Welding plastic

[Slayer6769[501st]]

Has anyone ever tried to weld ABS plastic? I did a search and was unable to find anything. Let's say you cracked your armor or maybe cut too much off or whatever. Anyone tried to salvage a piece by welding it??

[gmrhodes13[Staff]]

Couple of threads on ABS paste you may find helpful

 

http://www.whitearmor.net/forum/topic/27755-abs-paste-problem/

 

http://www.whitearmor.net/forum/topic/23666-abs-paste-issue/

 

http://www.whitearmor.net/forum/topic/20552-abs-plastic-paste/

 

http://www.whitearmor.net/forum/topic/2041-howto-make-your-own-abs-repair-paste/

[Slayer6769[501st]]

From what I've read about using the ABS paste, my thoughts would be that welding ABS would be a bit easier. I'm a welder anyways, so maybe it's just the welder in me thinking. <br>

I think when I get time, I'm going to take some scrap ABS and give it a try using a soldering iron. I don't want to invest in any sort of real plastic welder not knowing how this will work out for sure.

[Ripper_L[Admin]]

I've tried it on my motorcycle...not very stable. If you want to weld anything I recommend to glue some reinforcement in from behind. Also you will have to paint and/or weather it, I don't think polishing is enough. Plastic welding just doesn't work as well as metal welding does.

[justjoseph63[Staff]]

A lot of it would depend on what sort of repair you are looking to do, Ron.  Simple cracks can be repaired with ABS paste, but I would consider reinforcing the area with an ABS patch in the back first to prevent it from happening again.

ABS paste is actually not that difficult to use.  The key is not to overload the area with it, because it just means more sanding.  Once it dries, (and after sanding) the repair can be polished out with a product like Novus, (a three step system).

As for adding a section that was cut off too much, that's a whole different animal.  I haven't seen that done yet, but would be interested in seeing some info. on it from someone who had success with it, and perhaps a tutorial for future reference.

[Slayer6769[501st]]

A lot of it would depend on what sort of repair you are looking to do, Ron. Simple cracks can be repaired with ABS paste, but I would consider reinforcing the area with an ABS patch in the back first to prevent it from happening again.

ABS paste is actually not that difficult to use. The key is not to overload the area with it, because it just means more sanding. Once it dries, (and after sanding) the repair can be polished out with a product like Novus, (a three step system).

As for adding a section that was cut off too much, that's a whole different animal. I haven't seen that done yet, but would be interested in seeing some info. on it from someone who had success with it, and perhaps a tutorial for future reference.

I was just curious about it really. When I get time, I would like to experiment with welding plastic. I figure if I can perfect it and find out the pros and cons of it, it might be a useful tool to have in the the war chest. May also be very beneficial for the membership here to have another method of repair. There may be times when welding may be a better choice than paste I was thinking.

I like to experiment with things sometimes. I have a inquisitive mind. Lol.