Shopsmith Forums

I'm working on a bird feeder. The sides of the hopper are acrylic. I scrolled out a couple of silhouettes of birds and want to glue them to the acrylic. I tried CA glue but when handling the feeder to refill, being careful, the decorations fall off. (It's been chilly with temps around 0.) Thanks for reading and any suggestions.

Warm up the feeder. Scratch up (sand paper) where the decorations will be and use a 2 part epoxy. Let it cure a few days before putting it out in 0° temps. I don't know how thick your decorations are but you can also drill from the inside through the acrylic and use small (#4) round head wood screws. I would use brass or stainless steel.

The thermal expansion/contraction of plastics is usually quite different from other materials, including other types of plastic. Temperature changes can easily force plastic pieces apart. Using wood screws as mentioned above is a good idea. Use over sized holes in the acrylic to allow for temperature changes.

Another approach, or in conjunction with screws is silicone glue. Simple clear silicone caulk/sealant could work. The glue will remain flexible at low temperatures.

sounds like a fun project

Apparently CA doesn't bond well to acrylic.


https://www.wikihow.com/Glue-Acrylic