On Saturday, May 6, 1995 at 3:00:00 AM UTC-4, Stuart Friedberg wrote:
Here's a prospective answer (not question) for the FAQ.

I am crossposting this because the question comes up with some
regularity in several different groups. Indeed, I have been one
to ask the question in the past (and get a useful answer), so I'm
trying to repay the net somewhat. I have no financial interest in
the products mentioned.

Q: How can you glue polyethylene or polyproplyene?

A: PE and PP are hard to glue because they have "low surface energy".
Very crudely, they have little interest in sticking to anything
else, including adhesives. One technique that works is to apply
a chemical "surface activator" then use cyanoacrylate adhesives
("superglues"). Until recently, surface activators were not
marketed for retail, although anyone could buy small quantities
from a Permatex distributor like a bearing or power transmission
industrial supply house, or from similar sources.

Recently, the Locktite brand has started retail marketing of a
product called "Plastix" that is a kit of surface activator and
compatible cyanoacrylate adhesive. The literature for Plastix
indicates it is suitable "even for" PE and PP.

In the past 10 years or so, I have worked extensively with "hot glue", including and inadvertent "oxidation even" and subjected the fumes to olfactory test. Burning hot glue smells like burning polyethylene. I expect they are one and the same with different melting temps based on the amount, quantity and quality of plasticizer. I am planning to add stainless steel casters to the base of my Igloo ice chest and will clean and roughen the surface, place thin disks of hot glue and carefully sit the very hot casters into the hot glue. I'll try to remember to post my results. Mike Sartin

On Thu, 6 Jul 2017 15:09:03 -0700 (PDT), wrote:

On Saturday, May 6, 1995 at 3:00:00 AM UTC-4, Stuart Friedberg wrote:
Here's a prospective answer (not question) for the FAQ.

I am crossposting this because the question comes up with some
regularity in several different groups. Indeed, I have been one
to ask the question in the past (and get a useful answer), so I'm
trying to repay the net somewhat. I have no financial interest in
the products mentioned.

Q: How can you glue polyethylene or polyproplyene?

A: PE and PP are hard to glue because they have "low surface energy".
Very crudely, they have little interest in sticking to anything
else, including adhesives. One technique that works is to apply
a chemical "surface activator" then use cyanoacrylate adhesives
("superglues"). Until recently, surface activators were not
marketed for retail, although anyone could buy small quantities
from a Permatex distributor like a bearing or power transmission
industrial supply house, or from similar sources.

Recently, the Locktite brand has started retail marketing of a
product called "Plastix" that is a kit of surface activator and
compatible cyanoacrylate adhesive. The literature for Plastix
indicates it is suitable "even for" PE and PP.

In the past 10 years or so, I have worked extensively with "hot glue", including and inadvertent "oxidation even" and subjected the fumes to olfactory test. Burning hot glue smells like burning polyethylene. I expect they are one and the same with different melting temps based on the amount, quantity and quality of plasticizer. I am planning to add stainless steel casters to the base of my Igloo ice chest and will clean and roughen the surface, place thin disks of hot glue and carefully sit the very hot casters into the hot glue. I'll try to remember to post my results. Mike Sartin
Hot glue is NOT PE. Most aree ethylene vinyl acetate. The ones that
are not are generally some fancy Styrene blend.

To get anything to stick well to PE or PP plastics, you really need to
roughen the surface to give the adhesive something to "bite" to. HDPE
is often glued to press plates with a contact adhesive after
roughening the surface with a power wire brush.

Answering a 22 year old comment.

On Thursday, July 6, 2017 at 5:01:56 PM UTC-7, wrote:
On Thu, 6 Jul 2017 15:09:03 -0700 (PDT), wrote:

On Saturday, May 6, 1995 at 3:00:00 AM UTC-4, Stuart Friedberg wrote:

Q: How can you glue polyethylene or polyproplyene?

In the past 10 years or so, I have worked extensively with "hot glue", including and inadvertent "oxidation even" and subjected the fumes to olfactory test. Burning hot glue smells like burning polyethylene. I expect they are one and the same ...

Hot glue is NOT PE. Most aree ethylene vinyl acetate. The ones that
are not are generally some fancy Styrene blend.

I think there's a wide span of formulations in the 'hot glue' category; among the
different formulations, the ones that smell like (and feel greasy like) polyethylene
are likely mainly ... polyethylene.

PVA (like ethylene vinyl acetate) is familiar as white glue, it is NOT greasy-feeling.

On Thu, 6 Jul 2017 22:15:38 -0700 (PDT), whit3rd
wrote:

On Thursday, July 6, 2017 at 5:01:56 PM UTC-7, wrote:
On Thu, 6 Jul 2017 15:09:03 -0700 (PDT), wrote:

On Saturday, May 6, 1995 at 3:00:00 AM UTC-4, Stuart Friedberg wrote:

Q: How can you glue polyethylene or polyproplyene?

In the past 10 years or so, I have worked extensively with "hot glue", including and inadvertent "oxidation even" and subjected the fumes to olfactory test. Burning hot glue smells like burning polyethylene. I expect they are one and the same ...

Hot glue is NOT PE. Most aree ethylene vinyl acetate. The ones that
are not are generally some fancy Styrene blend.

I think there's a wide span of formulations in the 'hot glue' category; among the
different formulations, the ones that smell like (and feel greasy like) polyethylene
are likely mainly ... polyethylene.

PVA (like ethylene vinyl acetate) is familiar as white glue, it is NOT greasy-feeling.
Look it up - it is NOT PE. PE would make a LOUST adhesive as it
doesn't stick to anything