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Post by Fox on Dec 2, 2012 19:28:42 GMT -5
I've seen a few methods posted on forums for repairing cracks in plastic body panels and tried a couple of different ways but nothing works faster and easier for me than some Duct tape, Amazing Goop® and some drywall mesh. In this particular instance, I have a helmet box that was cracked. The first thing I did was duct tape the crack together on the paint side.  Then I smeared a bunch of the Amazing Goop on the inside of the crack in a swath the same size as the drywall mesh. Then I embedded the mesh into the goop with my index finger and allowed it to dry for a few hours. Then I coated the whole thing with the goop again.  Sure, you can still see the crack when you are done but at least it's not flopping around.  You can get this stuff at Home depot in the paint dept., arts and crafts stores or online. When it cures it's really quite strong. It takes a few days to a week to fully cure. It has a strong odor like model glue so use in a well ventilated area.  |
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Post by usmcdoc on Dec 2, 2012 19:46:03 GMT -5
I do something similar..I use drywall tape and 30 min epoxy..or automotive 'Glass' resin. Many times the crack does not show...sometimes it does...but hey...beats paying $59.00 for a customers body panel and $20 shipping..for them...
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Post by Fox on Dec 2, 2012 20:10:46 GMT -5
Exactly! It saves time and money. I mean lets face it, most folks just want their scooter to function properly and not look like a complete P.O.S. Looks are secondary for the most part. I mean if you ride a Chinese made scoot odds are you aren't trying to impress anybody right? Body plastics cost a lot + shipping. Goop and drywall mesh are cheap.  |
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Post by usmcdoc on Dec 2, 2012 21:54:22 GMT -5
Exactly! It saves time and money. I mean lets face it, most folks just want their scooter to function properly and not look like a complete P.O.S. Looks are secondary for the most part. I mean if you ride a Chinese made scoot odds are you aren't trying to impress anybody right? Body plastics cost a lot + shipping. Goop and drywall mesh are cheap. We take pride in the fact that our 1 2006 and 2 2008 scoots look brand new...even with 6,000+ miles on them. I cringe when a customer drops by with 2010-2012 or so scoot...with about 1,000 or less miles on it...and it looks like a train ran it over..  For some reason trashed scoots bother me... :stumped: .and I dislike working on them. |
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Post by Fox on Dec 2, 2012 22:31:26 GMT -5
Yeah I get where you are coming from. I too don't "care" as much for a scooter that is clearly neglected but I at least make sure it's mechanically reliable when it leaves. What they do with it afterward is out of my control hence, no guarantees. It depends on the customer too. If they are cheap and trying to low-ball me then I'm not gonna go the extra mile but if they are nice and I can tell they aren't gonna haggle with me then I show their scooter some love.
In all fairness though here in Los Angeles you get a lot of vandalism. People will knock your scooter over just because they are walking by and they think it's funny. One time I got a Vintage that had the headlight and the mirrors stolen. Other times people wreck because they don't know how to ride well or some idiot hits them with a car. Every scooter/scooter owner that comes through my shop has a story and I try to learn the story before I judge. Many people bring their scoot to me right after they bought it and it's all screwed up so I can't blame them personally for it. Every scooter is a new experience.
My daily driver is an '03 with nearly 8000 on it and it looks new still. I never ride it in the rain, I wash it regularly and I always cover it when parked.
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bare
Scoot Member
Posts: 55
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Post by bare on Dec 12, 2012 16:14:50 GMT -5
Most (all?) Plastic parts are of ABS.
Yellow ABS plumbers glue from Home Depot glues it... Very well.
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Post by prodigit on Dec 12, 2012 20:11:57 GMT -5
Crazy glue!
Good enough, stronger than the plastic, invisible (kinda)...
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Post by Fox on Dec 12, 2012 22:10:42 GMT -5
Most (all?) Plastic parts are of ABS. Yellow ABS plumbers glue from Home Depot glues it... Very well. You know I bet ABS would work very well on it but it dries so damn fast. I might try it in the future though...Thanks for the suggestion! Crazy glue? I don't think so... |
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Post by stepthrutuner on Dec 12, 2012 23:18:43 GMT -5
Crazy glue! Good enough, stronger than the plastic, invisible (kinda)... Crazy Glue works best on fresh cracks. Good to repair tail light lenses when used sparingly. |
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Post by prodigit on Dec 13, 2012 22:07:46 GMT -5
I've had my uncle fix a cooler box with crazy glue.
The handle broke, probably stuffed too much in there.
When the glue dried, and we used the cooler again, the handle broke again, but not on the part where we put crazy glue!
Crazy glue is stronger than the plastic it bonds with.
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bare
Scoot Member
Posts: 55
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Post by bare on Dec 16, 2012 22:45:14 GMT -5
Crazy glue is stronger than the plastic it bonds with. NO it is not, CA glues are actually quite poor with plastics. Decades of history on that. |
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Post by Fox on Dec 18, 2012 2:05:41 GMT -5
The problem I have with crazy glue or epoxy type stuff is that it's not flexible. It may have great tensile strength meaning you can't pull it apart very easily but it will crack with little effort if you bend it on the crack sideways. The Goop stuff dries like stiff rubber and it sticks very well to just about any non greasy surface so for scooter plastics it's good because a scooter undergoes a lot of shock and vibration when you ride it. Strong yet flexible is better IMO.
I am still intrigued by the ABS angle though even though it's not very flexible. I'll try it once on something that doesn't matter before I knock it.
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MustashMike
Scoot Member
Still alive & well
Posts: 89 
Location: Indianapolis
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Post by MustashMike on Feb 6, 2013 6:15:22 GMT -5
I have been reading posts here and other boards, searching for insight on plastic. What I learned was there are a couple of popular styles of it and identifying the type is important to the fix. For the scooter world, two kinds are prevalent, ABS and Poly Propylene. Good suggestions have already been submitted on ABS.
Poly Propylene is marked >PP< or 5 inside the recycle symbol. This type is used for floor boards, seat tubs and flexible fenders. Being flexible makes it is a poor candidate for adhesives but because its melting point is one of the highest at 265* it can be welded with a soldering iron. Harbor Freight sells sticks they label welding rods and work quite well. Color selection could be better but when working from the back no one knows.
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4um
Scoot Newb
Posts: 1
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Post by 4um on Jul 23, 2013 11:06:10 GMT -5
I have been reading posts here and other boards, searching for insight on plastic. What I learned was there are a couple of popular styles of it and identifying the type is important to the fix. For the scooter world, two kinds are prevalent, ABS and Poly Propylene. Good suggestions have already been submitted on ABS. Poly Propylene is marked >PP< or 5 inside the recycle symbol. This type is used for floor boards, seat tubs and flexible fenders. Being flexible makes it is a poor candidate for adhesives but because its melting point is one of the highest at 265* it can be welded with a soldering iron. Harbor Freight sells sticks they label welding rods and work quite well. Color selection could be better but when working from the back no one knows. S the Soldering Iron idea is probably the best but be careful and work slowly. I have seen guys weld plastic cracks without wrecking the paint on the other side! there are specialized irons for welding plastic but a soldering iron works good enough to get you through a repair. I personally would stay away from the plastic welders that use air but then again I have never used one of that style. the color of the welding rods that are sold at HF (and anywhere else) denote the type of plastic that they are used for (I.E grey is PP and black is ABS and so forth) Kyle |
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Post by toslowtogo on Aug 7, 2013 7:46:48 GMT -5
Tore all my fairings off yesterday. Lot of cracks. I'm going to back lay them with kevlar cloth and resin. I have it here so I'm going to use it. Takes special shears to cut it though.You can shoot paint onto plastic if you use a flex additive to the paint.
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For some reason trashed scoots bother me... :stumped: .and I dislike working on them.
