What plastic is the Nikon Coolpix camera body made up of (why did glue melt it?)

Do you know what plastic the Nikon Coolpix 3100 camera body is made up of?
The reason I ask is that I had the same problem as all other Nikon Coolpix owners did - namely the tiny plastic loop on the camera body breaks off so the battery door won't latch so I superglued and epoxied a paperclip in place. This worked but everywhere inside the battery compartment was fogged and pitted with tiny holes from the Locktite cyanoacrylate superglue and everywhere the Locktite Quick Set 5-minute Epoxy was wet, the camera body melted.
Obviously I used the wrong glues and epoxy but nowhere in the reference articles on how to fix the common flaw in the Nikon Coolpix cameras did it say WHICH epoxy and glue were used!!!!
Here is a photo of the Nikon Coolpix camera body BEFORE it breaks http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/NikonCP3100/Images/battcompartment.jpg
Here is a photo of Nikon Coolpix camera body ultimately broken http://files.myopera.com/mcduret/blog/IMGP0065b.JPG
Here a user fixed the Nikon Coolpix camera body with a paperclip http://www.uthunter.com/images/Nikonfix.jpg
Here a user fix the Nikon Coolpix camera with a tripod http://files.myopera.com/mcduret/blog/IMGP0070b.JPG
Here is how I fixed the Nikon Coolpix 3100 camera with epoxy http://usera.imagecave.com/coolpixfixer/
Here is a photo of how Nikon fixed the flaw themselves http://www.scaredpoet.com/images/E7600_batterydoor.jpg
Since the crazy glue fogged and pitted the body and since the epoxy melted the body where it touched and stayed wet, I must have used the wrong glues. The epoxy says not to use on polyethylene or polypropylene - but what is the Nikon Coolpix 2100/3100 camera body made up of?

Don't know, but the minute amount of CA req to attach the repair part in that location should not cause a fogging problem. Prolly you used *way* too much. Also, there are less energetic CA formulas, like slow/thick gap-filling, which do not go off with the fumes and heat that super-thin CA does. Once more, a little dab'l do ya. JR Dweller in te cellar
Jeanette Guire wrote:
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On Sun, 14 Oct 2007 23:34:49 -0700, JR North
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Hi
You can buy CA glue which is safe to use on plastics - try a model aircraft hobby store.
Whether or not it is safe to use on your particular plastic is of course a matter for experiment - but it's probably worth trying.
Regards KGB

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Why in the world didn't you just send it back to Nikon. They would have probably chucked that one and sent you another. And another. And another.
Steve

On Mon, 15 Oct 2007 08:11:20 -0700, SteveB wrote:
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For the record, I had called Nikon Service Relations at 800-645-6678 and they basically said that many people have the problem with the Nikon Coolpix series battery latch door breaking and that it wasn't something they cared about.

On Tue, 16 Oct 2007 05:14:33 GMT, Jeanette Guire
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Had the same problem with a Kodak **215 and got the same attitude from them, used it for another two years with a heavy elastic holding the batteries in place before I gave it to second son who is still using it two years later. Gerry :-)} London, Canada

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They recommend against PE and PP plastics because epoxy just won't adhere to them -- both are _extremely_ resistant to solvents, and probably wouldn't soften in the presence of any chemical you could obtain at retail.
The CA "fogging" is because CA cements sublime at room temperatures, and recondense on adjacent surfaces -- where they ultimately cure in the form of a white film.
The only two plastics of which I'm aware that might be affected by the plasticizers in some epoxies would be polystyrene and perhaps acetate.
Most likely, the plastic is a styrene/polybutadiene copolymer, which is sensitive to acetone, xylene, toluene, naptha, and PVC plasticizers, and which is one of the two most common injection-moulding plastics in use.
The problem must be with the specific epoxy you used. I'm not familiar with which plasticizers are present in which brands, but would suggest you use one with different properties. For instance, if you used a clear 5-minute epoxy (which tends to the soft side when cured), try using a pigmented slow-cure type that cures hard, and try an entirely different brand, as well.
LLoyd

"Lloyd E. Sponenburgh" <lloydspinsidemindspring.com> fired this volley in
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I should have mentioned this: If the plastic _remains_ soft, then the plasticizer is probably PVC or an adipate (organic oil). Dioctyl adipate is often used to soften rubbers and styrenes, and its effect is permanent. You won't get the plastic to re-harden after "drying" for a spell. IF the plasticizer was PVC, you can expect it to re-harden in a few weeks.
LLoyd

On Mon, 15 Oct 2007 12:12:33 -0000, Lloyd E. Sponenburgh wrote:
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The plastic seemed to only "melt" where the epoxy was liquid. I only fixed the Nikon Coolpix 3100 camera yesterday so I don't know if the plastic will re-harden but it seems OK now.
It was just anywhere there were drops of two-part epoxy, the body melted a bit so I was worried the whole body would collapse.
I wish Nikon actually made good cameras or that the reviewers would actually test the cameras ... if that were the case, this problem wouldn't exist for the hundreds of us who have this problem.
It wasn't a cheap camera either. I fault the reviewers at dpreview and Steve's DigiCam for very faulty reporting.
http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/nikoncp3100 / http://www.dcresource.com/reviews/nikon/coolpix3100-review / http://www.steves-digicams.com/2003_reviews/nikon3100.html

Jeanette Guire wrote:
(snipped because it's good for all mankind!)
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Jeanette,
Just a SWAG, but it could be that the plastic seems to melt due to the reaction heat of the epoxy. ie: it DID melt.
Not that it's all that hot in the absolute sense, but the location is very concentrated.
Thin thermo forming plastic don't take much to deform.
If it has stabilized, it's going to be ok.
BTW, the paper clip latch (Metal work, guys!) was a stroke of pure genius.
I filed that one - just in case...
Richard

On Mon, 15 Oct 2007 09:47:51 -0500, cavelamb himself wrote:
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Hey, you know, this might be the answer! Thanks. It did seem to only happen in the beginning, while the epoxy mix was still wet. I think this is what happened. At least it makes sense. Thanks!

Jeanette Guire wrote:
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I take it then that everything is ok now? Not still soft or anyting like that?
If so, ya done good, troop...
Richard

On Mon, 15 Oct 2007 13:33:26 -0500, cavelamb himself wrote:
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Thanks Richard, The melting seemed to be from the heat of the epoxy setting (I'm guessing) because everything is hard now.
The crazy glue and the epoxy seem to be holding tightly. Wish me luck!
Thanks for all the advice! I hope other people try this and post THEIR pictures for all of us to learn from (especially Nikon).

Jeanette Guire wrote:
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Why is it their fault? They test a camera, and move on to the next model. They probably only have any one camera for more than a few days. Email them and make them aware of the problem, then ask they add a warning to their review.

Lloyd E. Sponenburgh writes:
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PVC? PVC is the plastic, not the plasticizer?

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PVC is often used as a plasticizer in other more brittle plastics. It's most of what's in plastic fishing worms, and what made them dissolve tackle boxes until the makers hit on using polypropylene instead of styrene.
LLoyd

Lloyd E. Sponenburgh writes:
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Do you have a reference to this? I can't find anything in the Kirk-Othmer "plasticizer" entry.
Maybe you mean plasticized PVC is mixed with other plastics, not that PVC is itself a plasticizer?

On Mon, 15 Oct 2007 15:00:32 -0500, Richard J Kinch
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"neat" PVC is not very flexible. Much of the stuff people think of when you say "Vinyl" or "PVC" is loaded with plasticizer, in some cases quite a significant percentage of the total material:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phthalates
Best regards, Spehro Pefhany

Spehro Pefhany writes:
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Right, but what Lloyd said was that PVC is a plasticizer for other plastics.

On Mon, 15 Oct 2007 15:17:14 -0500, Richard J Kinch
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I don't think that's exactly correct, but PVC can be *alloyed* with more brittle plastics such as acrylic to yield better overall mechanical characteristics.
Best regards, Spehro Pefhany