Archive for the ‘Diy’ Category

Thursday, August 13th, 2009
plastic
Karla Cass asked:


PLASTIC REPAIR

There many ways to repair plastic. There is epoxy, plastic welding, and glue.

Plastic adhesive- glue made for plastic. I haven’t had any luck with this. Had problems with it sticking to some types of plastics.

 

Epoxy repair- This is the cheapest way to repair plastic, but will not work with all plastic.  In time will fade or discolor and chip. Had problems with it sticking to some types of plastics.

 

Plastic welder- Many people have never heard of plastic welding. But this is probably the best to use with all plastic, but will have to know what kind of plastic it is. So that you can use the right filler rod (welding rod) .Now with plastic welding you have some choices here. Airless, Hot air, ultrasonic. The plastic welder will pay for it’s self in 1 or 2 uses. Here are your options when looking for plastic welders.

 

·       Hot air plastic welder- with this type of plastic welder. The unit will have to have an air source. There are 2 choices for this type of welder.  

1.    A hot air plastic welder with its own air source. Some type of blower in the unit to force hot air out the tip. Some of these welders have a temperature control unit on them.

 

2.    A hot air plastic welder with a hose. These kind you will need to purchase a compressor with a regulator. This plastic welder you can control the air pressure with the regulator. You should use around 3 to 4 lbs. or less of pressure when welding with it.

 

With these kind of plastic welders. You have to learn how to heat both the base material and the filler rod at the same time without burning or discoloring of both. It will take time to learn how to use this plastic welder.

 

·       Airless plastic welder- These is probably the easiest plastic welder to use and can repair virtually any plastic.

You will not have to have an air source with these welders. There is very little learning curve with this type of plastic welder. It’s not like metal welding at all. You heat the plastic base material and filler rod and the 2 join together forming a bond sometimes stronger than the original plastic item.

1.    Airless plastic welder without a temperature control: These are easier to use than any of the above, but do have its limits. You have no control over the heat. Great for ATV & MOTORCYCLE fender’s, Kayak’s and Canoe’s.

2.    Airless plastic welder with temperature control: With this unit the heat can be controlled. This will allow the user to plastic weld many different types of plastics. ATV &  MOTORCYCLE fenders and other plastic parts, Kayak’s and Canoe’s, Automotive plastic’s, house hold plastic’s and many other plastic item’s in and outside of the house.

 

·       Ultrasonic plastic welder- These plastic welder are probably the best you can buy, but the price tag is very high on these types of welders. So usually bought by businesses.

 

Thank you

Kandjwarehouse.com



Ramon Buck

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Thursday, August 6th, 2009
plastic
Jack Moorehouse asked:


The answer to the “paper or plastic”? dilemma is: Neither. They’re roughly equal in pros and cons. While convenient addictions, they both gobble up natural resources and cause significant pollution.

Issue 1: Energy and natural resources

It takes more than four times as much energy to manufacture a paper bag as it does to manufacture a plastic bag.

ENERGY TO PRODUCE BAG ORIGINALLY (BTUs)

Safeway Plastic Bags: 594 BTUs

Safeway Paper Bags: 2511 BTUs

(Source: 1989 Plastic Recycling Directory, Society of Plastics Industry.)

Of course, most paper comes from tree pulp, so the impact of paper bag production on forests is enormous. In 1999, 14 million trees were cut to produce the 10 billion paper grocery bags used by Americans that year alone. Paper bag production delivers a global warming double-whammy forests (major absorbers of greenhouse gases) have to be cut down, and then the subsequent manufacturing of bags produces greenhouse gases.

Issue 2: Pollution

The majority of kraft paper is made by heating wood chips under pressure at high temperatures in a chemical solution. As evidenced by the unmistakable stench commonly associated with paper mills, the use of these toxic chemicals contributes to both air pollution, such as acid rain, and water pollution. Millions of gallons of these chemicals pour into our waterways each year; the toxicity of the chemicals is long-term and settles into the sediments, working its way through the food chain. Further toxicity is generated as both plastic and paper bags degrade.

POLLUTANTS PAPER V.S. PLASTIC

Paper sacks generate 70% more air and 50 times more water pollutants than plastic bags.

Source: “Comparison of the Effects on the Environment of Polyethylene and Paper Carrier Bags,” Federal Office of the Environment, August 1988

Issue 3: Recycling

It takes 91% less energy to recycle a pound of plastic than it takes to recycle a pound of paper. But recycling rates of either type of disposable bag are extremely low, with only 10 to 15% of paper bags and 1 to 3% of plastic bags being recycled, according to the Wall Street Journal.

ENERGY TO RECYCLE PACKAGE ONCE (BTUs)

Safeway Plastic Bags: 17 BTUs

Safeway Paper Bags: 1444 BTUs

Source: 1989 Plastic Recycling Directory, Society of Plastics Industry.

Although paper bags have a higher recycling rate than plastic, each new paper grocery bag you use is made from mostly virgin pulp for better strength and elasticity.

Issue 4: Degradability

Current research demonstrates that paper in today’s landfills does not degrade or break down at a substantially faster rate than plastic does. In fact, nothing completely degrades in modern landfills because of the lack of water, light, oxygen and other important elements that are necessary for the degradation process to be completed. A paper bags takes up more space than a plastic bag in a landfill, but because paper is recycled at a higher rate, saving space in landfills is less of an issue.



Holly Spencer

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