Is using Chloroform for gluing acrylic is reef safe or not ?
Thats what my uncle uses to glue acrylic and he says that he can make me an overflow box,that fit my needs.
But he uses Chloroform for gluing.So,is it reef safe?
I have tried keeping some freshwater fishes in Chloroform glued Tanks,and it doesn't hurt.
And the result is far superior then anything I have seen.Its like non existent joint.
Not sure why you wouldn't use standard acrylic solvent. Costs only pennies and there is no guess work. Also no obvious joints just the same.
chloroform is fine as it evapourates all it does it essentially melt the acrylic. the acrylic cements which dont cost very much use a gel form of chloroform with some added stabalizers. all are washed out if you wash the box before you use it.
I've used chloroform for acrylics as it is what I have from lab because I'm cheap.
Chloroform is active solvent that is cut in Weld-On acrylic products with things like acrylic monomer, acrylic polymer, and evaporating solvents to thin out. You will get fast setup and hazing with it, but for DIY sumps it is fine. Can add router chips of acrylic sheet to thicken and up if you like. Pro's would not do this.
Speaking of thick, is there a place to buy acrylic powder, which can be used to fill-in gaps?
Chloroform is not used in Weld-On products. Methylene Chloride, or dichloromethane, is the active ingredient in Weld-On products. Chloroform will work to bond acrylic, but it is not the ideal product to use. Plus it's generally not available to the public 'cause you can use it to knock people out.
The best stuff to use it straight MC with 5% (10% absolute maximum) ACS grade Acetic Acid to slow the bonding time, which helps sometimes depending on ambient temperature and thickness of product. Straight MC is super-fast.
Chloroform and Methylene Chloroide are one chloride apart. Now I am not certain which one I used but maybe it was all the fumes.
To thicken Methylene Chloride, just use fresh router chips and they will dissolve.
It is best to plane material to create a very smooth edge and use WeldON 3 or 4.
There is no need to thicken MC. WO products effectively have router chips added, but this is not because it makes the material better for bonding acrylic, it's because it makes it a more 'all-in-one' type of product, and then other things are added to make it compliant with Orange County, CA codes for some reason.
The best off-the-shelf product for bonding acrylic is MC bond. It is MC, Acetic Acid, and Ethylene Dichloride, the last of which is extremely nasty stuff and expensive but is added to extend the initial cure time.
MC is really the only part that you "need". Acetic Acid (ACS grade) and EC both extend the working time, which is useful for thicker materials (EC only needed for 1.5" and over from what i understand) and for larger tanks, where you need the extra time to get all the way around the tank fr the top or bottom, and then pull the pins and drop the material into position all around before the joint sets and you get bubbles.
For anything less than 1" though, MC is all you need and adding chips will do nothing of any benefit.
Hehehe. Chloroform is banned in Australia. (not BANNED. But very VERY heavily regulated). Very few businesses may have it. Dentists can because there are setting fillings which can only be dissolved with chloroform. The bottle has to be kept in a safe which ONLY dentists are allowed to have the key for (Dental assistants not allowed to retrieve from safe).
However, I'd suspect (With 0 evidence and testing) you could probably use ethyl alcohol or even methanol. Methanol would be reef safe if given a quick rinse before putting into an aquarium.
Dave
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