Is glue strong enough to attach grip to Sterling?

[OB10]

I'm working on a PVC Sterling (with some metal parts) and I've made an MDF pistol grip. It's probably similar to a resin grip. Is epoxy or Gorilla Glue strong enough to attach the grip to the receiver tube? I'd like to avoid running bolts or screws into the bolt area.

 

[BAK55]

I've used contact cement with wood and PVC and it seemed to work out well. But then, as you personally know, I've used contact cement on lots of stuff. Roughen the PVC surface for a better glue grip and rather than waiting for the glue to set in the usual method of it's use, apply the parts together -using some pinning method would also be of help to align your parts as well as added strength- while the glue is still "wet" but hold them together until it begins to set. This way you can assure it is in the location where you want it and not locked at the moment you make contact with glued surface to glued surface. Have rags on hand to wipe off excess and fingernail polish remover to clean the stuff off your hands you're bound to get on them. It's very annoying trying to peel it off once it cures on your fingers.

You could also experiment with other glues on scrap pieces to see what would give the best results.

 

[OB10]

I hadn't even thought of contact cement. I always tend to think of that as for gluing flexible things together, like on your belts and holsters and stuff. It seems to work really well for that, but I was thinking for hard, solid objects, epoxy, or maybe the Gorilla juice might be the way to go. What wooden things have you used the contact cement on?

Yeah, I've thought about using pins to make the align as accurate as possible. But if I do, they'll either lock the bolt in place, which I'd prefer not to do, or necessitate even more Dremeling into the bolt, which I'd also prefer not to do. If I have to, I have to. But I was thinking that with the bluezillion resin based blasters that have been put together here, someone would know if it's safe to epoxy a grip on or if you'll just be waiting for it to fall apart. If I have to pin it, I'd probably just run a bolt or a couple screw through the handle and into the receiver.

 

[BAK55]

I had attempted and abandoned a Terminator shotgun using plywood and pvc. I had glued the double barrels toether and had glued them onto the plywood receiver with contact cement. That was as far as I got when I realized the scale was way off. I had found it again a few years back and it was still holding together.

As far as pinning goes, you don't have to go any farther than you need to go into your PVC. It just needs to be deep enough to assist alignment.

 

[superjedi]

One of the very first props I ever built was a resin E-11 kit.
I built it in 2001 and used JB Weld to assemble the major parts together, including the grip section to the tube. Hasn't ever budged.
Of course, it pretty much just sits in a display case, but every time I've had to take it out for packing/moving it's been rock solid.

 

[cheech9898]

My suggestion to make it the strongest as possible. Cut up a pvc coupler for the size pipe your using to recess flush on the top of the grip and screw/pin those in in place. Then use PVC cement to bond the grip on. No bolts/screws in the tube if your wanting to be able to cycle the bolt that way and you know the handle is cement welded and pinned on.