Anyone DIY a plactic welding gun?

[dandy7200]

Design seems pretty straightforward, anyone done it?

[BeanAnimal]

just break down and buy the harbor freight $25 special...

eBay has some cheap one also. I think for the price you will get about the same and spend the same DIY.

From most accounts, you should look for a better quality used commercial unit on eBay.

[Donw]

Originally posted by BeanAnimal
just break down and buy the harbor freight $25 special...

eBay has some cheap one also. I think for the price you will get about the same and spend the same DIY.

From most accounts, you should look for a better quality used commercial unit on eBay.

The one at harbor freight is just plain junk. I ended up spending the money on a Snap-on but ebay is definately a cheaper option.

Don

[Fluxion]

I have a Harbor Frieght POS that I bought for $29.95 Out of the box it is useless! The regulator broke within 5 minutes of pluggin it into the air hose. I was really dissapointed in hot porly it worked but I didn't have any experience with plastic welding. Now I have replaced the regulator with a better one, added a light dimmer to limit the heat and placed them all in a plastic junction box to make it a look good. Now with a little practice and the added control of the amount of heat, I can weld PVC minimal discoloration. After a three pracitce welds I decided to weld two 4" pieces of 1/2" PVC pipe together in a "T" formation to test the strength. I couldn't pull them apart, as a matter of fact I passed it around the shop and not one of my guys could break it! With a little work and a little extra money the Harbor Frieght plastic welder can be made into a decent welder.

[dandy7200]

OK the E-bay one looks to be about $50 shipped, any reviews of that one?
Fluxion, how much money did you have to put into the HF to make it useable?

[RandyStacyE]

Fluxion,

You should crack open that box and show us electron illiterates how you incorporated the dimmer.

[j0tca]

I bought a $25 heat gun out of home depot and fit a couple brass pipe fixtures to it to give me the blower hole I wanted. It's worked pretty well suprisingly. With a little racticve I was able to weld seals that were completely water tight and very strong (couldn't pull them apart).

[j0tca]

supposed to read "practice" not "racticve", typo verging on dyslexia

[Fluxion]

dandy7200, I don't remember the exact prices but I think the regulator was about $25 the dimmer was about $10 and the junction box was something like $12. So maybe a little over $50 with tax. Its well worth it to me. The other welders I priced were 3 or 4 hundred.

RandyStacyE, I can take a photo tomorrow when I get to the shop. Its really simple, just break the hot wire (black) between the plug and the welder. Just hook one wire from the dimmer up to one of the black wires and then hook the other dimmer wire to the other black wire.

I'll pop the lid and take a photo in the morning.

[H20ENG]

I was collecting the parts to make my own, but the HF ones are $30 on sale. (Same welders on ebay I think, so just get it from HF)
Like fluxion, I was going to incorporate a 1000watt dimmer to adjust the heat. One of the things with the HF welder is that it requires so much air in order to not overheat the element. This way you can lower the heat and the air I already have the regulator, etc.
Now we just need to braze up a speed tip....

j0tca,
Didnt the heat gun get super hot in your hands? I would think it'd self destruct with a clogged outlet. Glad you got it working, but be careful

[Fluxion]

Sorry I said I would post a photo of the insides and I forgot.


So here it is.

[dandy7200]

Thanks a bunch, looks pretty straight forward. Can someone link me a decent regulator that wont break the bank.

[BeanAnimal]

harbor freight

[dandy7200]

There is something inherently wrong with that If they only sold sheet ABS and acrylic tube.....