Gluing Different Types of Plastic Together

[Miatatom]

I'm making a paint shaker using clamps and a jig saw. I want to glue pieces of PVC plastic caps onto the grey plastic tips (pictured) on the clamp but nothing works. I've used the Harbor Freight 2 part epoxy but that didn't work. Neither did super glue. Help!

[TarheelRick]

Not really sure, but the only thing that might work is to get some of the PVC glue where you bought the caps.  I also have this set-up for a paint shaker and I use plain blue painter's tape wrapped around the bottle and clamp to hold it in place.

[Ace-Garageguy]

Some types of plastic will NOT glue with any conventional adhesives.

For instance, bondo spreaders are made from polyethylene because nothing much will stick to it.

You may be SOL (and Harbor Freight fast-setting epoxy is close to useless; it is very LOW STRENGTH even under ideal conditions).

PVC requires a solvent-type glue, or a HIGH-STRENGTH epoxy, with the surface roughened first.

Edited February 11, 2018 by Ace-Garageguy

[Miatatom]

3 hours ago, Ace-Garageguy said:

and Harbor Freight fast-setting epoxy is close to useless; it is very LOW STRENGTH even under ideal conditions).

Point of sale will get you every time! Right there next to the register. The equivalent of putting candy down low at the grocery store.

[peteski]

As others have said, some plastics cannot be glued together. You might have to resort to a mechanical bond (drill, tap, and screw the parts together). 

[Art Anderson]

On 2/10/2018 at 8:13 PM, Miatatom said:

I'm making a paint shaker using clamps and a jig saw. I want to glue pieces of PVC plastic caps onto the grey plastic tips (pictured) on the clamp but nothing works. I've used the Harbor Freight 2 part epoxy but that didn't work. Neither did super glue. Help!

If that white object in the middle is what you think is vinyl, it most likely is not, as PVC is almost NEVER used for packaging.  More than likely that is polypropylene plastic, the same stuff that soda bottle caps are made from.  As such, it cannot be glued to anything at all securely, as polypropylene just isn't affected by any ordinarily available solvents, and like polyethylene does not bond with epoxies or CA glues.

[Miatatom]

9 hours ago, peteski said:

As others have said, some plastics cannot be glued together. You might have to resort to a mechanical bond (drill, tap, and screw the parts together). 

Yeah, I've decided that the mechanical route is the only thing that will work so I'm off to the hardware for some small screws.