TOPIC:

What would be the best glue for repairing bodies made of ABS?

Poly cement of the type you'd use on plastic kits, e.g. www.humbrol.com...ivesglues/

Thanks Johnny! My bottle was obviously not used for a long time, so it was rather solid... Thought I would check and see if there had been any kind of revolution in the field over the last years. Then it is off to the shops to find glue tomorrow! Another question; is the bond solid enough to withstand a dip in brake fluid, if you need to remove paint from an unsuccesful paintjob? (We have all been there...)

That's a difficult one ... I "dismantled" the Cheetah & XR311 I restored - i.e. carefully broke all the glued bonds - but it's unpredictable - some joints fail really easily, some just won't break, causing more damage that you then have to fix.

If you don't do it though, the bonds are fairly porous, and you can't get out all the product you use to strip the paint - Graffitti Remover will rot the plastic, traces of brake fluid will leach out during repainting ...

Overall I think I'd "dismantle" it - I think it's better to fix any extra damage at the outset than it is to have a paintjob go wrong & have to start from the beginning.

ABS welds well if you don't want to use glue - use a soldering iron with a clean flat tip (Obviously practice on something unimportant first)

Oh, & if you're out of glue, you can use solvent instead eg MEK, cellulose thinners etc. Better still, if the repair is to something where the parts don't fit together well or there's damage like gouges etc, use ABS cement as specified for assembling ABS pressure pipework - look at "Durapipe" & "George Fischer" plastic piping systems. In fact, if you're good at mould making, this stuff can be used for casting replacement parts too

What do you mean the stuff is good for mold-making?? Were you talking about that strong-smelling glue you weld plastic water-pipes with?? I'm intersted in all sorts of mold-making tips.. Thanks.
PS: from my life-long involvement in all sorts of modelmaking and as an ex-hobby shop owner, I remember we used to weld some ABS RC airplane parts like Lanier Models, with the supplied MEK (Methyl Ethy Ketone)bottle that came with the ARF kits then. One more tip I know from my professional work as a Promotional Displays Manufacturer is using Chloroform with a syringe to weld ABS same as on Perspex or Plexiglas.. One has to be careful for runs, but it works very well.. the bonds are fantastic.
Cheers,
TJ.
Beirut.

Yep, the solvent/chloroform/MEK welding is EXACTLY what the model making polystyrene cement does with the ABS body shells. Cellulose thinners, acetone & petrol also work to some degree (Anything that melts the material can weld it, as long as the materials to be joined are the same).

Bonds are always stronger if you put the solvent cement on both surfaces to be joined & leave it just long enough for the surfaces to soften. Then, squidge/smear the parts together so that the softened plastic "mixes". Hold/clamp the joint firmly & leave at least overnight to set (any movement during curing will weaken the bond). Although the parts will be stuck & seem rigid, full bond strength can take weeks (Until all the solvent has evaporated from the joint & surrounding area). eg if you've ever bodged up an Airfix kit, you'll know it's possible to get it apart fairly cleanly days after it was glued, yet if you attack a model that's a few years old, you'll break the plastic not the joint.

Do your brake fluid stuff before bonding, yes it will have it apart, as will hot soapy water if the bond isn't very old, eg a week or 2 (The solvent leaches into the plastic & takes a long time to fully evaporate & the joint properly harden)

Yes, you can use the ABS pipe solvent welding stuff as your liquid to pour into your moulds. BUT it HAS to be the proper ABS cement, the stuff that's ABS dissolved in solvent (eg The grey Durapipe ABS cement) - the clear DIY "Sticks all" stuff wont work. It also takes a very long time to harden, so use 2-pack polyester (etc) if you're in a hurry.

Personnaly I use bi compound glue like "araldite". It can be painted. It is not too fluid and easy to use. It doesn't smellt too

Stingray
Sans meme verifier, juste a vous voir mentionner Araldite j'ai su que vous etiez Francais.
Amities modelistes du Liban
TJ.
(for non-French speaking readers, I just told Stingray I knew he was French without even checking his location, as Araldite is a very popular epoxy glue in France. Thought I ethically had to translate this for others).