Repairing damaged bakelite/plastic parts

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  • #391170

    If you look closely at the picture, you will notice my horn button surround is missing a piece. Try to overlook the half rusted off column and the steering wheel cracks.

    Just as an experiment, I thought I would try to cast the missing part out of Loctite 5 minute epoxy. It comes with a double syringe with the resin and hardener and a mixing tube. It hardens in about 20 min (don’t know why it is advertised as 5 min.) and fully cures in 24 hrs. It has 3200 psi strength. The tube and the plungers give you the added benefit of being able to inject it into spaces, cavities, molds, etc.

    #398002

    I measured the arc of the missing section and then dammed off a slightly larger section from the good part of the surround. I used tape, but you could use clay. I sprayed the area with silicon to keep the epoxy from sticking. I then filled the dam with the epoxy, which mixes itself in the injection tube. Next day, I took off the hardened epoxy, which is now my mold, and used it to backup the missing section. I turned the surround upside down and filled it with more epoxy.

    #398003

    Once hardened, I took the mold off and used basic bodywork, filling and sanding to get the surface smooth and uniform. The form is on the left.

    #398004

    Here is the repaired surround in primer. I used some fiberglass screen, like goes into your windows of your house, and embedded it in the back side of the epoxy for added strength.

    #398005

    The part needs some more filling and shaping, but the epoxy sands easily. In the lower right corner of the previous picture, you can see the beginning of the next project, the lighting/throttle levers.

    #398006

    Very innovative Bill-bravo!

    Best-John

    #398055

    VERY useful information, Bill. Please do keep us posted.

    #398062

    Thats amazing. Creativity and labor will solve most issues. Nice job.

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