A solvent cement for bonding PVC, CPVC and ABS plastic pipe and other molded articles comprises a minor amount of an acrylic resin and one or more solvents capable of dissolving the acrylic resin and further capable of dissolving at least the surfaces of PVC, CPVC and ABS molded articles, wherein the acrylic resin constitutes at least 75 wt. % of the dissolved thermoplastic resin in the cement.