Is this the same (similar) as plastic weld?

[Bluemonkey presents....]

Dear All, Please can someone with more knowledge about chemicals and solvents confirm that this product;

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/MEK-METHYL-ETHYL-KETONE-ASC-Lab-grade-Highest-Quality/264745376497?ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT&var=564567780982&_trksid=p2060353.m1438.l2649

is actually what I think it is an can be used for plastic kit construction and scratch building in styrene, please?

 

I use a lot and this, if it is the correct product, will help a great deal especially as it seems a very decent price although there could be cheaper/better suppliers out there.

 

Disclaimer; I do not have any knowledge or relationship to the seller nor have I been a customer (yet, possibly).

 

Thank you all in advance.

[57xx]

Yes, one and the same.

 

Buy the 5l bottle for £22, decant into 50ml bottles and call it "railway modelling solvent", resell for £5 each. Nice tidy profit.

Edited June 3, 2020 by 57xx

[dpgibbons]

MEK aka butanone is indeed the usual active ingredient in polystyrene model kit adhesives. You'll find a definitive guide to which solvent sticks what plastic here.

Edited June 3, 2020 by dpgibbons

[Barclay]

Thanks for the tip-off. I've just gone for a litre for just under a tenner and we'll see what it's like. I'm clean out at the moment and the usual 28ml bottle would presumably cost about half that, even if I could get to the model shop!

[Fat Controller]

4 minutes ago, Barclay said:

Thanks for the tip-off. I've just gone for a litre for just under a tenner and we'll see what it's like. I'm clean out at the moment and the usual 28ml bottle would presumably cost about half that, even if I could get to the model shop!

I would suggest you decant some off into a smaller bottle for current use; larger containers have a habit of being caught by sleeves etc.

[brossard]

Yes I bought a liter tin of MEK from a local chain.  Decanted into glass bottle and applied with a cheap brush.  MEK is effective on ABS as well.  I mostly use it for fixing chairs to wooden timbers.

 

John

[Bluemonkey presents....]

Thank you everyone, appreciate your advice.

[Bluemonkey presents....]

18 hours ago, Barclay said:

Thanks for the tip-off. I've just gone for a litre for just under a tenner and we'll see what it's like. I'm clean out at the moment and the usual 28ml bottle would presumably cost about half that, even if I could get to the model shop!

 

Thanks please can you let me know what you think of it, appears the seller has removed the listing for the time being. Guess he/she had a rush on stocks

[Barclay]

1 hour ago, No46 said:

 

Thanks please can you let me know what you think of it, appears the seller has removed the listing for the time being. Guess he/she had a rush on stocks

I certainly will. That's you caused a run on the M.E.K. You didn't start the toilet roll thing as well did you?

[Bluemonkey presents....]

Not entirely, I do like pasta though!

 

And thanks.

[corneliuslundie]

I buy my solvent (Slaters) in metal canisters from Eileen's Emporium at shows:

https://eileensemporium.com/index.php?option=com_hikashop&ctrl=product&task=show&cid=600&name=slater-s-mek-pak-500ml&Itemid=189&category_pathway=1007

Then decant a bit at a time into a screw top jar.

One thing I have found is that it is best not to have too much in the jar, as if one uses a paintbrush to apply it it gradually transfers plastic to the solvent, which eventually starts working less well. I usually throw the last couple of CCs away rather than struggle to make it work properly. But even then much cheaper than in little bottles.

Not sure if Eileen's can deliver the solvent though, and it is more expensive than the type you found.

Jonathan

[Fat Controller]

I have used some thing from George Fischer Plastics in the past. It was used to clean plastic pipework before heat-welding it.

[Free At Last]

49 minutes ago, Fat Controller said:

It was used to clean plastic pipework before heat-welding it.

 

Edited June 4, 2020 by Free At Last

[Fat Controller]

8 minutes ago, Free At Last said:

 

That's the stuff; not sure where you could buy it from. Would it be from a specialist pipe supplier, or might a builder's merchant stock it?

[Free At Last]

14 minutes ago, Fat Controller said:

That's the stuff; not sure where you could buy it from. Would it be from a specialist pipe supplier, or might a builder's merchant stock it?

I've had that for maybe 15 years, from a trade outlet.

[Il Grifone]

1 hour ago, corneliuslundie said:

I buy my solvent (Slaters) in metal canisters from Eileen's Emporium at shows:

https://eileensemporium.com/index.php?option=com_hikashop&ctrl=product&task=show&cid=600&name=slater-s-mek-pak-500ml&Itemid=189&category_pathway=1007

Then decant a bit at a time into a screw top jar.

One thing I have found is that it is best not to have too much in the jar, as if one uses a paintbrush to apply it it gradually transfers plastic to the solvent, which eventually starts working less well. I usually throw the last couple of CCs away rather than struggle to make it work properly. But even then much cheaper than in little bottles.

Not sure if Eileen's can deliver the solvent though, and it is more expensive than the type you found.

Jonathan

 

Don't throw the last bit away. Add more scrap polystyrene to form a paste and it makes an excellent filler for plastic kits etc.

 

The solvent is toxic. Only use it in a well ventilated space

[sharris]

On 03/06/2020 at 12:14, Fat Controller said:

I would suggest you decant some off into a smaller bottle for current use; larger containers have a habit of being caught by sleeves etc.

Even then I put the small bottle in a glass ramekin padded out with plasticine to make it bottom heavy and hard to knock over. When I’m doing brass I swap the solvent for the flux bottle.

[corneliuslundie]

A quick Google search throws up several suppliers of MEK plastic pipe cleaner.

Jonathan

[Bluemonkey presents....]

On 03/06/2020 at 12:08, Barclay said:

Thanks for the tip-off. I've just gone for a litre for just under a tenner and we'll see what it's like. I'm clean out at the moment and the usual 28ml bottle would presumably cost about half that, even if I could get to the model shop!

Has it arrived yet? I see the seller has relisted more stock.

[Barclay]

1 hour ago, Bluemonkey presents.... said:

Has it arrived yet? I see the seller has relisted more stock.

Not yet, I'll keep you posted.

[Barclay]

The M.E.K. arrived this morning, and it certainly sticks - I stuck 2 scrap bits of plasticard together about 15 mins ago and I can't pull them apart.

 

I've decanted some into an empty Humbrol Liquid Poly bottle, one of the modern round ones that I'm very good at knocking over, so I haven't filled it up !  I still have one of the old square bottles on my workbench - they are much safer - I use one for flux too.

 

There are various health warnings on the interweb about M.E.K. but this is no different from many of our modelling solvents which are pretty much the same stuff. Nevertheless it's important to stress the need for ventilation when using it.

 

M.E.K. is one of the stronger solvents available to us but is apparently soluble in water so it might be worth experimenting with dilution if a less savage adhesive is required, perhaps where thin and delicate styrene parts are being fixed?

 

 

[Bluemonkey presents....]

Thank you for your feedback and updates. This is a goer.

Cheers