HOWTO: Make your own ABS repair paste

[TI-3844]

When I was trimming the eyeholes on my AP helmet, disaster struck - my Dremel wheel accidentally touched the bucket just below the right eye. The result was a nasty and kind of deep little gouge.

 

I figured that Bondo and similar products were out of the question, due to the colour difference - I had no desire to repaint the entire bucket. So what I took a scrap piece of ABS and grated it into small shreds. I put the shreds in a little beaker and mixed them with acetone until I had a thick, white goo. I then applied said goo into the gouge and let it cure, sanded and Novus polished the spot. The gouge is unnoticeable to the touch and barely noticeable to the eye - the ABS goo got a slightly darker shade, probably due to some kind of overlooked impurities in the beaker I used.

 

So there you have it - a repair paste that matches your armour (just be sure you use a beaker that's not been used for paint before).

[trooperstormy]

Do you have any pictures?

[TI-3844]

I'll try to post some before/after pics later today.

[Smitty]

Great idea! I can get acetone all day long at work. Remember boys and girls no smoking while applying your new repair paste as acetone is extremely flammable. We arent even allowed to use our comm radios at work in the acetone room (that whole fear of generating a spark)

[TK8280]

wow, what a great idea, can we get the mixture also along with the pics? sort of a step buy step?

[TI-3844]

Here are a couple of fast pics:

 

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There we have it, just below the eye. Ouch!

 

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Here it is, repaired. The smudge is all that's left of the gouge... either the beaker in which I mixed the acetone soup or the stick I used for stirring is cause of the discolourisation.

 

I really don't have pics of the process itself - it was something I came up with in desperation for ruining my new helmet, so I kinda acted fast. I didn't really write down the process either, so the below stuff is from the top of my head. Essentially, it goes down like this:

 

1) Cut thin, short strips of matching ABS into a (clean) cup or similar. A glass vessel is preferred! Don't go pouring acetone into a plastic cup...

2) Carefully pour acetone so the fluid covers the ABS shards. Go easy on the acetone - add a little at a lime instead of drowning the ABS shards. We're talking really small amounts of the stuff here - a couple of thimbles worth of shards and acetone.

3) Wait. Depending on the thickness of the ABS pieces, acetone dissolvation time might vary. Check progress every now and then, stir a little with a (clean) rod or stick. Apply more acetone if plastic won't dissolve in a satisfactory way. Go easy on the acetone though - you want a runny, but not watery substance

4) When the acetone/ABS concoction is a bit on the runny side, begin applying to damaged area on armour or helmet. Easy does it - make sure you fill the gouge properly.

5) When happy with the results, leave alone and let the acetone dissolve fully. ABS hardens and fuses with your armor/helmet. Regarding drying time, it depends on amount of ABS goo used and size of damaged area. YMMW.

 

If your ABS milk is runny enough, it will just fill the damaged area - no need to sand. Still, if you get a bump, sand it down with fine-grit sandpaper, buff out the rest with Novus, and you're done!

 

What else... oh - one must remember that acetone starts dissolving right away, so one must keep an eye on the process all the time, and when the mixture is done, use it right away to repair the armour/helmet.

 

And, as Smitty pointed out, this stuff is really flammable and generally unhealthy. Be careful!

 

Hope this helps, guys.

Edited December 9, 2020 by gmrhodes13
link not working, removed gmrhodes13 2020

[Smitty]

Nice repair job buddy! Excellent work indeed, looks great.

[TD2802[501st]]

That's a repair tip worth remembering. One for the books as they say; definitely something to try on my next ABS mishap.

[VaderDave[501st]]

Tom, your a godsend!

 

I got three of these on my TX build and have been banging my head into the wall for a way to fix them.

[Darth_Nickel]

Tom,

 

great tip man!!! Regarding the color difference, perhaps add a little glossy model enamel paint now? Just to blend it in a bit?

 

The ABS GOO is a great idea, and I'm sure I'll get my chance to play with it soon...

[ItsThatGuy[501st]]

The ABS GOO is a great idea, and I'm sure I'll get my chance to play with it soon...

Not only can you fix mistakes - but you can use the "ABS Goo" as a bonding agent - it works like ABS Cement - melting the two pieces of plastic together.

[Darth_Nickel]

interesting Tony. I didn't think of that. It would be good for those areas that take a lot of stress/movement. It then would basically make 2 pieces of ABS one... very interesting...

[ItsThatGuy[501st]]

interesting Tony. I didn't think of that. It would be good for those areas that take a lot of stress/movement. It then would basically make 2 pieces of ABS one... very interesting...

Yeah, a guy in our Garrison was given that tip by a model maker - he makes scaled models for the government (or something like).

 

We helped our CO put together a Republic Commando using that ABS Goo...

[TK-9805]

Great tip Tom! I have a bad feeling I made need this before it's all done. Hope not, but you never know.

[DesTROYer[501st]]

It also sounds like a great way to clean up the joins in armor pieces too. My Forarms are not the neatest of jobs, but this should fix it up nicely.

 

Who wants to go seamless? lol

[TK-2126_MD[TK]]

Nice, i kind of like it, gives it some character.......

[dougefresh]

Great tip, Tom! Thanks!

 

I did the same thing when I was dremmeling out the eyes on my AP bucket.

I ended up just sanding it out with some 1500 grit paper and it looks A-Okay, but I'll definitely keep your post in the back of my head when I start on the armor.

God knows I'm bound to have one or two more slip-ups, as this is my first build.

 

It never ceases to amaze me how inventive people on the board are...

 

Seriously, if you guys channled all this creativity, you could be curing cancer, or something.

[BactaReality]

Impressive tip Tom, and even better looking results. I hope I never have to try it though.

[Parabellum]

Impressive tip Tom, and even better looking results. I hope I never have to try it though.

 

+1

 

 

However, today I let my neighbor try on my bucket . . . and when he ripped it off of his head, he put two cracks in the left chin area where the rubber edging is!!!

 

So, I guess I'll be trying to mix up some ABS paste tonight using scrap ABS and some ABS Glue . . . I'm glad this thread is here for encouragement!!

[TI-3844]

Ouch! Parabellum, that sounds painful... hope your neighbour isn't in too much pain...

 

Let us know how it worked!

 

And thanks y'all for your comments! I'm happy my modest little contribution can help out fellow ABS-wearers...

[Darth Lars[501st]]

I once used this technique to try to fix up a helmet that was a very thin cast.

Dried ABS goo has slightly different properties than ordinary ABS. It can shrink when it dries, so if you use it for larger repair/reinforcement work, the shrinkage could warp the helmet.

It can also become spongy inside - if you sand it, you can reveal bubbles inside that need to be filled. Spongy ABS is of course also more brittle.

These problems can be avoided by applying only a thin layer at a time.

BTW. ABS goo is also easier to use than Polystyrene goo.

[TD2702[501st]]

Just wondering where I can pick up some acetone?

 

I have to do some repairs due to a dremel slip up and Im gonna be using this tip to repair it

[TK bondservnt[501st]]

Hey guys!

 

This thread is a great example of good and simple thinking.

 

this idea is exactly how AA trims and assembles SDS armor.

 

I've seen it on the DVD's he puts out. They grate up ABS and mix it with "a solvent"

AA keeps little cone tipped applicators to glue his parts together with this.

 

thanks for the great tip!

 

vern

[TK_LEPER]

This process works very well! I used some on my AP ANH armor. I had to repair all the edges, after ironing them (to give some thickness to it). The edges looked pretty gnarly after, melted and cracked. So I applied the ABS paste on and around the edges, filled in all the cracks. Now I have more to work with when sanding it down.

 

Be very careful using it on thinner parts of your armor though. As it will melt through the stuff, and warp the surface. I had that very situation happen with my AP ANH helmet. Now I have to fix that too! So be careful, and don't make it too thin. That means you used too much acetone.

 

Jess

[MiDri]

This process works very well! I used some on my AP ANH armor. I had to repair all the edges, after ironing them (to give some thickness to it). The edges looked pretty gnarly after, melted and cracked. So I applied the ABS paste on and around the edges, filled in all the cracks. Now I have more to work with when sanding it down.

 

Be very careful using it on thinner parts of your armor though. As it will melt through the stuff, and warp the surface. I had that very situation happen with my AP ANH helmet. Now I have to fix that too! So be careful, and don't make it too thin. That means you used too much acetone.

 

Jess

 

can you post a few pics of your turn edge post repair? I'd like to see.