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Plastic Welder - looking for (equipment) recommendations

Frame Maker

Frame Maker

New member
Joined
May 8, 2011
Location
Livermore
Moto(s)
sportbikes, dirtbikes, and some odd bikes that I've built myself.
Name
Julian
I'm looking to purchase a plastic welder. Curious if anyone has a good (value/cost) recommendations. Thanks!
 
It seems like we discussed this before?

I use a pencil soldering iron and usually plastic milk jug for donor plastic
 
I have an old Laramy plastic welder. The company is still in business. You do need a good low-pressure regulator, to adjust the heat by adjusting pressure. Need to know what type of plastic you are welding. I have had to cut part of another plastic same as I was welding to get them to stick. Weld can be very strong if done right. I only use it once or twice a year, but nothing else works as well.
 

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ctwo said:
It seems like we discussed this before?

I use a pencil soldering iron and usually plastic milk jug for donor plastic
Click to expand...

I believe there has been previous discussion about plastic welding services, but now I'm looking to purchase the equipment to do it myself. So specifically looking for equipment recommendations.

bikeama said:
I have an old Laramy plastic welder. The company is still in business. You do need a good low-pressure regulator, to adjust the heat by adjusting pressure. Need to know what type of plastic you are welding. I have had to cut part of another plastic same as I was welding to get them to stick. Weld can be very strong if done right. I only use it once or twice a year, but nothing else works as well.
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Thanks for the info. This is exactly what I'm looking for.:thumbup I'll check out the Laramy product.

This is the welder from Maser Appliance that I'm also looking at https://www.amazon.com/Master-Appliance-ProHeat-1000-Degree-Fahrenheit/dp/B00AHBB8OO?ref_=ast_sto_dp&th=1
 
Well, I still take off my motorcycle wheels with an adjustable wrench.

I see a lot of pencil iron type tools with various tips. So my pencil iron looks more like a billy club, meaning it has a big fat tip.

But maybe you like to use a fancier trademarked tool. This is of the YT I remembered from about 10 years ago.

https://www.drader.com/products/drader-injectiweld/
 
I anted up $600 for a Seelye plastic welder... here is one on Ebay for $149...

https://www.ebay.com/itm/402749458975?chn=ps&mkevt=1&mkcid=28

s-l1600.jpg
 
Got one of these from mac..20 years ago 4 different kinds of rods..
Still works.
 

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I used to do a lot of plastic welding with a nice snap-on one, then I used a cheapo Harbor Frieght one without a temperature dial. Both worked pretty much the same and worked well. A few years ago I started using the two-part Plastifix stuff and I hardly ever do anything else because it's that great. I would like to try a iron that hot melts in the staples for bigger jobs.
 
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So I saw a nifty gadget used during the "golden nugget" build on youtube by Robby Layton. It looked like a soldering iron that held a minature wavy staple kind of gadget that would melt into the plastic and held the two pieces together. The staple remained embedded in the plastic. A fantastic idea and stronger than just melting the two pieces together.
 
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Lucytriple said:
I used to do a lot of plastic welding with a nice snap-on one, then I used a cheapo Harbor Frieght one without a temperature dial. Both worked pretty much the same and worked well. A few years ago I started using the two-part Plastifix stuff and I hardly ever do anything else because it's that great. I would like to try a iron that hot melts in the staples for bigger jobs.
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KooLaid said:
Found it, it's called a hot stapler.
Click to expand...

Lucytriple said:
Yeah, that's what I'm talking about. Looks just hokey enough to be fun and maybe work sometimes in a few things and that's good enough!
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Thanks everyone for the additional info. Now I just need to select a tool and pull the trigger.
 
I thought I'd give an update, and also ask a pro-level question...

So I went ahead and purchased a Seelye welder. Not the eBay one that Busy Little Shop mentioned. I didn't respond quick enough and that one was sold. But I found a new one on eBay that included more tips (those tips are expensive!). My general theory with tools and equipment is to either buy high quality that will last a life-time, or cheap stuff that I can consider "disposable". The Seelye seams like good quality and I like that it takes an external air source.

That leads to my question... because it can use an external gas/air source, there is the option to use nitrogen as the heated gas. I've seen articles suggesting that nitrogen produces a much cleaner weld as it is inert and shields the plastic from atmosphere (oxygen) which can lead to burning at high temperatures. So my question is if anyone has any feedback/experience using nitrogen with their plastic welder?
 
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that sounds like an academic argument, though i admit i have never used a plastic welder. are they putting out enough compressed gas to completely shield the weld like plastic version of TIG?
 
auntiebling said:
that sounds like an academic argument, though i admit i have never used a plastic welder. are they putting out enough compressed gas to completely shield the weld like plastic version of TIG?
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Mercy auntie... you really haven't used a plastic welder because the heated air
melts rod with the parent plastic and isn't employed as shield like TIG...
 
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