Fixing Plastic
- Thread starter MoeMar
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AJAY
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I have been making my own "ABS cement" for a long time, as the pre-mixed stuff is hard to find on the East Coast.
Find some old ABS plastic (most of the black plastic on a motorcycle). Shave a pile of it with a knife and mix it in a jar with some acetone (available at Home Depot). It will take awhile to fully dissolve, depending on how big the slivers of plastic are. Easiest to let it sit overnight if you're not in a hurry. I mix it up the consistency of honey or window caulk.
For cracks, sand the back of the panel to clean off any dirt or paint. Wipe down with acetone. Spread the ABS cement over the crack and let a little soak into the crack. Add a layer of fiberglass for reinforcement and then brush on a little more of the ABS cement. Wipe any ABS off the front side of the fairing part and you'll be left with a small hairline crack if you don't want to repaint.
You can layer this stuff up pretty thick and it doesn't shrink a lot as it dries. It can be sanded back smooth if you are fixing gouged material. The best thing is that it is exactly the same stuff your fairing is made out of, so it makes a very nice repair.
I keep a jar of this on my shelf. The acetone fumes will eat through the plastic liner the lid on most glass jars, so I put a piece of Saran wrap over the jar and then screw on the lid. Put this inside a ziplock bag and it will last for months. If it gets too thick, add a little acetone to thin it out.
Find some old ABS plastic (most of the black plastic on a motorcycle). Shave a pile of it with a knife and mix it in a jar with some acetone (available at Home Depot). It will take awhile to fully dissolve, depending on how big the slivers of plastic are. Easiest to let it sit overnight if you're not in a hurry. I mix it up the consistency of honey or window caulk.
For cracks, sand the back of the panel to clean off any dirt or paint. Wipe down with acetone. Spread the ABS cement over the crack and let a little soak into the crack. Add a layer of fiberglass for reinforcement and then brush on a little more of the ABS cement. Wipe any ABS off the front side of the fairing part and you'll be left with a small hairline crack if you don't want to repaint.
You can layer this stuff up pretty thick and it doesn't shrink a lot as it dries. It can be sanded back smooth if you are fixing gouged material. The best thing is that it is exactly the same stuff your fairing is made out of, so it makes a very nice repair.
I keep a jar of this on my shelf. The acetone fumes will eat through the plastic liner the lid on most glass jars, so I put a piece of Saran wrap over the jar and then screw on the lid. Put this inside a ziplock bag and it will last for months. If it gets too thick, add a little acetone to thin it out.
DOMC-ReDDoG
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A very close friend of mine does plastic repair. Really it's reconstruction, not melting ABS or using fiberglass. He was able to reconstruct the end corner of my front fender on my busa which you can see from the website. Very cost effective too I might add. Check it out fixmyplastics.com
Amode
Registered
I use the Loctite two part Epoxy. Heavy duty high strength builders formula. Its the best bonding that i have found for the ABS, It sands real easy and smooth starts to set up in five minutes. I have a license plate tail that i moulded in several years know and now cracks. And it is thick. Lots of viabration back there.
I use a 2 part epoxy made by E&M called plastic repair. Sure you can buy it at your local auto paint and body store. For fairings with holes in them I just grind down both sides then put duct tape on the outside then put a good coating of the filler on the inside. When its dry pull the tape off an put the filler on the outside. Then just sand like normal body filler. Never had one crack!
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