Folks,
If you want to experiment with a couple different thermoplastics, you can get a set of 50 pieces, roughly 1/3 each of PVC, PP and ABS, "roughly" (slightly out of round) 3 mm (1/8") dia. and 1 ft. long. They're sold as plastic welding rods by Harbor Freight:
[
www.harborfreight.com]
Item 41602, $5.99 or less on sale. HF also sells "plastic welders" of varying complexity (electrical heater, externally-supplied compressed air or internal fan) which might be of some use.
HTH,
Mike
PS: While I was standing in the local HF store, looking at one of the plastic welders, a fellow remarked how surprisingly well a "similar" unit worked for him at his job. In his case, "similar" meant a unit costing $400. Wonder how well the HF copy works