ABS Cement - for welding ABS bodywork
I read a few articles/internet threads where people said ABS Cement, MEK, or acetone could be used to chemically fuse ABS body work that is damaged during racing or just fatigue. I did a search locally for Oatey ABS Cement and NO ONE had it:
Lowe's, Home Depot, Aco, and even Warren Pipe (which is the bee's knees of anything plumbing related). No one had it. The closest was Oatey's All-Purpose Cement, which is advertised to be kosher for ABS and PVC, but it contains PVC/CPVC resin and not ABS resin.
So where did you buy the ABS cement, and how well does it work? I have a cracked fender that I was about to toss and replace with an OEM replacement until I read the threads discussing chemical bonding.
i got mine at home depot next to the ABS plumbing fixtures(storm/sump drains the black stuff) in a can like the PVC cleaner/glue is in. Just says ABS cement. I used it to repair a motorcycle fairing using fiberglass cloth to bridge the cracks.
How long ago did you buy that? Home Depot and Lowe's did not have that and none of the employees even heard of it. Warren Pipe is a real specialty plumbing place and they've never seen it before either. I'm starting to think it might be banned in this part of MI??
I've used
this stuff to repair various plastics around the house and on a motorcycle. Works very well and is durable.
Apparently ABS pipes are illegal in most states, hence why the local hardware stores don't carry ABS cement. Apparently, the key ingredients to melting/welding the ABS is Acetone and MEK. A few threads mentioned that soaking grounded ABS in MEK/Acetone can create a slurry to be used to fill holes/gaps... Being curious about these things, I tried 100% Acetone on my broken fender and it worked. It welded up the pieces, but I am not about to try and do a strength test on it. The Oatey and Harvey ABS Cements contain ABS resin, Acetone, and MEK.
I found some ABS cement online and ordered it at a decent price. I'm going to give this a try on another part of my bike (plastic fuel tank cover) where the sloppy lazy dealer mechanic used a wrong bolt and crushed part of a fastener hole that is made out of ABS. I was told that the ABS cement can be used to fix this area.
If this doesn't pan out, I'll give the Plastex or other dedicated plastic repair kit a try.
Keep us posted. I used the Plastex to repair some broken tabs on some motorcycle fairings and never had another problem out of them.
