Plastic repair

Y Block · Sep 15, 2013

Hey guys, I decided to try my hand at plastic welding for this cracked shroud. I think it's now structurally ok but I still have an ugly crack on the outside because the pieces didn't fit together well. Any ideas how to hide the crack? Can I fill it in with something and paint?

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rockford · Sep 15, 2013

I've had good results with Liquid Nails

Y Block · Sep 15, 2013

Hmm, liquid nails, interesting.

Here are the before and after pics of the shroud front. It's ABS and the shroud is polyethylene.

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jonathco · Sep 15, 2013

I worked at a auto-body shop as a teenager; you'd be amazed what some sandpaper and a high build filler-primer can do for plastic pieces. Smooth out the crack with some 220, find yourself a good brushable filler-primer (2-3 coats), and then sand it smooth with 320.

WindTunnel · Sep 16, 2013

I had to do extensive 'welding' on the yellow JD shroud a few months ago. It went quite well, but I also have to do some filling in and painting later when I get time. In the past, I have found that these plastic parts do respond well to sanding.

Looks like you've got a very good start there. :fing32:

Y Block · Sep 16, 2013

ToroWhirlwind1970 said:
I had to do extensive 'welding' on the yellow JD shroud a few months ago. It went quite well, but I also have to do some filling in and painting later when I get time. In the past, I have found that these plastic parts do respond well to sanding.

Looks like you've got a very good start there. :fing32:

What did you fill in with? More plastic?

I started using some epoxy filler on the ABS and that part needs lots of sanding/smoothing anyway. I'll sand to at least 320 grit before repainting. I kind of hate to repaint the white part since the rest looks good.

Y Block · Sep 17, 2013

I did some welding on the top side and tried to add material with a polyethylene rod. Didn't work as well as I hoped but it's getting better. I did a test paint to see how it looked. Now the paint has been removed and I can try some further repair.

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WindTunnel · Sep 17, 2013

I haven't filled in that yellow JD shroud yet....just haven't had time.

Ryobi31 · Sep 17, 2013

I worked in a marina boatyard as a teenager and we repaired plastic items a lot using an epoxy resin and fiberglass (on the hidden side, and some WEST systems microfiber thickened resin filler on the show side, then paint to match.

http://www.westsystem.com/ss/repair-kits/

JohnBoy1 · Sep 17, 2013

On my rc toys Il patch up the fiberglass or plastic ones il fill in the back crack with plastic weld and in the front I fill it in with hot glue. Let it set till cool then even it out with a razor blade to get it good and flat then paint it again.

Y Block · Sep 17, 2013

I found a Loctite adhesive that works on polyethylene!

It was about $5 for a tiny bottle but it did a nice job. I'll post some updated pictures later.

LBO · Sep 18, 2013

Maybe a marine store - I used to fix cracks on my sailboat with Fiberglas repair kit from West Marine - seamless.

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Y Block · Sep 19, 2013

Here's that epoxy I tried, it actually does stick to the polyethylene! Cures hard in about 10 minutes. It did a really nice job filling in the voids and it sanded really smooth. Here's how the shroud looks with a thin coat of plastic primer. I gotta let it cure for 5-7 days before painting for best adhesion. The red piece turned out okay after a LOT of work. It's not gonna be perfect but it's WAY better than before. I'm gonna prime it tomorrow and then paint em both next week.

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