Acetone and plexiglass

When in the Navy I used glacial ascetic acid to repair the plexiglas windshields in aircraft. It will make a permanent weld.
 
I just checked the piece of plexiglass that I had in the MEK. It has totally dissolved and what I have in the jar looks like syrup. I put a dab on a piece of wood to see what will happen next. Its been well over 24 hours worth of soak time.
 
If I told you the piece of wood turned into a Tonka truck would you believe? To tell you the truth I was really surprized to see what was in the jar hadn't turned into a solid mass since all I was using was a piece of duct tap for a lid. I took the remainder of it and spred it out even more on the same piece of wood. So what would you like me to do with it?
 
Ray, I would like a picture of the Tonka truck because thats hard to believe.

OK did the stuff go back to a dried solid and bonded to the wood? Can it now be sanded and polished?
 
Nothing really, I just wondered how it dried up.
I'm going to buy some MEK if it dried up to a polishable surface and see how vacuum/ pressure impregnating works out.

Do you guy's think the MEK will hurt my epoxy bondings when trying to impregnate my rods?
 
Dedoo said:
Nothing really, I just wondered how it dried up.
I'm going to buy some MEK if it dried up to a polishable surface and see how vacuum/ pressure impregnating works out.

Do you guy's think the MEK will hurt my epoxy bondings when trying to impregnate my rods?
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The mixture drys out just fine. As for anything else I'd do some testing before I went and tried it on the real thing.
 
Ray, do you think you could make it thin enough so that it would penetrate, or "wick" into the wood pretty far? I guess it depends on the species, etc, but take Walnut for example, I wonder if a piece of Walnut was placed in a jar of this stuff, fully immersedit, and a vacumm pulled for several days so that the goop would soak into the wood , it this would be the same type of "acrylic" treatment that's done by the big guys?? Of course a fella could simply send his wood and a few bones to the big guys, and not have all of this stress !! I'd love to have a home treatment system for doing this. It just can't be that hard, it can't be. (but is does seems to be.......sigh). I just wonder when guys like K&G, and WSSI, go to learn how to do this, and where they buy the stuff to do it with. Big trade secret? Very expensive? Neither? Both? sigh,..............(again)
 
rhrocker said:
I just wonder when guys like K&G, and WSSI, go to learn how to do this, and where they buy the stuff to do it with. Big trade secret? Very expensive? Neither? Both? sigh,..............(again)
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We need to get us a spy. ;) I know this ruski feller named Boris.... :D (just kidding).
 
rhrocker said:
Ray, do you think you could make it thin enough so that it would penetrate, or "wick" into the wood pretty far? I guess it depends on the species, etc, but take Walnut for example, I wonder if a piece of Walnut was placed in a jar of this stuff, fully immersedit, and a vacumm pulled for several days so that the goop would soak into the wood , it this would be the same type of "acrylic" treatment that's done by the big guys?? Of course a fella could simply send his wood and a few bones to the big guys, and not have all of this stress !! I'd love to have a home treatment system for doing this. It just can't be that hard, it can't be. (but is does seems to be.......sigh). I just wonder when guys like K&G, and WSSI, go to learn how to do this, and where they buy the stuff to do it with. Big trade secret? Very expensive? Neither? Both? sigh,..............(again)
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Robert
I might mention
pulling a vacuum, causes a negative pressure in side the wood
causing it the wood to act like a vacuum pump, it does the best good when you release the vacuum while the wood is submerged causing the now positive pressure of the medium to drive itself inside into the wood..if you soak while still under a vacuum it's just
soaking and plugging up the holes, I vacuum until the bubbles stop coming from the wood , not much time and then release the vacuum and then let soak..if at this point you can pressurize the vat all the better.. also heating helps the viscosity..to work for you..
I use minwax wood hardener with my vacuum set up..it's all I need and has been working

Ray
I'm thinking on the lines of thinning enough to envelope the handle..
just a new cool thing try and to mess with..my first knife was with a solid piece of Plexiglas
between the guard and pommel..looks like a glass handle..still have it
it's over 32 years old now:eek: ,, it must be an antique by now:)
 
rhrocker said:
Ray, do you think you could make it thin enough so that it would penetrate, or "wick" into the wood pretty far? I guess it depends on the species, etc, but take Walnut for example, I wonder if a piece of Walnut was placed in a jar of this stuff, fully immersedit, and a vacumm pulled for several days so that the goop would soak into the wood , it this would be the same type of "acrylic" treatment that's done by the big guys?? Of course a fella could simply send his wood and a few bones to the big guys, and not have all of this stress !! I'd love to have a home treatment system for doing this. It just can't be that hard, it can't be. (but is does seems to be.......sigh). I just wonder when guys like K&G, and WSSI, go to learn how to do this, and where they buy the stuff to do it with. Big trade secret? Very expensive? Neither? Both? sigh,..............(again)
Click to expand...

Robert, Yes I do think you could thin it down enough so it would wick into the wood.

A few years ago I tried to get information on doing my own wood stabalizing from one of the big guys. First thing he said was make darn sure you got really good fire insurance.
 
I put some 1/4 x 1/4 x 1" pieces of acrylic in MEK last Fri. and only the corners and edges have disolved. The MEK is about six years old so maybe it has lost it's poop.
 
B Finnigan said:
I put some 1/4 x 1/4 x 1" pieces of acrylic in MEK last Fri. and only the corners and edges have disolved. The MEK is about six years old so maybe it has lost it's poop.
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Brent, I would have been surprized if it was still in the can after 6 years.
 
Two things:
If the solvent is thin enough to penetrate, will it deposit enough acrylic to do any good? Another thought is to force the material into the wood by pressure.
Placing the wood in a cylinder and applying pressure (after some vacuum time) would permit higher pressures to be applied. Just thought i'd bounce a few thoughts off you all :)

My 2c
Jorge
 
FLACOMAN said:
Two things:
If the solvent is thin enough to penetrate, will it deposit enough acrylic to do any good? Another thought is to force the material into the wood by pressure.
Placing the wood in a cylinder and applying pressure (after some vacuum time) would permit higher pressures to be applied. Just thought i'd bounce a few thoughts off you all :)

My 2c
Jorge
Click to expand...

I'm pretty sure the big guys use both vacuum and pressure.

Yesterday I checked the jar that I had the mixture of MEK and plexiglas and the MEK had evaporated. What was left was a very thin layer of what looked like cellophane and had alot less strength.
 
I was thinking ( eek! not that!) along the lines of two pistons in a cylinder, squished in a hydraulic press. . 302 Fords and 350 Chevies are both 4.00", so the sizing wouldn't be too tough.
another 2c
Jorge
 
It won't hold the pressure, as the rings won't seal it tight ecasue they are split. To get the pressure needed, you'd have to have a LONG cylinder... As soon as you get the liquid between the piston and the cylinder, it will stabilize (sieze) the piston...
What the pros use is a large, stainless, heavy walled pipe with bolt-on (many bolts) ends, capable of thousands of PSI pressure, IIRC?
This is a real expensive and dangerous thing to fabricate. Not to mention how to pressurize the stabilizing liquid to force it into the wood...
 
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