Delboy's Garage, Simple skills # Plastic welding 

Thank you all for your amazing support, our very first video to ever go over 1million hits !! Thanks for watching...

A tip for most all trying this is to look for the recycle code and often type plastic on the item to be repaired. Knowing the type of plastic will help you know what to repair it with. Polypropylene PP and polyethylene PE are two of the most common plastics found around your home they are also the most difficult to glue. Super glues state use for most plastics then keep reading and youll see not recommended for pp or pe plastics. When welding these you want the same material as others wont melt and adhere. They will often pop right off when it cools. You can buy rods for abs,pvc,nylon etc.

Wow! I just picked up a new lifetime skill. Thank you sooooo much for being so unselfish and sharing this. God bless you (and your unseen assistant!) both!

Your video answered the questions that were not covered in other plastic welding vids. Your confidence and close up work showed exactly why and how one needs to manipulate the material for a strong bond. I've never done it yet, but I've been a skeptic of the strength and usefulness of the technique until seeing yours. I feel confident if I follow your instructions that I will be assured of a sturdy repair. Thank you for the video and the detailed steps and suggestions.

The mask you need is for organic vapors! That dust mask is mostly useless! If your soldering iron doesn't have a temperature control, plug it into a light dimmer. Also setting the piece on a similarly shaped piece of metal will prevent punch through and excess deformation of the material by cooling each push against the flat metal, as you stack each plow of the softened material.

Thanks! My left ear enjoyed it.

This blew my mind. Such a useful and simple skill that no one seems to know about.

Best plastic repair video I have seen ever. I wish I had seen this over a decade ago!

Another good vid. It's a good skill to learn. I remember when I was a kid, i used to repair my footballs if they got punctured. Used to lay a dinner knife (without mum knowing) across the cooker electric hotplate and then just smooth over the hole. Pump it back up and good as new.

With that type of soldering iron that plugs directly into the wall, you can use an incandescent light dimmer to lower the temperature if you need to

Dude you are the first person that has made a plastic welding how to video that is really easy to understand. thank you

Thank you so much for sharing your knowledge! I'm going to fix my lovely dyson vacuum cleaner's duct with this info. They told me it would cost $300 to fix it (to replace the whole duct) But with this info I think I can fix it way cheaper !!!

Just done my first plastic weld and put in a staple too on my front cowl from the inside....strong as an ox and invisible from outside! Cheers Del!

This really does work, I used this process on my zero turn gas tank, it had a 5" Crack in it, and I tried JD weld and other glues and they all failed. So I used this process and melted the hard plastic together and add some more plastic on top as a safety measure and it hasn't leaked since, and it been about two years now. It saved me $300.00 from buying a new fuel tank. 😊

Perfect to fix all my plastic lids from my storage boxes. Thank you!

Thank you so much from France, nice and clear demonstration !

I have done this kind plastic welding many times but never thought of using cable tie offcuts. Great idea! Sometimes the reason that the plastic originally cracked is because of bad design and it will just fail again. I have seen this mainly on refrigerator door shelves where the weight of bottles and the cold, crack the plastic. No kind of glue seems to work on them. So here is my tip... get some stainless steel mesh from a Chinese sieve or spatter guard and cut out a patch with scissors large enough to cover the crack. Then similar to your wire trick heat up the patch with the iron until the plastic oozes through the mesh and bonds with the plastic. Presto, you have a really strong repair. (you can also apply the mesh on both sides if appearance doesn't matter).

Very very helpful and instructive. I've heard of plastic welding, but knew nothing of it. Thank you

Thank you from Indiana USA. Great and helpful video! I've always kept the leftover zip tie ends in hopes that I would be able to use them for something someday. Now I know their purpose!!!

Nice work! Thanks for the 'real world' tone of your instruction... easy to follow and envision successful plastic welding... after a bit of practice. Take away principal: regarding plastic welding and heat, less is more! Best, Matt

You are so freaking awesome!!! You’re skill set is off the charts. I thank you for you’re help.

Used staples for metal stitches. I've been doing it since my days as a child breaking and fixing toys

I welded in the past but you taught me the proper way. Excellent , thank you!

Great video. Just used this video to help me weld my fairing back together. Thanks.

Brilliant. Simple and informative. I didn't think it could be done. Especially when it comes to plastic. I'll try it on some scraps and then work my way up to the stuff that needs fixing. Thanks again. Cherrs

Great video, thanks... I also found by using the copper strands out of an extension lead all matted together works well also and is sometimes easier to push into a cracked piece of plastic like on sunglasses

That was a very well demonstrated process. thank you for your time.

Thank you for not talking slow. I have to watch most YT videos at 1.75-2x. I can only listen to you at 1.25x. How refreshing. Thank you for closing the gap in my plastic welding skills. I have discovered Devcon two-part methyl methacrylate plastic welding adhesive. methyl methacrylate is the only chemical plastic welding adhesive that i am aware of on retail shelves. (Epoxy does not weld plastic.) When I was 7 years old my slightly older cousin showed me a TOY plastic welder kit. He put a 1/8" plastic rod in a toy drill. The toy drill spun the plastic rod fast enough so that it melted when held aginst a plastic seam to be welded. IT WORKED. And I did not remember that experience until today - 45 yeas later - thanks to your video. My friends all tease me about being McGyver. I try not to ever let them down. I have used the soldering iron to make holes in plastic. But it did not occur to me to use zip-tie excess as PLASTIC WELDING ROD. GENIUS!

Wow - now that is a very useful tip - thank you and well done on the video...bravo. Thanks.

I loved your video, it was very helpful in welding my plastics back together but instead of the wire method I used smashed staples. They worked perfect!

THANKS FOR THE DEMO! I HAVE HAD A PLASTIC WELDER FOR 20 PLUS YEARS, AND YOU TAUGHT ME MORE THAN THE INSTRUCTION BOOK, IN JUST A FEW MINUTES.

Found your clip today. Great tips! Thanks for sharing.

Sorry mate. That is a particle mask, it won’t stop toxic gases.

This makes me realise that I've been watching you for over 5 years! Still watch pretty much every video, even if they are a 'repeat' like this.

I can't thank you enough for the plastic welding video that I just happened to stumble on. I used every type of glue and epoxy on a plastic handle on my Sears DieHard Battery Charger and absolutely nothing stuck to the plastic...Your Video saved the day for me...Embedding the wire into the plastic worked SOOOO WELL at the cracked joints and made the repair SOOO Much Stronger....Thanks Again for Your AWESOME VIDEO...Ken

Just wanted to say big thank you, your video has helped me fix, something not related cars or motorcycles. I had a crack on my fire arm and my glock 19 gen 4 frame. It was on the front where you put flash light on the accessory rail. I've tried everything; Gorilla Glue, Gorilla Clear Epoxy and Gorilla Steel Epoxy and did not last long. I don't have a soldering iron, but I borrowed from my co worker and fixed the crack within minutes. I took my time, worked in well ventilated area, wore my mask and safety glasses. Thank you so much, Now my glock 19 gen 4, no longer has a crack in the frame.

I appreciate you taking time to make this video. You guys are what makes RU-vid great!

Holy shizer! I just threw away a perfectly fine water bucket with a small crack... never again! Thank you!

Brilliant. From complete beginner, to repairing cracks and building broken lugs, in an afternoon. Many thanks.

Very good tutorial. Everything is explained in professional and teachers manner. Nice technique. Thanks

He said: "The most important thing is to not vaporize the plastic." ... You are quite right about that. In my own experience, I've found this to be true. Years ago, I had a girlfriend that had undergone quite a bit of plastic surgery. And, when I turned our electric blanket up a bit. ... she completely vaporized. Safety first!

You my good man, are a genius. I need to make a ditching bucket for my rc excavator, i was looking into 3d printing but i think im going to have a go at welding one.

Brilliant!!! Thanks Delboy and Penny.

spot on lad. Watched this and went straight out to fix the fairings that had been badly repaired by some previous owner. worked a treat

Thank you very much for sharing this tricks it's very helpul, I have some broken plastic in my old car and I'll try this. The only problem is to have smooth surface, but I'll see...thanks, merci beaucoup

Thanks for the lesson...... you just saved me $200 WOOT!!!!

I love your videos! Y'all do an excellent job of teaching and I always find myself going back to your videos. Thanks for all the time y'all spend explaining everything how you do.

Thats fantastic showing how to weld plastic parts , thank you

what a awsome video honestly .... thank you

I can now add another bow to my quiver. Well presented, articulated and good camera work

Thank you for your simple, easy, cheap, and workable solution for fixing cracked/broken plastic! I remember trying this when I was a kid on some broken plastic, but had not even considered a workable solution for my real-world homeowner needs.

Thanks again for this vlog, just used the skills demonstrated on my belly pan and nose cone. FAB!

is a repeat. just goes to show how long I've been watching your videos for!

Thank you! I have since I've seen this video repaired a number of things that would otherwise been thrown in the bin. Today, I just repaired the bottom panel of a Technics turntable. Worked wonders. To help align everything, I taped the cracks together on the other side, this gives you a nice clean weld.

After watching this video I repaired my plastic refuse wheelie bin which had a very big split in it - thanks!

I learned something new today and I don’t even own a motorcycle. Thanks to you and RU-vid.

Thanks for great video, going to try and repair a Honda ride on grass collection box.

Just "hot iron" plastic welded the shower tub. Thanks for the info.

With practice, i think i can fix my car's rear bumper and front grill and won't stress anymore on thinking i should buy new bumpers...i'm so glad i saw your video...thank you, more power and God bless sir... :)

This is excellent, thank you. Your channel is extremely helpful.

great video thankyu! I have a kitchen door doggie flap frame that is too weak (Take not factory) it snapped in the middle and this out to fix it good so im off to buy a weak soldering iron thanks for the tip

Cheers for the vid. Those trays are most likely PP which lends itself to plastic welding as not many glues will bond with it but motorcycle fairings are ABS which are easily solvent welded with acetone resulting in only a hairline appearance remaining after repair. I repair all my fairings with acetone welding but my airboxes (PP) need to be plastic welded.

When something is good it goes wild. This is good. 65 years I fix stuff. Learned something cool and new to me at least. Going to sacrifice an old paint tray. Thanks

Brilliant! Just mended a cracked plastic kitchen compost container following you method. Thank you so much!

Recently discovered your chanel - great stuff Del, love it! I'm doing my chemistry degree, so let me fill you in on nylon :) It's a thermoplastic, meaning it can be melted and reformed as is done in injection moulding. You may have heard of thermoset polymers/plastics too, which can't be melted and reformed like epoxies. Nylon is a polyamide, which means the elements it contains are Nitrogen, Hydrogen, Carbon, and Oxygen. When you heat it up, they tend to melt at around 250degrees, and of course this depends on the specific composition of the nylon as there are many different types, as there are many different alloys. The glass transition temperature (the temperature below which it behaves like a brittle glass - also this is the reason we have winter and summer tyres; a tyre can't grip if it can't flex) for nylon is around between around 40-80oC, which is why it cracks easier than other plastics sometimes. Hope someone found this interesting, and maybe puts a few things you've noticed in a bit of context :)

I like the stitching idea. Careful with merely making melted caps over the cracks. If the plastics don't melt together and mix, they're not welded and you'll be able to peel it apart with little effort. Practice on some pieces that you won't mind cutting apart. Weld a joint, cut it in half and look at the penetration. If there are gaps, etc., change your settings or technique or whatever you need, weld again, cut, and analyze. Work at it until things look right and train yourself to know a strong weld from a weak one.

So I finally had a use to try some of your techniques and they worked well. Main piece, under pressure clamp that cracked, and now like new. Thanks for the tips.

Just finished welding my handguard to former glory. You lead...we follow!

Wow thanks so much for showing us this! My car has a crack in the wheel arch and was looking for the cheapest but best way to repair it. You saved me a lot of money bro!

18:31 - you have a Gauteng South Africa number plate in your workshop... so cool.

Thank you, Delroy! Great teaching video....very helpful!

Brilliant! Thank you so much, very helpful the way I go through plastic, lol...time to get a soldering iron!! Safe riding!

I don't even think that you can glue or solvent-weld polyamides like Nylon and PA-66, they are extremely solvent resistant, they contain water and tend to form a moist surface that rejects adhesives. So yeah melting it is probably the only proper way. And using cable tie ends is a great idea. Thanks for showing your technique.

boy, I wish I had known about this when my laptop casing started cracking to bits. I tried Jb weld and all sorts of things.

Absolutely Brilliant... thanks so much.. I'm working on a Salvaged Car for my Son's first car that was in a bit of an accident. tons of cracked plastic. I was trying to use epoxy with limited success.. Worked on a cracked headlight housing tonight with the old soldering iron and had fantastic success sealing it back up.... thanks for all the tips..

Great. Fantastic skill; and simple too. Thanks for sharing.

learned a new skill today

If you use a softer wire like aluminum or copper, you can squeeze it in textured plier jaws to give the wire a textured surface to make the stitch strong without making paperclips

I watched this video yesterday, Today at work, we had a plastic guard break. Well I gave it a shot and IT WORKED GREAT. for the metal pieces, I used some regular staples out of a staple gun. This repair, saved some serious down time. A replacement part was 180 bucks. It would have been 5 -7 days for it to arrive. GREAT VIDEO Thank you Moonfleet41

Shot buddy just what I needed to fix my cracked bumper very informative glad I watched this !!

I thought my headset is broken then i found that you recordings in one channel lol

spent some pounds on super glue designed for plastick that did does not work this technique worked a treed fast to THANK YOU

this method is so useful for car bumpers...especially when im out of product...thank you man!

Brilliant tutorial! Clear and measured instructions. Will practice as advised & then fix the crack in my Audi boot trim. Many thanks.

I would use a protector respirator ( charcoal filters )

My GF doesn't mind the zip ties but hates when I wear the ski mask. Go figure. Thanks for the tips.

Nice job, so simple. Thanks.

Nice video: both presentation and camera work. Thanks for teaching us!

you can also use staples to stitch weld a crack.

It works much better with a temperature-controlled soldering station - you can set the temperature just right for the type of plastic you're working on and ideally you won't get any fumes at all.

Tried it on a broken dish drying rack; worked great and as sturdy as if never broken! Great job!

Thank you, these were the recommendations I needed to fix several things

I sometimes use regular office staples, for long breaks I use wire in a continuous zig-zag.

BRILLIANT VIDEO VERY WELL DONE. GREAT TO SEE A BRIT SHOWING HOW TO DO STUFF AS IT IS NEARLY ALWAYS YANKS ON RU-vid

Just watched your video and went out to the shop and heated up the soldering iron. Had a plastic air cleaner cap on a zero turn mower that was broken. Turned out great. Saved me about $25 for a new one. Thanks for sharing.

Great video, thank you for sharing your knowledge

Nice video! Just a note regarding using cable ties: Not all plastics are the same! Most plastic items have a small triangle stamped on the bottom with a number on, and sometimes, the plastic type initials below (example: 5 PP, 2 HDPE, etc.). Some plastics will not bond to others. I am not sure which plastic is used for the cable ties, but I am sure it will not bond with all plastics. A better (and cheaper) approach would be to find the same type of plastic on the bottom of an empty plastic container in a recycle container, and cut up thin strips and use that as a filler.

Nice neat welding, great job. Not like the "welding" I did on models back in the 50's.

Gosh, I wish I'd discovered this video 5 years ago! Great camera work by the way!

I like the steel wire method I will give it a go. Thanks for the tip.