DIY Video Housing a success...

[giom]

I am wondering if it is possible to glue a metal (probably aluminum) to the PVC pipe?
Could or should I use PVC cement or epoxy glue?
Anyone has experienced it?
It's because I would like to glue a metalic piece on the case so that I could put removable screws to hold handles.

 

[Guba]

Nope, even marine epoxy will not glue to pvc. Tried it. It'll LOOK like it's glued, but it will be brittle and will peel right off with a bit of stress.
To solve the same problem, I glued an extra thickness of PVC (small custom ground blocks--see pictures two or three posts back) and then attached my handles to those. This prevented having to put screws directly into the housing itself.

 

[sandman12]

What glue are you guys using to glue the acrylic to the PVC?

Thanks
James

 

[Padipro]

I used 3M 5200 to glue both the lens and the viewing window to the housing. Both had a lip or step on either the acrylic or the PVC to help hold the piece in place and give it more sealing area. So far, after 2 test dives and one with the camera, I haven't had a single drop of water inside.

You can test the PVC glue on a scrap of the acrylic and see if is softens it. PVC cement has MEK in it and that's what is used to glue Plexiglass. If it melts the acrylic then you could use PVC cement to glue the two.

 

[Bobby_M]

If you want a way to make removable handles, you might want to try what I did. That is, PVC female adapter glued to the housing then PVC threaded elbow and nipple with a bicycle grip pushed on. I'm surprised the PVC glue joint held on, but it did.


Scott,
How long and what temp do you bake your PVC to get it to stretch? I want to try a design where 4" PVC is stretched and pulled over another 4" pipe essentially making the whole thing double wall.

Something like this:

Bobby

 

[sandman12]

So for glueing the acrylic to the PVC should I use 5200 or aquarium silicone?

 

[MATTKINZ]

Plexiglass and PVC will weld both with PVC cement and with superglue. On my housing,(see page 11),I began with PVC cement and used a medical syringe with small needle to add superglue to capillary fill any gaps. Worked like a charm.

to shape PVC, 400 degree oven about 10 minutes. Use some scrap pieces to test it first. If using a pipe on a pipe, Once cooled, use a heat gun on the outer tube to expand a bit and they will separate a lot easier.

Of course, 5200 would work very well too. I think it would glue just about anything to anything. mk

 

[Bobby_M]

Sandman,

I don't think silicone sticks to Acrylic at all but the best thing to do is try a few test pieces with various adhesives. A lot of adhesives seem to work, but there are two things to consider. For one, it should remain at least a little flexible over a long period of time so that continued flexing from depth cycels do not loosen the connection. Two, it should hold up to water exposure. Believe it or not, some adhesives actually lose all of their strength after hours of water exposure (some epoxies that i'm aware of).

One reason I am now advocating the use of 3M 5200 is that it is a urethane that actually gains strength through water exposure. I have not used it yet but Padipro has with great success. Mcmaster.com has it in the small tube.

Bobby

 

[giom]

I made a removable handle by glueing a pvc piece with a metallic threaded insert.

What glue is the best for making sure everything is tight between the acrylic window and pvc pipe? I have choice between all different types of Loctite and krazyglue.(loctiteproducts.com)
Also, if the thing is watertight at 7feet deep, how much deeper should I bother? What I'm asking is, usually at what depth problems occurs?
------------------
I just found the easiest way to start/stop and awake the sony camera. I made the tray a little bit smaller and put a button on the back window. When rotating the housing backward, the tray slides inside and the rec button touches the piece on the window. Easy!

 

[Bobby_M]

Giom,
That's a pretty slick way to start/stop but my only concern would be turning it off by mistake. It would be neat to try to use a spring with just enough force to keep the tray forward unless you tip the housing back to vertical.

You might have no problem with your glue joints at all. I think you should try a deeper test without the camera in it before worrying about it. My first leak occured at about 20 feet, even though 3 feet was OK. It was probably the O-ring surface but I'll never know because I also resealed all the joints and sanded the O-ring surfaces at the same time. If you do have a leak at the acrylic/PVC joint, try a urethane sealant like 3M 5200. If you can't get that, just make sure you look at the data sheets and note how well it holds up to water exposure.

When I took my housing on a string of dives, I just made sure I did a test without the camera in any time I was going deeper than I had been before. For example, the first day had a dive to 80 feet so I took it empty. I had no leaks so I put the camera in for the next dive at 50 feet. The next day, I took it empty to 92 feet and then put the camera in for a dive to 80 feet.

Good luck with a deeper test.

Bobby