Just curious, how do you know all this??sic
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Mainly, in most instances, because I've been there, done that, and got the tee shirt. I'm seventy-five years old and I know stuff.
I have a personal standard I follow when responding to internet forum posts. If I know something that I think may be of interest to someone and the spirit moves me, I'll post a response. If I don't know, I don't post anything.Duco (plastic model) cement is nitrocellulose dissolved in acetone. A nitrocellulose is an early "primitive" plastic. Nitrocellulose and many other plastics, notably polystyrene, will dissolve in strong solvents, particularly acetone, methyl ethyl ketone, "laquer thinner," and even gasoline. These solvents are sold in paint and hardware stores (although they may sometimes be hard to source where local environmental regulations restrict their use.) The greater the amount of plastic dissolved in the solvent, the thicker the mixture becomes. When the solvent evaporates, the dissolved plastic returns to its original hard form. Waste Styrofoam packing material and drinking cups, being "aeriated" styrene plastic and 98% air by volume, dissolves very quickly in the solvent. Denser styrene plastic material will take longer to dissolve.
Waste styrene plastic is everywhere: As mentioned, plastic modelers have a ready supply from injection molding sprues or "trees." It is also available from plastic soft drink bottles, Styrofoam products of all kinds, plastic CD "jewel cases" and even LEGO blocks, to name a few. If you aren't in a hurry, just break up the plastic and add it to a glass jar with some solvent in it, replace the cap on the jar, and let it sit overnight. Breaking up the plastic into smaller pieces will speed the dissolving process, as will stirring the mix. The consistency of the liquid plastic is dependent upon the ratio of plastic to solvent. The more plastic and/or less solvent, the thicker it gets. Whatever color or colors of the source plastic will remain the same when the plastic is dissolved. If you want clear plastic paste, dissolve clear plastic in your solvent. If you want colored plastic paste, use colored plastic in your solvent. A thinner solution is useful for gluing parts together, as with Duco cement. Thicker solutions can be used for molding parts. Mixed dissolved styrene can be stored in a capped glass jar indefinitely. Working with plastic cement of various consistencies suitable to the application can make it much easier to apply neatly and without mess. Aside from the cost of the acetone, which is inexpensive and universally useful in the shop for a variety of applications, homebrewed plastic adhesive is free, unlike most all store-bought alternatives. When used in conjunction with proper mechanical attachment (e.g., a peg in a drilled hole,) as an adhesive, dissolved styrene is relatively archival, although for those keen on archival properties, nothing surpasses shellac similarly employed with alcohol as the solvent.
My comment on the recreational use of Duco cement or any solvent-based dissolved plastic was based on my experience supervising a juvenile detention facility long ago. It's a poor way to "get a buzz on," and not recommended. This information was provided in the interests of full disclosure. Good ventilation is essential when working with volatile solvents, as is caution concerning their high flammability.
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My apologies. Comment was meant as a joke. I was doing Meth & Coke for 11 years. Had to move half way across the country to get away from it. Not a joke, should have known better. Very sorry.Mainly, in most instances, because I've been there, done that, and got the tee shirt. I'm seventy-five years old and I know stuff.
Duco (plastic model) cement is nitrocellulose dissolved in acetone. A nitrocellulose is an early "primitive" plastic. Nitrocellulose and many other plastics, notably polystyrene, will dissolve in strong solvents, particularly acetone, methyl ethyl ketone, "laquer thinner," and even gasoline. These solvents are sold in paint and hardware stores (although they may sometimes be hard to source where local environmental regulations restrict their use.) The greater the amount of plastic dissolved in the solvent, the thicker the mixture becomes. When the solvent evaporates, the dissolved plastic returns to its original hard form. Waste Styrofoam packing material and drinking cups, being "aeriated" styrene plastic and 98% air by volume, dissolves very quickly in the solvent. Denser styrene plastic material will take longer to dissolve.
Waste styrene plastic is everywhere: As mentioned, plastic modelers have a ready supply from injection molding sprues or "trees." It is also available from plastic soft drink bottles, Styrofoam products of all kinds, plastic CD "jewel cases" and even LEGO blocks, to name a few. If you aren't in a hurry, just break up the plastic and add it to a glass jar with some solvent in it, replace the cap on the jar, and let it sit overnight. Breaking up the plastic into smaller pieces will speed the dissolving process, as will stirring the mix. The consistency of the liquid plastic is dependent upon the ratio of plastic to solvent. The more plastic and/or less solvent, the thicker it gets. Whatever color or colors of the source plastic will remain the same when the plastic is dissolved. If you want clear plastic paste, dissolve clear plastic in your solvent. If you want colored plastic paste, use colored plastic in your solvent. A thinner solution is useful for gluing parts together, as with Duco cement. Thicker solutions can be used for molding parts. Mixed dissolved styrene can be stored in a capped glass jar indefinitely. Working with plastic cement of various consistencies suitable to the application can make it much easier to apply neatly and without mess. Aside from the cost of the acetone, which is inexpensive and universally useful in the shop for a variety of applications, homebrewed plastic adhesive is free, unlike most all store-bought alternatives. When used in conjunction with proper mechanical attachment (e.g., a peg in a drilled hole,) as an adhesive, dissolved styrene is relatively archival, although for those keen on archival properties, nothing surpasses shellac similarly employed with alcohol as the solvent.
My comment on the recreational use of Duco cement or any solvent-based dissolved plastic was based on my experience supervising a juvenile detention facility long ago. It's a poor way to "get a buzz on," and not recommended. This information was provided in the interests of full disclosure. Good ventilation is essential when working with volatile solvents, as is caution concerning their high flammability.
No offense taken. I was joking, too. (Hence the emoji.) The written word doesn't always convey the subtleties that in-person conversation does. Congratulations on your successful sobriety. It's a great accomplishment about which you should be immensely proud.