Drg racr
Well-Known Member
Anyone here do plastic welding? I thought of trying to fix my plastic grill surrounds myself with a plastic welder, but I'm not sure if it works or not.
Plastic Welding
- Thread starter Drg racr
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It will melt the parts back together and add material where needed. It isn't nearly as strong as injection molded since its not nearly as dense.
Plasti-Cast can be just as strong or stronger if properly applied. In some cases there is less post repair cosmetic work required with Plasti-Cast.
Plasti-Cast can be just as strong or stronger if properly applied. In some cases there is less post repair cosmetic work required with Plasti-Cast.
MOPARoldtimer
Banned
It works very well with polyethylene, such as plastic gas tanks are made from. There is a company with branches in large cities that does it: Plastic Welding Technologies, Inc. (PWT). I had them fix the polyethylene tank on my Dodge B van and was satisfied.
If you go the route of a plastic welder definitely practice with some scrap pieces if available. You'll have to get a feel for the melting temperature and speed to determine how well the welding rod flows. Companies that sell plastic sheet, rod, shapes and plastic pipe rent welding equipment, sell welding rod and some also do fabrication if you want to have it done for you.
Fabbr
Well-Known Member
If you go the plastic welder route, it usually works best if you can use pieces of the same material you are welding, low temp hot enough to just melt it, v grind cracks..go slow and fill from both sides if possible. Cooling the repair fast (if its welded properly) can make the plastic harder, which is easier to sand and shape...imho
Drg racr
Well-Known Member
My fear is having it too hot or going too fast and ruining my parts. Since 69 Barracuda grill surrounds are almost impossible to get, I don't want to screw anything up.
That's part my reason for suggesting Plasti-Cast. When welding, the thickness and detail in the plastic are factors. The heat can warp thin material and distort fine details. Finished appearance is not so important in some cases.
ir3333
Well-Known Member
..make a paste from abs shavings and acetone to a consistency of toothpaste.
..bevel adjoining edges and fill.
..it will chemically fuse your pieces,then can be sanded and painted.
..about 80% as strong as original after a week
..bevel adjoining edges and fill.
..it will chemically fuse your pieces,then can be sanded and painted.
..about 80% as strong as original after a week
Drg racr
Well-Known Member
I'll have to give that a try.
moparclown
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I use a product made by devcon called plastic-welder that works great on plastic grilles,I have been fixing grilles for a while and have found this stuff works.Can find it in a hardware store.
One of the two part Plasti-Cast is acetone or something very similar. It will do the same chemical fusion with several different types of plastic including ABS. Only real difference is need to generate clean shavings since the other part is a fine powder.
moparclown
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Heres a few more pics of some of the grilles that have been repaired and sold and are now in cars once again.
DA4AD
Well-Known Member
I have been doing plastic welding for years (mostly snowmobile stuff).
As long as you work slowly, dont over heat the material and/or try to work to fast almost anything can be saved.
It really depends how much time you want to put into it!
:burnout:
As long as you work slowly, dont over heat the material and/or try to work to fast almost anything can be saved.
It really depends how much time you want to put into it!
:burnout:
here is a link to an interesting product- I think it may be the same type as something mentioned already, just a different name: http://www.plast-aid.com/ This stuff is marketed heavily in the Spa/Hot tub industry. It has some interesting properties that make it worthwhile to keep around, and it has a long shelf life.
It is a two-part mix, using some solvent (as already mentioned), and some tiny plastic beads. Color can be added while mixing. One unique property is that there really is no mix ratio, like epoxy, so you can mix it to be anything from a runny liquid to a very stiff dough. It has a decent work time, and gradually changes from liquid to solid. The manufacturer claims that for most types of plastic it actually forms a chemical bond to the material. You need really good ventilation. I have read comments from people who say this might be what is used in the fake fingernail trade- I can't imagine paying someone to sit in a room full of this....
It is a two-part mix, using some solvent (as already mentioned), and some tiny plastic beads. Color can be added while mixing. One unique property is that there really is no mix ratio, like epoxy, so you can mix it to be anything from a runny liquid to a very stiff dough. It has a decent work time, and gradually changes from liquid to solid. The manufacturer claims that for most types of plastic it actually forms a chemical bond to the material. You need really good ventilation. I have read comments from people who say this might be what is used in the fake fingernail trade- I can't imagine paying someone to sit in a room full of this....
Drg racr
Well-Known Member
Cool, thanks guys! You might be saving me $1000 or more.
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