how to make ABS cement

[themadhacker]

Ok, we all know that when bonding plastic together there are many methods to do so. There is bondo, epoxy, polyfiller, and then there is ABS cement. I prefer ABS cement because it completely bonds the peices of plastic together, forming one solid piece. Here is how you make it.

Supplies you need:

A case from anything made out of ABS plastic.
a glass jar with matching lid. Any glass jar will do as long as you plan to never use the jar to hold food again.

lacquer thinner or acetone. Your chioce, really. acetone is in the thinner so it doesn't really matter which you use.


Step one

Cut up your ABS case into small pieces. Make sure they are around an inch wide and long or smaller. Too big of plastic will take too long to melt. Have too much plastic pieces left over? Don't throw them out. Just get an old butter container or something and store the bits until you need them.


Step two
Fill the jar about two thirds of they way up with plastic.


step three.
Now pour in your thinner or acetone into the jar until it is halfway filled. too much will make the ABS cement runny and too little will make it extremely thick. If you are unsure of how much to add then just experiment a little.


Step four.
close the jar and wait. A long time. About two days or so. After those days are up the plastic will be completely melted into thick goo. It is now ready to be used for frankencasing.

[nevermind1534]

Nice guide. I'll have to try making some.

I would also recommend against ingesting this stuff. Not something that you would want to do.

[Triton]

acetone is what i usually use to make abs cement. ive been using it a couple years now, cant beat it!

[64M320N3]

Wait, you can use chemicals other than acetone?
Or are you comparing it to paint thinner? Both are acetone based, just raw acetone is more pure.
(Unless I totally misread your post. >_>)

[hailrazer]

Does it help to use the same plastic as the case you are working on?

I know sometimes plumbing abs cement from Lowes won't bond with certain types of plastics. So I thought maybe homemade abs cement from that type of plastic would work ????

[Nintendott]

Wait, you can use chemicals other than acetone?
Or are you comparing it to paint thinner? Both are acetone based, just raw acetone is more pure.
(Unless I totally misread your post. >_>)

I used paint reomever, it worked perfect!

[themadhacker]

@ kid with a bunch of numbers as name: you can use both.

@ hailraiser: It is best to use the same plastic from same case. The only difference is that it dries faster, though.

[joeyjoe9876]

thanks for the guide! now i can recycle some old console shells

[64M320N3]

@ kid with a bunch of numbers as name: you can use both.

I know. I was pointing that out to Triton. They both contain acetone.
Oh, and I'm not a kid. I have my own cnc machine. It's 1337 for gamezone. Call me whatever you want, I guess.

[Triton]

I think most industrial solvents would probably work, but acetone evaporates the fastest that i know of. wasnt aware that paint thinner was acetone based lol

[64M320N3]

wasnt aware that paint thinner was acetone based lol

Well, most are. I haven't seen any that aren't, but who knows? There could be a company out there that uses a different solvent because they claim it works better.

[collinE]

I went to Checker earlier this evening. They had big cans of paint thinner and acetone each for $7. Take your pick for the same price I guess.

[Triton]

average price seems to be ~6-7$ a can for the stuff, i lucked out and bought my last can for like 2 bucks at a surplus/discount store, they didnt have any more the last time i checked tho

[IRisH360]

two quick questions. I heard Legos were made from ABS plastic. Can i use these to make my cement? And is abs cement mainly used for making connections or can it it fill in the big gaps in the zn-40 case? I saw LOB used bondo, but if i made a thick abs cement would it work there?

[vskid]

two quick questions. I heard Legos were made from ABS plastic. Can i use these to make my cement?

You could, but I'm sure you could find an old case to use instead. If you must use Legos, use Mega Bloks instead, nobody likes those.
I am also interested in whether or not you can use it for big gaps. Could one even make a mold to custom pour their own case?