Plastic Welding?

[valley]

Greetings, My wife bought a plastic welding outfit for my birthday. Do they work? Have you used one? Any tips? Thanks Richard

 

[Workstead]

Greetings, My wife bought a plastic welding outfit for my birthday. Do they work? Have you used one? Any tips? Thanks Richard

Great question, Richard. I was wondering the same thing.

Clem

 

[MMagis]

There are two types that I'm familiar with, extrusion and sonic. Both work for certain applications, but not everything. Sonic is usually easier to get a stronger weld with, but you can fill with the extrusion type.

 

[valley]

The one I just got operates with hot air. It is intended to hook up to the compressor. The heating unit inside is electric.

 

[MMagis]

Sounds very much like an extrusion welder, though perhaps there’s no extrusion to it. An extrusion welder works sort of like a hot glue gun, though it uses air to force the plastic out instead of mechanical pressure. What does the tip look like? Is there a small tube near the tip?

 

[valley]

Yes, the tip is simply a metal tube. There is a heating unit in the handle and the air moves the hot air through the tip. There is plastic rod, three types, that come with the unit.

 

[MMagis]

Sounds like it works something like tig welding? I suspect it'll take some practice, but it will work. It will be mostly suface "welding", so anything too deep/thick will need multiple passes.

 

[valley]

That sounds correct. Like to talk with someone who has used one a good deal.

 

[George2615]

I have the plastic welding unit that Harbor Freight sells. It hooks to an air compressor as described with a regulator to adjust air flow and has a heating element. It does work for surface welding certain types of plastic. I've only used it a few times.
Some of my welds have not held up, I suspect they were different types of plastic than the plastic rod that comes with it and the fact I've never done this type welding before. Not enough air and everything melts, too much air and the plastic rod doesn't flow or sets up too quick not fusing the pieces together. I guess it takes a lot of practice.

 

[valley]

I have the same unit. I think I saw a post by you saying you had fixed a bucket that had worked well at the time.