BEST type of glue for ABS plastic...??

[bloke]

There's a plastic piccolo that's broken (nearly a straight break and I cleaned up the broken ends on the lathe) up INSIDE the c. 1-inch long metal band which contains the part of the body whereby the metal headjoint is inserted into the body.

There are the four types of GLUES that google tells me work on ABS plastic.

I've had disappointing results in the past with BOTH epoxies and super-glues so (you know-stuff peeps out there), between these remaining TWO types, which one should I use?

I've ALREADY told them to save it for parts and buy another used plastic piccolo from us (for a low/fair price), but they seem to believe that this PARTICULAR plastic piccolo is amazing, and want it repaired EVEN THOUGH we've told them that we are NOT guaranteeing the repair.

OK...CHOICES:

Epoxy-based adhesives. NOPE
Methyl methacrylate (MMA) adhesives – also known as Acrylic adhesives..."super-glues" NOPE
> Hybrid (MS polymer) adhesives.
> Polyurethane adhesives.

ALSO (even though obviously not PVC) would plumbing cement offer ANY sort of "melting the two pieces together" type of action?
Also, I plan to use TWO glues SEPARATELY (carefully separately applied) on two separate/adjacent surfaces.
- one to bond the broken flush plastic ends back to each other
- an EPOXY to glue the outside cylindrical broken-off body back into the metal tube overpart

@LeMark: Thanks for letting me post in this forum. I really would like for more people (who might offer educated advice) to see this question. After you see that I've received informed responses, I might recommend either cornfielding this thread or repair-forum-ing it.

[gocsick]

Don’t use adhesive. You can just solvent weld ABS with a little acetone.

If you really want a “glue” the stuff for PVC plumbing pipes “Oatey Pipe Cement” will work well. They make a special version for ABS but I think the regular stuff should work just as well.

[donn]

I made a bicycle trailer out of ABS back in the '80s. At the time, the solvent cement normally prescribed for use with ABS plumbing was perfectly effective. Those are sleeved joints where there's a lot of bonded surface, but it's a solvent welded bond so should be about as good as you get. There were actually two materials, a shiny, more brittle fixture plastic and the duller, softer pipes, but both black and supposedly ABS. It's testable - if it doesn't mar the plastic, it isn't the right stuff.

I also had something from the local model airplane shop that would dissolve just about anything, but never did figure out what it was. Acetone presumably would work, but I bet you get a longer working time and possibly for that reason a little deeper solvent effect with the plumbing cement, acetone being so volatile.

[gocsick]

The old model stuff was probably Xylene. It is difficult to come by anymore because we it is extremely toxic at low inhaled doses. I use it for some special applications at work but always in a fume hood.