Eureka, I came across a great plastic repair substance that will solve most of our plastic related problems. Read on...

I have used Super Glue, JB Weld, and various types of epoxy available, and found that none of these work...Fiberglass won't work either as it is just an epoxy with glass fibers mixed in.

Why is that, I asked myself...from what I know, (correct me if I'm wrong) all of the above substances just form a mechanical bond with the plastic. This is fine if bonding a rough surface together and/or a large area, but not small, smooth/semi-smooth surfaces.

Myself, and many other like me, experience broke plastic parts. Like me, many have found that not much will stick or truly fix the broken part until now...I came across this awesome plastic repair stuff called Plast-Aid http://www.plast-aid.com .

I was skeptical at first when I came across this stuff. I checked out the video and the rest of the website and was convinced that this was the stuff I needed to make repairs. So, I decided to order some...





When I received it, I did some experiments…

These are some of the mixing stages:

Just the powder



Powder and liquid mixed



Tacky state



Putty-like/forming state



First, I tried gluing two 2" round ABS couplings together to see if I could duplicate the results on the website. As you can see below, it worked similarly to the test on the website. +1 for Plast-Aid.

 

Next, I wanted to test how it bonded to the actual part. As you can see, the test piece broke before the bond broke. I then tried to pry the rest of the Plast-aid off with no success. +2 for Plast-Aid





Now that I was about 75% sure that this would work, I decided to reform the studs that cracked. I used 3/8 in hose to form a mold and coated the inside and edges with a light coating of grease to keep the Plast-Aid from sticking. Within about 15 min the mold was ready to come off. I cut down, drilled and tapped the newly form studs. I tested the bond and to my amazement it held. Now I was convinced.











I forgot to take pictures after I pulled the mold off. Just so that everyone can see what the molded studs look like, I had picture from when I did the same thing with epoxy (this broke right off FYI).

 

One thing I found when tapping the thin walled studs was that the Plast-Aid alone was brittle. I then decided to do some more experiments to try to make the product more ductile. I decided to use a can of ABS cement to mix with the Plast-Aid. I haven't tested to see how different ratios of the ABS cement would change the properties of the Plast-Aid (that's for a later date). What I did use was about a 1/3 ABS cement to 2/3 Plast-Aid; this does, however, lengthen the drying time. The good news is that the ABS cement did add some ductility to the Plast-Aid allowing me to tap the hole without the stud cracking--plus it added some black color to it.



This is a piece that I formed to test the mixture I created.



One of the completed studs.



I then proceeded to repair the rest of the broken studs and "beef up" the studs rather than just leave them the same size a shape.



I also fixed the headlight retractor and cruise control switches.

 

While I was at it, I decided to create a support for the Honda S2000 start button I installed. I waited for the Plast-Aid to change to the putty-like state and then I shaped it into the form I needed.















I put the cigarette outlet cover on to give additional support to the Plast-Aid.

 

And finally, the final assembly and finished product…











**Some key things to follow are:

-Preparation is key, so always clean the area with acetone first.
-Allow the acetone to dry (this doesn't take long).

Most of the plastic parts on the RX7 are a polycarbonate/ABS alloy. If one is to look at the underside of the part it should have various manufacturing letter/numbers on it, among which should be a marking PC+ABS or ABS. The PC+ABS, for the most part, behaves like ABS.

Acetone will clean ABS. If left to soak, it will soften and begin to breakdown the ABS.


***Here’s a little blurb about PC+ABS plastic:

[url]http://www.jamplast.com/plastic_supplier_PC-ABS.htm/[url]

"PC/ABS is available in a range of engineering-grade blends that provide better mechanical performance than ABS and greater processing ease than PC. They have good aesthetics, being available in many colors and finishes, and are also paintable. ABS/PC alloys are used to make structurally strong parts for use in such market areas as appliances, automotive, building and construction, chemical processing, consumer goods, electronics, health care, and packaging.

Application: Widely used in automobile instrument panels, wheel covers, snowmobiles, and cellular phones, ABS/PC alloys withstand the stresses created by jolting rides and the effects of extremes in temperature. ABS/PC is especially known for its excellent low temperature properties."

 

Thanks for taking the time to post this

 

Always looking for ways to help where I can.

 

Interesting. It might be covered at their site, but was it necessary to sand the area to get good adhesion?

 

No, thats what is so nice about this stuff. Just clean the area with acetone and the product reacts with the plastic and forms a bond. It works similar to bonding abs pipe together.

 

very cool, how long has this stuff been around, think just about ALL fd owners need this..

 

on their site they say they've been around since '96.

 

Good information. I need to strengthen the area around my interior door handle - this may work.

 

hey, In your quest to make more solid pieces have you tried mixing the stuff with a fiberglass matt? I think it might give it some structural stability, but I might be hard to do depending on how thick the stuff it. The fiberglass should give you some strength against brittleness if you can get the mixture to soak the fibers.

Good luck, i'm ordering some now!

 

No!!! they won't ship internationally!!! Canada is attached by land damn it!

 

Oh and FYI the 6oz size will do a lot of repairs. I still have about 3-4 oz left after all of the testing and repair. Nice thing is the 2 parts come in separate, capped bottles and will keep much better than say epoxies. The liquid portion come in a glass bottle and what seems like a good, sealing cap--kind of like and Iodine bottle.

As far as repairing your handle, and anything for that matter, try some experiments and post back your results. This stuff will do great reinforcing the weak handle. Do be careful from getting this on the visual surfaces as it can damage the finish (it will bond and you will be grinding/scrapping this off). Also, the liquid will soften and ruin the plastic finish. If you catch it fast you should be ok. So with that in mind, always test this on the back of parts and be careful of drips.

 

do an internet search for Plast-aid and you might find a few other retailers willing to ship it there. If not I, or someone else, could order some and ship it to you.

 

That sounds like a good test--next repair experiment... The viscosity starts out how you want it to be--just add more liquid. This stuff is great to work with!!

 

thats awesome, nice post.

 

Thanks for the info, just ordered me a jar, oh I pm's u also about ur S2000 switch

 

Could be the solution to our plastic woes. Good post. Thanks



later

 

This is really neat stuff!!! must buy.

 

This looks very similar and you can get it in Canada! http://www.plastex.ca/

 

It does...Looks like it might do a little more?? They say it can stick to vinyl where as Plast-aid wont. It does the same thing for the most part. Plast-aid does cure faster. One can probably use some of the same techniques with Plast-aid. The molding bars look handy. I'll have to get some and try it to compare! If someone else gets some let us know how it works for you.

Looks like we're on our way to save those non available parts.

 

damn this is great, good job!

 

wow, plastex is pretty expensive, $40 for 30g, and only avalible at home hardware too.. I'll give it a shot though..
I was thinking I might get my door handle cast, I have a materials lab but I'm not sure what I can make in it yet. They use a lot of glues, composites and resins in dent, I just have to figure which will work outside the mouth!