Plastic Welder

[maxair45]

I just stumbled upon one of these on ebay. Is this usable on rc plastic parts? I woulden't mind investing a couple hundred into this if it'll allow me to reuse broken a arms and what not that'd be awsome. Anyone know anything about these? How to use them? Where to get them(homedepot, lowes?)

[brushlessboy16]

pretty sure linc is handy with these, thats how he made his custom lst 6x6 transfer case.

[_paralyzed_]

there are millions of types of plastic, and you have to have knowledge of the plastic you want to weld before you can say if it will be a useful fix or not. I'm a farmboy and take on all the diy projects I can, for me plastics is over my head and I don't care to learn.

[redshift]

IMO these things are a total ripoff, soldering irons are cheap. Like paralyzed said, there are just too many kinds, and they are hard to identify, even for a seasoned hobbyist.

I've repaired motorcycle bodywork, very successfully using only a regular 15/30W iron and some excess material from the work itself- this is the only way to assure you have the right base material. The trick is swirling the material back and forth between the two pieces being repaired, letting it solidify then applying some more. For the filler material, just cut slivers off the piece where it won't be needed and pin one end of the sliver down onto the joint, then work it in, making sure you have good cohesion.

Just keep your face out of the fumes!

Ask yourself what you are really getting with the kit, a glorified soldering iron and some almost worthless filler rod- do it cheap!

Need more info let me know.....

[BrianG]

Whenever I've done plastic "welding" the molten joint seems harder than the material was before, but more brittle too. Dunno, maybe it was just the way I was doing it, but I wouldn't use it on something structural...

[lincpimp]

As far as plastic welding goes, get an airless model. I have used the plastic welder on a bunch of stuff, and it works well. I own a body shop, so 175 was worth it to me. As far as repairing arms, just buy new ones. You can do most things with a decent adjustable soldering iron, like the cheapo weller soldering station. That is 50-70 bucks, and most likely your best bet. As far as the urethane supply company plastic welder goes, no soldering iron will come close to matching its performance when reparing feet of damage, not inches. Mine has paid for itself over and over, but I have repaired dozens of bumpers, fairings, and interior plastics.

[TDC57]

I have two of them they work great on the PVC for the wheelchair.. I can send you one to try out if you like???

Send me a PM you pay the shipping thou..

If you end up with it!, all I ask is that you make a donation to some charity in the name of RCM family!!!

[redshift]

Some plastics don't weld, which is another reason to not waste money on a kit that may not have the type you need.

And a good test for this is to take your soldering iron (which most people have already) and see how it reacts. If the plastic tends to burn instead of melt, then it's a 'dry' plastic and must be bonded with glue.

Nylons would be hit or miss because there are so many species lol but most styrenes fuse like the break never happened, if done right.

ABS is weldable.

Polycarbonate (lexan) is out, forget welding it.

Do the burn test, with an iron or small torch (if using a torch then do it quick to avoid carbonizing the plastic) and if it looks like it wants to drip like wax, you are in business.

Practice on some scrap material, and remember when doing a repair if you have enough material to spare you can beef up the repair joint just by adding more material. Or you can embed little pieces of metal, carbon etc to do a 'composite' joint and make it even stronger.

[redshift]

Man everytime I try to save someone some cash....... god you guys are spendhappy

[maxair45]

Very informative guys thanks. I have done some research and I found the drip trick redshift was talking about. I really appreciate your offer TDC57 but i'll start with my solderng iron right now I don't wanna screw up any nice equipment.

What are some good tubes to use? Where can I get them?

Thanks

[lincpimp]

Originally Posted by maxair45

Very informative guys thanks. I have done some research and I found the drip trick redshift was talking about. I really appreciate your offer TDC57 but i'll start with my solderng iron right now I don't wanna screw up any nice equipment.

What are some good tubes to use? Where can I get them?

Thanks

Read this site :http://www.urethanesupply.com/

This stuff works on most plastics: [URL="http://www.urethanesupply.com/mm5/merchant.mvc?Screen=PROD&Store_Code=URE&Product_Code=5003R10&Category_Code="]http://www.urethanesupply.com/mm5/merchant.mvc?Screen=PROD&Store_Code=URE&Product_Code=5003R10&Category_Code=/URL]

I usually just use the left over material to repair the item, you are gaurantee success. Best method is to push the tip of the irn more than halfway thru the item to be repaired, and then draw back and push it in slightly farther along, in a stiching motion. This will force material out of the sides. when you have done this for the length of the damage, fold the addl material that squeezed out back into the stiched area. Allow to cool and repeat for the other side. If it is cracked thru you can use a paint stick to hold it together by taping it to one side. Regular mesh screen can be used to reinforce the repair by melting it in.

[maxair45]

I think i'm gonna use left over material(in this case another a arm). I think i get what your saying linc on the motion and everything so i'll give it a shot and i'll let you guys know how it goes.