# adheasive suggestions for ABS plastic to steel mesh?



## konton (Nov 17, 2010)

Does anyone have suggestions for the simplest adhesive for ABS plastic to stainless steel mesh? 

Basically I'm planning to take some mesh screens from filters:










And adhering them to grommets:










I'm getting sick of my son poking out the no-see-um mosquito mesh with his fingers!

I'll probably just try out the homax professional welder I've been using on other projects, but thought there might be a better solution.


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## frog dude (Nov 11, 2011)

I would use hot glue. I've heard that is a great non-toxic way to seal stuff to plastic, as silicone won't work for long. As for the stuff you are thinking about, I have no idea.


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## Judy S (Aug 29, 2010)

There is a new kind of super glue made by Bob Smith Industries...Bob Smith Industries that might work...I bought some but haven't had a chance to use it...it is made in CA, so probably is environmental safe.


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## konton (Nov 17, 2010)

Thanks for the suggestions! I think the hot glue will harden before I can drop the filter on it. I'll check out the other glue, but I may just melt this stuff with ABS cement and see if resulting fluid hardens between the mesh.


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## Judy S (Aug 29, 2010)

If you go online about the products...they have different "open" times--I do understand just how difficult it is to find the right kinds of glues, adhesives, whatever...and adding the non-toxic into it really creates some issues. Metal to plastic...Plexi to glass...etc., etc.--I was told the new "super glue" will adhere glass to plexi--that's why I bought it...how many threads on DB have you come across that a poster is disappointed that the divider, or whatever, leaks because the silicone doesn't make a good bond between the glass and a plexi divider.... Hopefully this new product will work...


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## Judy S (Aug 29, 2010)

Another option would be to go to the "Hobby" place and get the plastic material which is used for needlepoint--some people use it for the substrate divider--you'd have plastic to plastic...


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## skanderson (Aug 25, 2011)

i was going to suggest the melting method. seems easiest and most likely to hold up in the long run.


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## konton (Nov 17, 2010)

Thanks for all the suggestions. At it turns out, these Heyco snap bushings are made of 6/6 Nylon. Serves me right for listening to someone tell me it's ABS plastic without researching it myself.

The homax professional welder worked pretty well on my first couple tests.


















I think toxicity is less of an issue in this case as I'm not adhering something to the back of the tank or in a place the frogs can access. However my research based on suggestions has shown hot glue actually bonds best with 6/6 Nylon. And as hot glue seems to be pretty non-toxic, I'll probably try to find a way to use it in the future.

Thanks everyone!


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## konton (Nov 17, 2010)

Just an update after my research on glues. So the homax professional welder uses toluene. Since it's water-insoluble and not used to glue plants or coco-fiber, I'm less concerned about toxic degradation. But thought I'd mention it. It's is a pretty solid contact cement. 

I tried gorilla glue, but the foaming after effects filled up the snap-in parts of the bushings, making them snapless unless I manually cleaned out the areas. Plus I hear it's not actually 100% waterproof.

Hot glue came off both the metal and the plastic pretty easily. So forget about it.

Super Glue actually seems to be the way to go. So thanks for the suggestions Judy. I don't think it needs to be from that specific distributor. Apparently it was made in the past for medical purposes. So it's non-toxic when cured and waterproof as it's uses by many reefers.

Thanks for all the assistance on this. I've got 80 screens left, so I'll probably just build a ton of snap-in vents and sell them to anyone who wants them.


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## my_shed (Feb 8, 2013)

konton said:


> Just an update after my research on glues. So the homax professional welder uses toluene. Since it's water-insoluble and not used to glue plants or coco-fiber, I'm less concerned about toxic degradation. But thought I'd mention it. It's is a pretty solid contact cement.
> 
> I tried gorilla glue, but the foaming after effects filled up the snap-in parts of the bushings, making them snapless unless I manually cleaned out the areas. Plus I hear it's not actually 100% waterproof.
> 
> ...


Agree with your conclusions, I'd use superglue too. Just to give you some info though, I'm 99% sure gorilla glue is waterproof, as I not only use it in a number of vivs, but have used it to seal a number of holes in a 600 gallon water butt, and it holds water right to the brim without leaking.

Hope this cones in helpful

Dave


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## konton (Nov 17, 2010)

my_shed said:


> Agree with your conclusions, I'd use superglue too. Just to give you some info though, I'm 99% sure gorilla glue is waterproof, as I not only use it in a number of vivs, but have used it to seal a number of holes in a 600 gallon water butt, and it holds water right to the brim without leaking.
> 
> Hope this cones in helpful
> 
> Dave


Well I now have 20 tests that show super glue to be pretty tight. I'm going to trust it's non-toxic when cured based on the research. 

On the down side the drying process produces a vapor that dries white and get's all over the nice black plastic. Maybe I'll try rubbing alcohol to clean it off.

I was 99% sure as well about gorilla glue as well. But regardless the foaming issue keeps me from using it for this purpose. How long have those seals been holding?


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## Judy S (Aug 29, 2010)

how "deep" are the bushings.?..do they stick down into the tank?...oh, and by the way, they still use Superglue in place of stitches and other uses on animals and human...and the Superglue formulation I recommended has an "open" time, so it doesn't immediately bond..it is one of the choices that company has. And toluene is what thins out silicone...and becomes non-toxic once dried...I think it is nasty stuff so has to be in an extremely well-ventilated area...I've used it and it does have its good points...


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## konton (Nov 17, 2010)

Judy S said:


> how "deep" are the bushings.?..do they stick down into the tank?...oh, and by the way, they still use Superglue in place of stitches and other uses on animals and human...and the Superglue formulation I recommended has an "open" time, so it doesn't immediately bond..it is one of the choices that company has. And toluene is what thins out silicone...and becomes non-toxic once dried...I think it is nasty stuff so has to be in an extremely well-ventilated area...I've used it and it does have its good points...


Overall height is .453". So it really depends on how thick your glass it. But they do stick into the tank. I don't mind it though. 

I still haven't found if the toluene is non-toxic one it's dried. I means it does degrade to a certain degree, right? So you could have the chemical leech over time into the air? Or maybe I'm wrong. It's not like I'm using it to stick plants into the ground or coco on great stuff.

Except for the white dust and color tinge to the metal, the super glue works great. Like you just said, they use it for stitches. And it cures fast which means it becomes non-toxic fast.

Anyway my son was poking his fingers through the no-see-um mosquito mesh, which got me started looking for an alternative. The super glue is strong enough that I don't think he could even punch through. Although at 2 years old his punches are pretty light.


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## Judy S (Aug 29, 2010)

There is a poster who makes a lot of complicated tanks...could be Grimm, Raf, or someone else who's name doesn't sping to mind....they have used Toluene for thinning silicone...maybe you can dig up one of their posts...it started a couple of long threads...it was used to get into small places...


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