my summary correct?

Thanks 

 

I've been building a lot of turnouts using Peco chairs and laser cut ply timbers.  I got my MEK from a local source, 1 liter tin.  Works great.  Butanone and MEK are interchangeable, ie identical.  Comes down to price I guess.

 

John

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