Tuesday, January 28, 2014
How to Repair a Cracked Plastic Auto Bug Shield
Bug shields protect the leading edge of your vehicles hood from bugs and stone chips. When a large object or blunt force cracks the plastic bug shield, your hood protection is lost. Regular glues will not bond to plastics. Fixing plastic cracks requires an adhesive designed for each specific type of plastic. Manufacturers use either ABS plastic to make opaque bug shields or Lexan plastic for clear or tinted bug shields.
Instructions
- 1
Spray window cleaner on the cracked area of the bug shield. Wipe the cleaner from the crack with a clean rag.
2Stick the end of a syringe in an open container of plastic adhesive. Pull the plunger located at the back of the syringe toward you to fill it with adhesive.
3Align the tip of the syringe with the center of the bug shield crack. Pull the syringe along the crack as you push in on the plunger. Make sure you fill the length of the crack with adhesive.
4Set a spring clamp across both sides of the crack. Inspect the crack to ensure that both sides of the crack are at the same height. Leave the clamp on the crack for 24 hours.
5Remove the spring clamp.
6Sand any excess cured adhesive from the crack with 600-grit sandpaper. Avoid sanding the surface of the bug shield to reduce scuffing.
Tuesday, January 21, 2014
How to Fix a Hole in a Plastic Oil Tank
Plastic is a very commonplace material used for just about everything. Because so much is made out of plastic, several companies have built their empire by providing various methods for repairing it. The most important element in plastic oil tank repair is to know exactly what kind of plastic your oil tank is made of. This allows you to purchase the proper patching materials. There are multiple ways of repairing your plastic oil tank, which method you select depends mostly on how much you care about appearance versus ease of use.
Instructions
- 1
Repair your plastic oil tank with a plastic repair kit. Plastic repair kits are available at any hardware store and are relatively inexpensive. These kits contain epoxy, fiberglass cloth, application brush and sandpaper. Simply sand down the crack or hole, cover it with the fiberglass cloth, prepare the epoxy and brush it over the fiberglass to create a patch. These patches appear rough at first, but you can sand them down for a more aesthetically pleasing finish once the epoxy has set. Additionally, you can paint the patch to match the rest of the tank. Plastic repair kits are great if youre not too bothered with a rough finish.
2Repair your plastic oil tank with a plastic sealing tape. Sealing tapes are available at any hardware store and are great for an easy fix for smaller cracks and holes. Sealing tapes adhere well to any plastic type and can maintain seal in temperatures as low as -40 degrees to 180 degrees Fahrenheit. Simply apply the sealing tape over the small hole or crack to solve your problem. Note: sealing tape gets the job done, but you may have to replace it from time to time. Sealing tape is perfect for a person thats looking for a quick and easy fix to a small problem.
3Repair your plastic oil tank with a speed tip plastic welder. Speed tip welding is a technique that heats up a plastic rod while pushing a soft bead of plastic out of the tip, similar to soldering. Although speed tip welding offers the most precise plastic repair, it is also the most challenging and expensive plastic repair method. Speed tip welding is also the best method for repairing a crack or a hole in a hard to repair area such as a corner. Speed tip welding is perfect for hobbyists and professionals who really value the aesthetic appearance of the repair work.