SpudFiles

...for some of you possibly.

In my exhaustive search for clear PVC primer a few months back, I was being frustrated at every corner trying to find a local supplier. No one seemed to have it...I don't live in a backwoods town...I couldn't figure out why the stuff was so hard to find.

Anyway, I finally went to the local plumbing wholesaler in town...supply's all the big construction jobs in the area....and talked to the counter guy about it. He casually walked to his shelf and brought out a can of Oatey Cleaner....the stuff in the yellow can. I asked "Are you sure that's primer?" Him and couple of the old salts hanging around the counter laughed and said "Yep".

Anyway, it's hard to get Oatey to admit it but it is a real primer...apparently since building codes almost world wide require primer to be dyed. However for decorative uses (and spud cannons) the Oatey Cleaner does exactly the same job. It cleans and softens the PVC just like the purple stuff. I've been using it on all my PVC welds with great success. The contents on the side of the cans verify the active ingredients in each, they are identical!! ...minus the purple dye of course.

Give it a whirl, I think you'll see it works just as well.

well you know you can do a successful solvent weld without primmer. at normal pressures of about 100 psi, im pretty sure that simply using clear pvc glue will do the job, but obviously it much safer to use primer.

if you do a really careful and neat job the primer is hardly noticeable. i always use purple primer and as long as im careful you rally cant see it unless you look for it.

That's funny... I've been back in the hobby since January, that's all I've used is the 'yellow' Oatey. I didnt know that about the building codes, learn something everyday. It's in abundance here at our local Lowe's. I was wondering how many use the green heavy duty glue Oatey makes, and what's the difference between medium, heavy duty, and the red all-purpose cement as far as pressures?

fireman565 wrote:That's funny... I've been back in the hobby since January, that's all I've used is the 'yellow' Oatey. I didnt know that about the building codes, learn something everyday. It's in abundance here at our local Lowe's. I was wondering how many use the green heavy duty glue Oatey makes, and what's the difference between medium, heavy duty, and the red all-purpose cement as far as pressures?

Yes the yellow cleaner is abundant....no reason whatsoever to use the purple stuff on these cannons.

They want you to use the green heavy duty on larger pipes. I use it on everything.

hi wrote:well you know you can do a successful solvent weld without primmer. at normal pressures of about 100 psi, im pretty sure that simply using clear pvc glue will do the job, but obviously it much safer to use primer.

if you do a really careful and neat job the primer is hardly noticeable. i always use purple primer and as long as im careful you rally cant see it unless you look for it.

Yes I'm aware you can go without a primer....I'm not sure why you would want to.

That was the point of the post...you don't have to be stuck using the purple...the yellow is just as easy to get.

I saw this yellow can at McClendon's and thought, no wai! But then it said cleaner, and not primer. So I put it back. Silly me.

I've actually been using cleaner for primer for quite some time for the same reasons you listed -- I was surprised at first, but it made total sense when it was first explained to me. Good tip for the masses!

BC Pnumatics may beat me, but BC arms does have clear primer in stock. Might be a good idea to support the forum and buy from them.

ammosmoke wrote:BC Pnumatics may beat me, but BC arms does have clear primer in stock. Might be a good idea to support the forum and buy from them.

Yeah I didn't want to cut into Brian's stock and trade here. However, many here are too young to buy things online...no credit card. This (Oatey yellow cleaner) also may be news to him....one reason he was carrying clear primer in the first place was that it was supposedly hard to find.

Yeah, I don't have a credit card, but I borrow one... Good points though.

Just buy one of those gift cards you put money on. They can be used online as a credit card.

I bought a stungun of BC using one

Well, there is always those.

Hmmm, it's interesting that their labels list the same ingredients, but the MSDS for cleaner doesn't list Tetrahydrofuran or Cyclohexanone. Anyone got any ideas why the MSDS wouldn't list them (it does on the clear primer MSDS).

Anyway, I finally went to the local plumbing wholesaler in town...supply's all the big construction jobs in the area....and talked to the counter guy about it. He casually walked to his shelf and brought out a can of Oatey Cleaner....the stuff in the yellow can. I asked "Are you sure that's primer?" Him and couple of the old salts hanging around the counter laughed and said "Yep".

The guys at the local plumbing supply around here told me SCH80 didn't exist above 3/4" . Personally I wouldn't go solely on their word.

IMO it's not worth the risk of maybe being the same thing, but to each his own.

Wow, and they're in plumbing supply? Amazing. They're probably thinking only about those barbed fittings that are usually Sch80.

I can vouch for it as it has worked for me for quite some time. That being said, McMaster.com does have clear primer if you actually want that.

clide wrote:Hmmm, it's interesting that their labels list the same ingredients, but the MSDS for cleaner doesn't list Tetrahydrofuran or Cyclohexanone. Anyone got any ideas why the MSDS wouldn't list them (it does on the clear primer MSDS).

The guys at the local plumbing supply around here told me SCH80 didn't exist above 3/4" . Personally I wouldn't go solely on their word.

IMO it's not worth the risk of maybe being the same thing, but to each his own.

Yes I looked up the MSDS as well. Not sure why they wouldn't list all the contents, possibly an older formulation listed there.

It is however, the same. Try a can on some test joints for yourself...same smell, same action, same softening, same nice strong joints... I'm convinced they don't come close to the "primer" word because of the dye requirement in building code and possible legal liability.

Also, while Oatey describes their "Clear Primer" (brown can like the standard cement) product on their website, I have yet to find anyone that actually sells it.

Funny, they only sell the clear stuff here.