How to make ABS Juice, Glue and Slurry
No matter what you call it, the mixture of ABS and Acetone is a great tool for 3D printing with ABS. This week I show you how to mix some up, and what you can do with it!
Some Terms
I like to differentiate between ABS Juice, glue and slurry by the intended use cases. ABS Juice is very runny, perfect for covering a print bed to help with print adhesion. ABS Glue is more viscous, allowing you to use it as a glue between two ABS parts. And finally, ABS Slurry is very thick, perfect for filling gaps and repairing layer splits in ABS prints. Now, lets learn how to make some
Materials
- Acetone-proof container: You need an airtight container that the acetone won’t eat away. You’ll want to check the container’s Material Data Sheet to double check that you won’t end up with a dangerous mixture leaking everywhere. I use some polypropylene (marked with PP in the recycling symbol) storage containers, with a tight fitting screw-on lid.
- Acetone: You’ll want full strength acetone for this, using a diluted solution like finger nail polish remover will not work how you want it. You can pick up a container from any home improvement store. Like always, take precautions when working with acetone. It is highly flammable, and you do not want to breath the fumes for long. Use it in an area with adequate ventilation.
- ABS Scraps: If you’ve been printing with ABS for any length of time, I’m sure you’ll have plenty of scraps from failed prints and support materials. If you do not, you could always just cut off some length of ABS from a spool. The only consideration here is the color, as the color of the abs decides the color of the ABS juice/glue/slurry.
Making the Juice/Glue/Slurry
Its easy! Take your acetone, and carefully pour some acetone into the container (and double check that it doesn’t dissolve your container). From there, start adding your ABS scraps. The amount you add determines the consistency of the mixture. With just enough ABS to affect the consistency of the acetone, you’ve created ABS Juice. Keep adding ABS to thicken it, and you’ll have ABS glue. Finally, adding enough ABS to turn the consistency like pancake batter, and you’ll have ABS slurry. It may take a while for the ABS to fully dissolve. Mixing it will help by bringing more acetone in contact with the ABS. Having scraps with more surface area will also help the rate it dissolves.
Congrats! Now use it!
ABS Juice/Glue/Slurry is highly versatile. I have used it to fill cracks in a large Bulbasaur Planter, glue together parts for a 3D Printed Pipboy 3000, and even to glue together an army of 3D printed minatures!
What have you used ABS Juice/Glue/Slurry for? Let me know down below!
