Welding acrylic for chamber top

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micharms

micharms

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Nov 8, 2004
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Location
Port Elgin, Ontario, Canada.
Not sure where to correctly post this so I hope it is okay here. I have 2 pieces of 1/2" acrylic and was wondering if I could weld them together to make a thicker, stronger top. The 1/2" thickness by itself develops quite a warp at full vacuum and has crazed significantly. If this will work can I get away with just using acetone as the weld liquid? I do not have ready access to any of the commercial products to do this.

Thanks for any help with this.

Michael
 
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If I wanted to sandwich two pieces of acrylic together, I'd probably brush both surfaces with Weld-On 16 and then clamp them together (being careful to avoid pockets of trapped air). It would be easier, however, to reinforce the plate by cementing ribs to it. For that, I'd either use Weld-On 4 or Weld-On 16. Acetone does not make a good acrylic cement.

Regards,
Eric
 
My suggestion would be to use a thicker/stronger material for the lid, and use your acrylic to make a smaller window in it.
 
I think some have used counter top material. If you can find a sink cut out or something like that it is most likely made of 3/4 MDF and laminate. The laminate side would go down towards the pot to maintain a tight seal.
 
Whatever you use, it need to be non porous. If you use wood, you need to apply plastic laminate to the bottom side at a minimum. Remember, we stabilize wood by sucking air out of it. Wood by itself will just allow air through and you will NOT be able to get a deep vaccum.

I would also be cautious about the window idea. Once you cut a window in the material you use, you have compromised it strength significantly. Personally, I would go on E-bay and purchase some 3/4" or 1" acrylic, depending on the size of the chamber.
 
I was thinking about a dome lid as the discussion continued. It would resist the bending better than a flat plate. No square submarines out there since the Civil War. What about a pyrex mixing bowl? I did some Google searches, won't link to it, but there are units sold that use them. Makes it less than a $10 lid, but you need to run the plumbing into the chamber. This is absolutely not a recommendation, just telling you they are out there.
 
Thanks to everyone for the input. I'll do some more searching on eBay. Unfortunately if I have to have it shipped from the U.S. then the cost gets pretty steep.

Right now the priority is trying to get rid of all the snow that we've had. Christmas was green but you'd never know that now from all the snow that has accumulated. School buses only ran one day this week and all the highways that lead into Owen Sound have been closed as of a few minutes ago. Snow squalls and the wind are wreaking havoc around here.

Michael
 
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