fixing plastic parts (this case the relay board cover), fixing cracked plastic Options

[eastbay851]

anybody who has a piece of broken plastic with which to deal on your car (or, i learned from continually getting off my motorcycles before they were stopped.) the best way to deal with plastic is to use baking soda and super thin super-glue. fill crack or chips with baking soda and apply glue. the preferred applicator here is a piece of tube filament. i get mine from a local hobby shop who makes their own super-glue but fly tie supply places have it. you can build up (in thin coats of baking soda) to 1/4" thick or more. i have made full loops with this method for the cowling of a motorcycle, dropped the bike again and the loop survived while the rest of the piece suffered severe trauma. one of the advantages to using this method... makes no difference what type of plastic it is. super glue does not discriminate.

[realred914]

come on guys, please, there be no best method to bond or repair "plastics" .....the best method to pick to use depends on many factors.... first of which is what type of plastic is to be repaired. super glue wont stick to all plastics, nor can all be welded, nor epoxy glued. Additional reinforcement maybe needed in some repairs, even screws or pins can be warrented, or fillets of material, cosmetic considerations are another factor in picking the 'best method" for a particular job.

at anyrate an in tersting idea on teh baking soda. would the thickned super glue sold be any different in properties than the home brewed thin glue with the soda?

[underthetire]

come on guys, please, there be no best method to bond or repair "plastics" .....the best method to pick to use depends on many factors.... first of which is what type of plastic is to be repaired. super glue wont stick to all plastics, nor can all be welded, nor epoxy glued. Additional reinforcement maybe needed in some repairs, even screws or pins can be warrented, or fillets of material, cosmetic considerations are another factor in picking the 'best method" for a particular job.

at anyrate an in tersting idea on teh baking soda. would the thickned super glue sold be any different in properties than the home brewed thin glue with the soda?

Hobby shop super glue is not as diluted down as the grocery store stuff. There are usually 5 types available, super thin, thin, medium, and thick or gap filling. Then there is foam safe stuff. Super thin is a PIA, it will wick right through whatever you are gluing and bond your fingers to the work. Thin is used for wicking, put two pieces together and then glue, med will do the same thing but fill small gaps, thick you put the glue on then stick the pieces together. Usually kicker is used on the gap filling stuff, since it takes a while to dry. For those that build airplanes, Anchor Bond makes the best of the CA glues, and the nicest Marcaptain free Epoxies. ( non stinky)