Bonding ABS Pipe

Allan

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I know this is not really a metal working item but indirectly it is. I am trying to build a metal storage rack out of black ABS sewer pipe. The problem is that the regular yellow ABS cement does nothing. I even tried straight MEK and straight acetone with no success. The annoying thing is that in the recent issue of HSM a guy says he did just that- built an ABS storage rack and bonded it together with ABS pipe cement. When one glues an ABS coupler to an ABS pipe you have about 5 seconds to get it all correct otherwise a sledge hammer will not break the bond. Not if used externally apparently.

I figure with the wide range of experience of the membership here someone will be able to direct me to some solvent that will melt ABS pipe.
 
So, are you using fittings? You really should if you want to use normal pipe cement. It also provides rigidity and gives everything time to set up.

If it's really ABS, acetone will dissolve it, but it takes a while. You could try a trick from the 3D printing world.. Take a jar you can seal up, pour acetone in, then drop in some ABS bits. Smaller parts dissolve faster. You can drop a few couplers in and let it sit overnight, shake it here and there, etc.. Makes a heck of a glue for printed ABS anyway.

Keep in mind, solvent welding is much like metal welding or soldering. You have to keep the parts securely clamped until the bead cools. The solvents take minutes or hours to flash off though. That's where the fittings are handy. The taper acts like a clamp.

I don't use ABS pipe much, but I have done a ton with PVC. It's much the same. If it's the time issue, dry fit and mark a line, then when you apply the cement you have the witness mark to use for alignment. Makes that 5 seconds seem like an eternity.
 
Sorry, I should have made this clearer. I am wanting to bond them edge to edge so I can stand them up and slide rods, flat bar, hex or angle into the top of them for storage. Ordinary ABS cement does not soften the material enough to bond them.
 
I have done butt joints using PVC/ABS cement. I used to make battery holders for AA cells from PVC by adding an end cap to PVC tubingand weldng the tubing to a PVC plate. the It requires some patience though. The cement will soften the base material but it takes some time for the solvent to diffuse out of the joint area. It will eventually harden.

You might try using the primer instead. I believe that the solvent used evaporates faster. Adding ABS chips will give it some body as ttabbal suggested.
 
Thanks, RJ. I looked for primer the other day but our local purveyor of plumbing needfuls didn't have it. Might be worth a try. I can see if ABS actually melts in a jar of solvent and if so use that.
 
In my experience, the welded bonds are not as strong as the parent material. You can peel welded joints If you can incorporate mechanical fasteners to prevent the lifting process which precedes the peel, that would be beneficial. If you are making vertical storage, seven pieces fastened together in a hexagonal pattern would be quite stable. A couple of large strap clamps would help to keep them honest.

I use sing;le pieces of 4" Sch. 20 pipe for vertical storage. I welded an end cap on and it serves quite well. If you wanted to stack some together, you could weld the end caps on and cut away the contact area between tubes. to make a tight stack.
 
Yeah, RJ, I agree. But why is that when they are capped they have incredible strength? Like I say you can't break them apart with a sledge hammer. But when they are a side by side bond they have the strength of egg shells. I stumbled across a whack of this ABS pipe so it is free. Steel pipe would be easier but tres expensive. I have made a rack that surrounds it on all sides for the bottom tier. Then they are stepped up for shorter pieces and finally stepped up again with 2" pieces for shorter stuff. 'Twould be nice if they could just be glued together as the step up and back.

There must be some solvent on this earth that will cause ABS to melt.
 
The fittings work for a couple reasons. They clamp the parts together, and they keep the solvent in contact longer before flashing off. In air, that stuff flashes fast. Between fitting and pipe, it takes long enough that it gives things time to melt together. There's also a larger contact area.

You might try taking a couple scrap parts, glue between them, then clamp them together securely for an hour or more. Something like a ratchet strap should work fine. A couple bar clamps, etc.. See if that helps. Some ABS dissolved in might help with the evaporation problem as well.

Another option would be to use cross fittings and short pipe parts to connect the racks together. Takes more space though.

Another thing from the 3D printers.. Get some samples of ABS printer filament, chuck it in a dremel, and friction weld them. Or use another heat source and it would be a bit like torch welding.. I wouldn't use a torch though, perhaps a soldering gun?
 
So I just cut off a slice of ABS pipe and put it in a jar with acetone which is supposed to be an effective solvent for it. We'll see.
 
TT, I agree. I think the solvents evaporate too fast in open air. I have clamped these things every which way and it makes no difference. I have also sanded the gloss of the pipes and drizzled more solvent into the joints. All to no ev
fact. And yet the HSM article says he used ABS plumbing cement....
 
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