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Perhaps the best glue is Tensol Cement which joins plastics such as
perspex together permanently. The glue is applied to the surfaces to be
glued and they are pressed together. They should be clamped for 24 hours and
this gives a permanent joint. |
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Contact adhesive can be used to join plastics. The adhesive is
applied to both surfaces and when the surfaces appear to be dry they are
pushed together. If the two pieces of material are left for a number of
hours, they are virtually impossible to take apart. |
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Many adhesives are plastics themselves. A good example is ‘Araldite’ which
is an epoxy resin that hardens when a second chemical is added
(called a catalyst). It can bond most materials including some plastics. The
two tubes can be seen in the diagram. An equal amount of each tube are
mixed together and then applied to the material to be glued. |
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Super glue (cyanoacrylate)is another adhesive that joins plastics together, very
quickly. Great care must be taken when using this type of glue as it will
just as easily glue fingers together. For this reason super glue is not used
in schools.
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A glue gun can be
used to join a variety of plastics. This glue usually gives a
semi-permanent joint as surfaces glued together can sometimes come
apart. The glue is a type of
plastic that melts when hot and solidifies when it cools. Be careful to
select that right type of glue stick - this depends on the material to
be glued. General purpose glue sticks are usually used in schools. |
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Ventilation is vital when using all these glues. Ideally an extractor should
be used to extract all the dangerous fumes. |
