Mending plastics

[adam_111]

hi guys,

i broke one of the plastic parts on my buggy, so stripped it down and glue it back together while i was waiting for the part through the post, i rebuilt the car and it snapped, so i stripped it down again and i 'soldered' the plastic this time to create some sort of bond, before i waste my time rebuilding it in again, what are the chances of it being strong enough?

sorry if that made no sense at all, i tend to waffle

cheers!

[eyeayen]

It's possible to 'weld' plastic which is I guess what you've done with the soldering ??? That will be stronger than just gluing it back together as it's likely to snap again in exactly the same place unless you strengthen it with supports.

Try googling plastic welding, it won't look too pretty but it should hold better than just glue.

[adam_111]

yep i did try to weld it basically thanks for the advice! ive made some form of carbon fiber support using some scrap i had, dont no how itll hold up though, best not try any jumps i just like how i broke it over a bank holiday weekend when theres no post!

[dodgydiy]

if you use heat to weld it back together, and feed in additional plastic of a similar type it makes a very strong joint, especially if you build it up a bit

[Ferret]

You can reinforce the mended part with some epoxy putty.

[adam_111]

ooo i'll have to add a wee bit more plastic to the joint tomorrow then! ill use my 80w soldering iron with a spoon type end for that cheers for all the advice!