pxr5
Part of things
Posts: 198
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Apr 15, 2022 23:24:29 GMT
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I have to repair cracked plastic panels, I assume ABS plastic, these are expensive & I'm looking at buying one of those heat guns that melt a curly steel insert over the crack, any one used this method? what s best for the filling before painting? thanks
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Apr 25, 2022 22:10:45 GMT
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Former plastic welder and fiberglass worker.
They work fairly well, a cheap ebay one works fine. I use a soldering Iron with a flat tip and some zip ties to fill inn the cracks and then sand it down untill you are happy with the result. Remember to wear a mask since the smoke is extremely toxic.
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1965 Toyota Corona RT40
2009 Subaru Impreza
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alx
Club Retro Rides Member
Posts: 367
Club RR Member Number: 21
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plastic panel repair?alx
@alx
Club Retro Rides Member 21
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Apr 26, 2022 11:05:14 GMT
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I've repaired a couple of undertrays with a cheap Cheap plastic welding kit and it worked really well. When you've got one of the little curly clips in the welder and it's hot make sure when you push it into the plastic you give a bit of a twist to it then take your finger off the trigger. Let it cool and the whole clip is then embedded and locked in place. I used some ABS scraps to fill in some gaps with a soldering iron as described above. I definitely echo what zharoken says above, wear a decent mask as it smells grim and is obviously not good for the lungs. Try your technique on some scraps so you can get a gauge on how deep to embed the clips and how to get them to seat properly. It's a very satisfying process  Cheers AL. |
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Last Edit: Apr 26, 2022 15:16:37 GMT by alx
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Apr 26, 2022 15:22:59 GMT
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Another small tip from me is that when the plastic starts smoking extremely from the soldering Iron its too hot and wont bond as well with the other plastic, rinse off the burnt plastic stuck to the iron every now and then with a wet sponge. It's easy to do a good job if you take it slow and have patience 😁
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1965 Toyota Corona RT40
2009 Subaru Impreza
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Apr 26, 2022 16:34:09 GMT
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Linky I have one of these that I've been using to finish off repairing the cracks in my bike fairings, they work really well and ALX is spot on with twisting them in before removing them.
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