| Plastic Welding |
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| Here I will show you how to plastic weld your cracked or broken plastics using a soldering iron and some aluminum window screen. |
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| Plastic Before |
| Step 1 Find some pieces of plastic to use as welding rods. You could check with your local dealer and see if they have any broken plastic they could give to you. If you have to you can trim some plastic from places that wouldnt be noticed. Line up the cracked plastic. Then on the back side melt it together in a few places as shown. |
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| Step 2 This picture isnt the greatest, but step 2 is cut a piece of window screen so you have about 3/8-1/2inch on all sides of the crack. Then use your soldering iron and melt in in so that its covered with plastic. The screen acts like rebar and makes the fixed area stronger than ever. |
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| Step 3 Using a dremel tool or a file make a v groove that is about 1/4in wider than the crack(1/8 on either side) in the top of the plastic about half way through the plastic. |
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| Step 4 Now use your pieces of plastic that you got from the dealer or cut off from other places and start to melt in into the v groove. Make sure that you melt into the base plastic as you are welding or the weld wont stick. |
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| Step 5 Continue filling in the v groove, making sure to melt into the base plastic to ensure a good bond until the weld is slightly higher then the base. |
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| Step 6 Use a straight razor blade to scrape the weld as flat as possible. Then sand the area with 300 grit sand paper. Use finer grits and finish as you see fit. To get rid of the white haze use a heat gun, but do not hold it in one spot for too long or you will melt the plastic and it will sag. |
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| Finished Repair |
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| Here is my front fender after plastic welding. As you can see you can weld your plastics without an expensive hot air welder. Using nothing more than some scrap plastic for rods and a soldering iron. The welds are durable if done correctly. When I didnt have my bumper on I brushed up against a small tree and the plastic bent, but the weld held strong. |