View Single Post
Unread 07/18/2003, 12:14 PM   #51
Acrylics
Registered Member
 
Join Date: Jun 2003
Posts: 4,230
Marc,
You are using extruded acrylic (Acrylite FF), this stuff turns to mush and thus squeezes dissolved acrylic out of the joint if you have too much solvent action. You can switch to cell cast acrylic and work by the same method that you are using now, or cut down on the solvent action by either: A) Not allowing it soak as long as you are in which case you have to be careful of splashing solvent as you pull the pins/wires or B) use a much smaller wire - something along the lines of (< .008") so you don't as much solvent in there or C) (preferred) both.

What happens is that the longer the solvent "soaks" the acrylic - the more acrylic gets attacked by the solvent. When you pull the wires or pins, the weight of the acrylic itself squeezes out much of the dissolved acrylic creating your large ooze bubbles. Extruded acrylic does not have to soak long at all - a few seconds is fine - much longer and you get the "big ooze".

To clean up that much ooze, take a sharp chisel and carefully pry those little bubbles out - they will pry out, just gotta be careful. Then run a light bead of solvent over those areas to "patch" them.

One other thing about using as much solvent as are is that the tank is much more apt to craze when you have that much action. Extruded has a very low tolerance for stress and solvents stress the acrylic - more solvent action = more stress = more likelyhood of crazing.

HTH,
James


Acrylics is offline   Reply With Quote