Dispensing IPS #4

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jsc
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Dispensing IPS #4

Post by jsc » Tue Dec 16, 2014 7:41 pm

I just got in some IPS #4 plastic solvent and have been gluing up PLA like a storm. I got a little squeeze bottle with hypodermic cap to dispense it with. When I try to use it now after a few hours, it has clogged solid. How do you keep this from happening? What else can I use to dispense this stuff?

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ednisley
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Re: Dispensing IPS #4

Post by ednisley » Tue Dec 16, 2014 9:59 pm

jsc wrote:it has clogged solid
Sounds like a bit of PLA made its way up the needle and dried out...

I dunk a fine brass tube (33 mil = 1/32 inch ID) in the can, close the top end with my finger, then dispense it drop-by-drop on the parts. The tube stays clear, because it never sucks up dissolved plastic, and I don't worry about blooshing solvent all over the parts when I fat-finger a squeezy dispenser; the biggest possible bloosh would be two or three drops.

That works better for area applications than the needle-point dispenser you'd use to slide solvent into a tight joint. I'm pretty sure jimc can do that in his sleep without rolling over.

The solvent evaporates like crazy from inside that "sealed" metal can, so I'd expect a small quantity in a secondary container (like a squeezy dispenser) to dry out as soon as you turn your back.

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jimc
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Re: Dispensing IPS #4

Post by jimc » Wed Dec 17, 2014 2:01 am

yeah jin i know exactly what your talkin about. the way that stuff work is you assemble the parts just like they should be then the solvent will suck right into the joint when you run the needle over it. what do they call that? capillary action or something? dont try and apply solvent to the mating faces then stick them together unless its a very large area. you can easily squeeze the needle over a joint and the stuff will wick in a good inch or more. they key to not clogging is to drag the needle across the joint in one direction. as soon as that needle point goes back towards the part then thats when you will get a bit of plastic up there and cause a clog. for now, to unclog try soaking the needle tip in the solvent for awhile. always when your done get in the habit of squirting a little out the needle in mid air to make sure its all clean before you put it away.

jsc
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Re: Dispensing IPS #4

Post by jsc » Wed Dec 17, 2014 3:00 am

I didn't try soaking it in solvent. I ended up cutting off the tip. It's much stubbier now. It looks like it's just a regular syringe needle filed flat. I can get those, but I'm not sure how they've managed to mount it to the lid.

Ed, your brass straw sounds like a good idea, but I don't happen to have a set of brass tubes on hand... (what do you use them for?)

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ednisley
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Re: Dispensing IPS #4

Post by ednisley » Wed Dec 17, 2014 3:21 am

jsc wrote:I don't happen to have a set of brass tubes on hand...
It's from a random collection of surplus tube cutoffs I bought a long, long time ago with no particular purpose in mind. Since then, I've built tubes (and snippets of tubes) into all manner of projects: anything that needs a rod, a low-speed rotating / sliding joint, whatever. Even a capillary tube!

Ya gotta have stuff... [grin]

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