Kubota8540

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Thats cool never done that "plastic welding". Is there a way to tell which plastic your repairing besides getting info from manufactor? Any character or obvious differences in them

there are many differences.
some that i know off hand are:
polycarbonate= (lexan)pop bottles, peanut butter containers. usually a clear plastic with high tenslie strength. will "shatter" if hit hard enough.
polyethelyne= milk jugs plastic usually feel "slippery" to the touch may be any color chosen. it is wudely used in many applications from buckets and pails to ivory soap dishsoap containers... etc.. very flexible, resilient but will shatter (split and crack) if hit hard enough due to shock.
ABS= black plastic plumbing pipe, computer cases, motorcycle fairings, most toys and a number of other objcts. it is fairly ridgid and somewhat flexible. IOIt will deform on impact or deformation. Cannot be fitted back together without some reshaping.. (the plastic from h e l l ) very good candidate for welding.
nylon= the "super plastic" flexible, durable, strong, it can be used as bearing material on some applications. it is used for insultion on wire, it is used in parts for R/C models. repairable and can be pricy for raw product.

there are a ton of ohters. each has its use and properties.

Check out the dupont web site for more info or simply search out plastic on the www.
hope this helps you a little.

[Kubota8540]

HMV,
Yes, by shaving a small piece of the material to be "welded", lighting it with a match, the color, aroma of the smoke tell you which type of plastic you're working with.

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