Homebrew PCBs

> Some good information on hot air plastic welding can be
> found here;
> http://www.tempatron.co.uk/pdf_files/Principles.pdf
>


I trust this is already in the links section under tank costruction?
if not it would be good if it gets there.

I agree that welding is superior, however it is also harder to master,
and expensive if you have to buy the gun. So if your application does allow
gluing i would not dismiss it completely as an option.

Do you all weld with a special welding shoe or someone with a round
nozzle only? i really expected slow speed welding to work (As described in 
the
pdf, but i couldn't get anything useful so far (i admit i have no tried 
enough maybe).

What are the ideal plastics to try with?
i only know ABS was a complete failure, it got charred and blistery and 
still
did not really fuse.
PVC did work a bit better, but still not perfect.

i expect polypropylene to work well, it is shaped nicely by heat.
What about polyethylene, the PE shrinks under heat strong, or is this
only true for the bottles and stuff? i would expect it to be problematic 
to weld?

Is there any surface preparation to do?
i have this acryl/plexiglas here that gets really soft (like soft rubber),
but it does not fuse with the welding rod of the same material,
if i heat more it charrs.

ST