Tricks to increase work time with ABS glue?

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I am always stressing out when I am glueing large diameter ABS 3" and more. I realize I only have seconds to get it fully seated at the right twist.

When I am glueing 2" and under, I have enough strength in my hands to push pieces together, and plenty of twist action. Sometimes I glue at the completely wrong angle, but I notice this within a flash and quickly correct it before the connect is solid seconds after.

I may make ABS work times longer with a lot of glue, but I don't like it when pools of it dribbles on the inside on the works, as that can weaken it.

And they write on the can to not dilute it down with more acetone.

Does putting the can in the freezer help? And when I need it, I use it in a bucket of snow, like we do to cyanoacrylates (crazy glue) and buckets of epoxy grout?
 

Jadnashua

Retired Defense Industry Engineer xxx
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Never tried...it's a solvent welded connection, and it's the evaporation of the solvent that makes things get solid. The cement has some dissolved plastic in it as well as the solvent to try to help fill in any microscopic gaps to fill the void of the tapered hub to the pipe. That's why, if you use some excessive cement in there, it takes longer...more solvent to evaporate. With the amount you are applying, it's more the air temperature than the cement's temp that determine how fast it will evaporate. Cyanoacrylates and epoxies cure via a chemical reaction, so cold temperature slows them down, as the reaction goes faster when it is warm...not the same process happening with the abs cement.
 
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