Can't thank you enough for posting this. I had to repair a 2 foot crack in the floor of my Citroen Mehari (worlds first plastic car) I used your recipe substituting red Lego's for black ABS - the color was an exact match, nice glossy finish and rock hard after 24 hours - hard to believe how simple it was to repair. All I need to do is install a sheet metal panel on the underside for additional support as its a high stress area. Otherwise the repair is unnoticeable, I even filled a large hole where a large portion of ABS was missing (used gorilla tape as a backing) - if you need a specific color - use Lego's as they are made of ABS plastic
I have repaired both ABS and PVC plastic using the appropriate solvents such as you have. I have always used a mesh of some sort in these repairs including fly screen and believe that it is very beneficial to the overall strength of such repairs. Where parts are subject to ongoing stress, I have even used this method on both sides of the crack/splits. after the repair is totally set (24 hours) you can fine-sand the visible side and finish it as is done in body shops on auto bumpers. If done properly, the repair is almost invisible. Good job on your video.
Good to know. Have a Thule to repair that did not survive wife’s attempt to enter underground parking in spite of being reminded prior to departure and printout on mirror😢🤬😘❤️. Metal Fly screen assume? as have holes as well to fill/repair. Thx
Just wanted to share my experience of the learning the ABS slurry trick from this video. I made some ABS slurry with broken pieces of ABS pipe and acetone. I painted over a cracked ABS elbow fitting of my sink drainage and built up a coat about 2-3mm thick over few days. Soaked the brush in acetone so that it could be reused until the last coat was done. That was a perfect solution to me. The painted ABS slurry dried up with a strong coat of ABS over the crack and the whole elbow, and stopped the leak. I would say it would last as long as the ABS pipes connected to it. This saved me a lot of work of creating enough space and repair afterward for replacing the ABS eblow. Thanks very much this video inspired me for my successful repair.
@@caseyw.8325 I've got a jar of slurry in the shed that I made 3 weeks ago and it's still the same consistancy more or less. I find glass jars work well for storage, as there's no chance of the acetone disolving the glass and they seal really well. Good luck with it all 👍
I used this method to repair a yakima roof box; it came out fantastic! I also mixed some up thin to get into the cracks and for places where I didn't want to build it up too much, like where the lid and base have to mate. And I used some thicker sheets of ABS, heat formed them to match the curve, and used them to reinforce where the support had ripped through the ABS. It's super strong and watertight now. Thanks for the tips!
Great to hear the repairs worked well. I really like the heat forming of the ABS sheet to match the curves, that's a handy tip I'll keep in mind for future ABS repairs 👍👌
Nice. I'm about to do the same with a thule roof box I got that someone had backed into a low parking garage. It made a perfect hole in the back, with a single large piece coming loose, and it just puzzles perfectly into the hole. Instead of what you did with the strips of abs for strength, I'm using mending plates and machine screws to put it back together before re-sealing it all with the slurry.
Really nice repair. I disagree that the screen didn’t add much strength though. There is a reason concrete is poured with rebar or metal mesh embedded. The screen will act to resist lateral sheer forces & resist breakage with point loading. You could also apply your first ABS slurry coat, then cover with fiberglass matting, second and third coats as you did. This would work the same as the screen but would be easier to mold around bends/corners/valleys/etc. The highest strength concrete (6000 psi) is 4000 psi concrete with fiberglass fibers added. Again, great video & thank you for sharing. This one is a keeper for sure!
Used this process to repair my Thule and it worked great; however I used fiberglass cloth instead of window screen and used ABS Pipe Cement, available from the hardware store, instead of trying to make a slurry. The ABS Pipe Cement contains ABS plastic that's been disolved in MEK and acetone. If you use the fiberglass cloth, spread a layer of the pipe cement over the repair area, lay the fiberglass cloth in the wet pipe cement then cover it with more pipe cement.
Home Depot had this stuff on sale. I work for a company that sells a certain brand of hot tub. When we do warranty work, where I need to cut into the bottom of the spa (ABS - thicker then the roof tent shell ill be fixing) , we use ABS medium body cement and Fibatape (drywall stuff). Pair of gloves, a paper cup, and a paintbrush. Pour the abs glue in there, slap some on, layer of tape, and then just cover the tape with the glue. When its ~70'f outside each layer dries in like 5-10 minutes. And it dries really hard too. I had one upside down in the back of the truck and the glue that came out and dried felt hard, like pipe. Had to hit it with a hammer to break it out, and some is still back there
My husband is fixing a cracked drain pipe for the clothes washer underneath our mobile as we speak. He’s a retired auto body repair tech. This was a easy solution. We found the support strap broke and guess the vibrations must have helped cracked the pipe. It’s 21 years old. Fantastic fix!
i'd start with a very thin mix that'll wick into the finer cracks then build up thickness with a thicker mix. also be careful not to apply too much at once or you'll soften and deform the item you're repairing. if you want a more visually appealing finish you can sand it and apply a final coat or two with a paint sprayer.
Reinforcement can be made from fibreglass, carbon fibre, kevlar, hemp, old cotton sheet, whatever is strong (no polyester clothing though). It is to add flexural and tensile strength so that you don’t need as much resin or slurry. Fibreglass is a pain in the arse to work with, especially around statically charged plastic, but it can be laid down with almost any adhesive, hot melted plastic or whatever.
Similar concepts can be used for filling in and strengthening 3D prints, just use the same material as the print is made from, same color and the repair can be blended in till it disappears. It also works for filling in layer lines befor sanding.
Nicely done bud I never knew you can make a slurry out of abs and use it like Bondo to put plastic back together I appreciate the video this will come in handy for future projects 👍
Ironically I have the exact same RTT with the exact same problem and I just wanted to find the best way to repair the cracks in the ABS top. Fantastic video mate 👍
Of course! Dissolve ABS in a solvent and use as a filler/reinforcer. Why didn't I think of that?? Thanks for posting this, it solves a lot of my ongoing repair problems and will save $$ over buying plastic fillers.
Somewhat life changing. Incredible solution. I'm using this on ABS sheets to reinforce it and it seems good so far after the first coat. I think it's actually melting into the sheets a tiny bit which seems like it should be a great thing.
Thanks for sharing. Your measurements for the slurry were perfect. All I had was ABS plumbing pipe. It worked perfect, just a long time to melt. I used pieces of plastic screen door screen to reinforce and it really helped. Thanks
Nice video thanks for sharing!!!! You should made two holes at the ends of broken surface in order to stop furter extension of break before any other actions.... Have good time every time!!! Best regards from Hellas (Greece)!!!
I have personally used black ABS plumbing cement/glue to repair abs boats & other large items. I use it with fiberglass cloth and have also embedded washers etc in the glue/cloth layers when a fastener hole needed reinforcement. I do as much of this from the back/unseen side as possible and have repaired broken automotive trim saving a trip to the salvage yard for a pricey obsolete part. The fiberglass cloth works extraordinarily well, just use a bondo paddle to squeegie it into the cloth and let dry between layers. (The fumes are horrendous... and don't smoke!)
Holly crap! How have I never known this! I modified a front pumper to fit an intercooler with fiberglass, and sure enough, it's not holding up. Now I know what to do! Thank you OP for making this video and RU-vid for recommending it!
Well done! Im in the US and have the same exact roof top tent. I bought it used and have no idea what brand it is, ive never seen another like it until this video. Its holding up well, but great to know the fix.
I have been repairing plastics for nearly 30 years. Your idea of using the mesh is the way to go to distribute the loads and stress better . It is a shame that it is almost impossible to buy acetone in my country. It is regulated because it used in the process of making illegal drugs . Cheers!
Thank you very much for posting this astonished I'm kind of a shame to myself that I've never thought of anything like this. I have repaired restored fixed more different type of things that I can count and I've used multiple methods to reinforce repair plastics of multiple kinds, with a plethora of different materials, but for some for a reason this idea never crossed my mind.... But it's in there now! This is genius, repair the plastic with the plastic! and unlike using heat, its not really changing the structure of the existing plastic.
Excellent work! I like how you documented everything and showed the before and after. For folks that complain about visual stuff. It could always be sanded and painted.
Thanks for the video. Some other suggest also use of acetone with ABS. While seeing you applying the aluminium fire screen layer, I wonder how it could work adding glass fibre or carbon fibre laminates as layers.
Super cool. Try drilling each end of the crack to stop the Propagation before repair. (like a 9/64" bit). A thick layer of RTV works well too. Not all RTV is the same, Permetex Right Stuff 1 minute gasket maker (black) is my go to glue/band aid for almost everything. It is vulcanized to the surface verses glued, and flexes without popping off. (example PERMETEX # 25229) The stuff is rated to hold 250 degree F coolant across an unsupported 1/4" gap at like 30 psi. I cover the outside seem of my plastic radiator end caps and never had those repaired seems re-fail. 3/16" thick application. It also re-vulcanizes to itself so you don't have to remove the old properly attached RTV remains if repairing the repair.
This is the solution I am looking for. Great video. I have been given a Yakima Skybox that is cracked up. This slurry along with some sheets of ABS should do the trick and I will end up with a nearly free roof box. Thanks!
The slurry is a really good idea. I also like the idea of melting the plastic with acetone in order to embed the wire screen. You did add strength, maybe unnecessarily.
Brilliant video, many thanks for sharing. I crashed my rc model aeroplane and damaged the rudder on impact. The plane is made from white abs plastic and and the rudder got cracked in a few places. Im going to use your method of repair as it looks like a great job. Kind regards.
Excellent! I was planning to send my cracked automotive part to get 3D scanned, remanufactured, then prepped, painted, and finally shipped back to me where I'd install it. Would have been weeks, if not months, plus very expensive! Instead, I will fill the stripped mounting bolt hole and repair a crack before repainting the part myself. Since it remains 'ABS' material, I can sand it down and prep it nicely for primer + paint. Thanks!
Thank you! I had come up with the same combination of screen and ABS Slurry before seeing your video. But your video did confirm that this method will work well for ABS repair.I have been building a popup roof for my van using 2 full-size ABS pick-up truck canopies (roughly 8' x 6' x 27"). I also used Methol Ethyl Ketone (MEK) to bond large pieces together and used the slurry as a filler.
I usually just go nuts with a drill on some scrap ABS and use the shavings instead of the larger chunks as that dissolves much quicker. Of course, that can be tedious for larger volumes.
What an absolutely brilliant idea. I broke a tab on a grill insert on one of the cars. This concept will work well. I've seen people use a soldering iron to weld but this is would probably work better. The aluminum screen is a good adding tensile and sheer strength (kind of like re-bar in concrete). Fiberglass matting would have worked to I imagine (but probably adds more cost. I'll probably use some sort of fabric as the tab needs a bit of flex (and is really only needed as a spacer.) A HUGE thumbs up!
I used the same ratio to mix up some slurry and applied it along with some carbon fiber cloth to fix some cracks in my ABS motorcycle plastics. It worked incredibly well and I think they're now stronger than original. It was hard to get the longer crack to bond, so after a few layers on the backside, I traced the crack with a super fine dremmel cutoff disc from the front to open it up, & filled it with slurry. Saved me over $800 in new plastics. Thanks again.
Brilliant Video..! Used this repair inside a Sears Xcargo 20 roof box. Took the O P suggestion of no mesh and multiple layers. Incredible strong adhesion to box. 4 coats seemed durable on 4"x5" area using a 2" plastic putty knife. Repair is sealed and flexible like original box. Tested 3 hard scrap plastics in a mason jar, only one melted. Chose that one. Added more.
I now use MEK , Methyl Ethyl Ketone it's better than Acetone , faster melting when you want to stick broken parts together , acetone is very slow to react . ABS plumber's fitting is a very cheap source for ABS , MEK your hardware store in the paint dept.
After cleaning the contact area, you should have sanded using 60 grit, then cleaned again. And yes, the aluminum screen did add some tensile strength. Thank you for showing.
Man I wish I knew about this when I was trying to repair the cracked dash in my 03 yukon but now I have a new awesome weapon to add to my arsenal!...thanks a million bro!...
My comments seem to be superfluous to what others have said. So, I will just say 'thanks', I had no idea you could do this, and it's has got me out of a big bother.
Thanks for this video. I’m rebuilding my 1988 Suzuki GSXR-750 after stripping the paint (8 layers) off the fairings I found that there were some pretty substantial separation of the plastic that needed to be fixed. I also found that they were after market fairings made out of ABS, which many products won’t stick too. I just went out and bought some acetone and ABS and am looking forward to slathering it on tomorrow.
Job looks good. I did notice a couple of spots that you might want to touch up. Towards the end you did a close up of the final product. If you look closely youll see the end of the wire screen. It didnt get completely covered with the slurry. You can actually see the ends of the wires where they were cut. I have no doubt the structure is strong. I also think you were right in using the mesh for extra strength but with the mesh exposed even a tiny bit that leaves a weak spot that will be vulnerable to the elements. Also it leaves room for movement of the mesh against the abs. Over time it will most likely be the cause of failure uf you have one. As a rule you should try to go beyond the damaged area by about an inch if possible that includes the mesh support if used. The mix you made looked perfect. Good video
Good point with making sure the edges of the mesh are well and truly covered, I think that is a good idea. Next time I use this method I'll be keeping this in mind. Fortunately for this repair it isn't exposed to the elements (underside of roof top tent cover) so won't ever be an issue hopefully.
@@fortheloveofvideo6306 thats good its on the underside and if i remember correctly you used aluminum screen. Its also kind of funny you sent this message about an hour ago. I was thinking about you. Im in the middle of reconstructing a garage door opener motor and controls housing. The unit is flawless as far as operation. Its 15.years old but was rarely used. However a bone head doing some work here knocked the hell out of it with something. I think a 2x4. Long story short. I had just worked on it the day before. Adjusted the door and track. Within an hour of him getting here it was not raising and was eratic. I finally climbed up to check things and saw the logic board wasnt attached to the ABS/PC plastic console and the motor cover was only held together by the bulb cover and the metallic tape to reflect heat from the bulbs away from the plastic. The logic board was literally dangling from the wires and was shorting against the frame. Cant buy a replacement. So im piecing it together. Using jb weld uv light cure. And plastic welding. An hour ago i started cutting stainless steel mesh to embed into the panel and the front of the engine cover. There wasnt a single piece bigger than a dime. Jesus i need to get out more. You didnt need to know all of that crap. Ill blame it on the methylele chloride, acetone and ABS/PC fumes from the welding. I miss model glue!
Great video thanks for that. I have a roof spoiler I have just removed and found the underside has damaged so I will give this method a go and then bond the spoiler back on with VHB adhesive as all mounting points with the studs have deteriorated. 😀
I’d definitely use screen in a similar repair if I ever need to do one, both for its grip and additional strength. Can’t really see a downside to having wire embedded in the patch.
Once the slurry dried it basically became hard plastic again. It's definitely not brittle, and has only a very small amount of flex which I would say is much the same as an other ABS product. Obviously the more layers you use the thicker it gets overall making it more rigid and less flexible. The repair in the video was quite rigid once dried due to the overall thickness I made it. Hope this helps.
Will this work with pvc as well? I would think so! Im going to try some pieces of pvc pipe and see if it will dissolve in acetone! Lots of things are made out of pvc and the manufacturing process poisons the planet along with being non recyclable ! If parts of whatever can be repaired it will save the planet maybe in some small way! Thx for getting the gears in my mind working!
I've fixed a 3D-printer part what was injection molded with ABS. Makerbot didn't want to replace the part for me because it was too old of a machine so I had to improvise. Going to install it right now, let's hope the reinforcements work!
That fucking sucks when companies don't want to help u out due to how old 1 of their products are. Improvising & thinking outside of the box r a must to when dealing with low manufactuering products made with plastic. I call it a factory flaw from these evil companies knowing their device are made to fail.
Would love to know how that worked out for you. I'm enjoying the hilarious self-referential irony that the manufacturer didn't want to deal with a broken part in a product that's made to solve pretty much that very problem.
I like your idea of using screen as an additional support. I would bet if you're concerned about adding strength, you could use aluminum screen as long as you have the clearance for the added mass it would provide once coated with the slurry. Very smart thinking on this though; I like it. Edit: watching the video again I hear you say you did use aluminum screen. I expect that did add considerable strength. I'm in the process of the "slurry repair" on a Yakima Rocketbox I picked up used and it works amazingly well. I haven't gotten to the areas I'll use screen on yet though.
Following up my comment a year later, the spot I repaired was too high of a stress location and easily tore the aluminum screen material only my second time out. My repair spot was on the lid, halfway back on the length of the carrier. Not to be outwitted by physics (ha), I sanded it all down and abraded the aluminum fabric away. I then picked up a 10-dollar steel mesh kit by Bondo which is adhesive backed so made it a little handier to hold in place. I used the mesh on the outside of the carrier, going around it section by section to secure it in place with fresh slurry, and then building it up later by layer over several days so it was nice and thick and I could tell each opening in the mesh was filled in and built up. I then used the second piece on the inside of the carrier using the same process. It's now beefed up considerably where the original crack was and I think now the repair will outlast the rest of the carrier! Credit to the uploader of this video; had he not done it I never would've even thought to use this method. This kind of stuff is what makes RU-vid worth it.
Actually Stainless steel mesh adds a great amount of Strength & rigidity to the repair, if it's thick enough I weld in heated steel clip of if it's thin I use staples which I heat with a soldering iron and push into the plastic along the crack before putting on the top coat with SS Mesh you used.
Maan.. This video got me nervously excited !! I Thank You Soo Much Sir .. For sharing. Highly appreciated !! Will give u a Like on this video for sure.
Oh my GOD! This is literally the only real helpful video. I watched like 10 videos of ABS Slurry but most of them were for 3D printing which is not what I was looking for. Thank you so much for making this video. I do have 1 question, once you make this ABS Slurry, how long does it last shelf wise after you use it? Thank you very much for your helpful video. I have subscribed to your channel. 😁🙏
Really glad you found this helpful, that's why I make these videos! To answer your question, I've had some ABS slurry made up and stored in a glass jar for around 4 months now and it's still liquid. As long as the container you store it in has an airtight seal it seems to last a while.
I use lacker thinner instead of acetone. It's sticks more and is better at breaking down the ABS, not say acetone is not good, just found is less effective.
Only thing i would add is to never store it in any kind of plastic container as acetone dissolves most (not all though) plastics! Store it in a metal can with a tight fitting lid or glass!
