What "Glue" For What Plastic???

[sqidd]

I'd seen, I think on this board, where there was a discussion about what glue to use on what plastics. I'm in need of advice. I have a Strike Cannon from a 1984 Bandai VF-1S Hikaru that broke. I tried Crazy Glue but even after 24hrs it broke easily. I don't know what plastic I'm dealing with or what the best glue is for it. Can you help?

Thanks!

[pengbuzz]

43 minutes ago, sqidd said:

I'd seen, I think on this board, where there was a discussion about what glue to use on what plastics. I'm in need of advice. I have a Strike Cannon from a 1984 Bandai VF-1S Hikaru that broke. I tried Crazy Glue but even after 24hrs it broke easily. I don't know what plastic I'm dealing with or what the best glue is for it. Can you help?

Thanks!

Is it a model kit or a transformable toy? Sorry to ask, but i can discern the plastic from that info.

[sqidd]

8 minutes ago, pengbuzz said:

Is it a model kit or a transformable toy? Sorry to ask, but i can discern the plastic from that info.

Sorry, transformation toy. 1984 "Chunky Monkey". The strike cannon on the left is what broke.

[MacrossJunkie]

You could try Plastruct Plastic Weld. There's no actual adhesive left over when it dries. You apply some to the affected area and hold the pieces together. It melts the plastic and they bond together. Works on ABS, styrene, butyrate, acrylic, plexiglass, and probably some other plastics.

[pengbuzz]

7 hours ago, sqidd said:

Sorry, transformation toy. 1984 "Chunky Monkey". The strike cannon on the left is what broke.

Devcon Plastic Welder should work just fine. Not only does it bond very strongly (3500 psi strength), but it comes in black and cream, and fills any gaps left behind from breakage.

[big F]

The plastic is ABS based so plumber plastic pipe weld will do it.

There are two versions you can get, one gel type, and one thin liquid type.

The  gel is great to glue where it wont show to much or you can finish the plastic. 

I suspect the liquid type will be more suitable as you can be more accurate with it.

It works by slightly liquidising the surfaces. You bring them together and the solvent evaporates the plastic solidifies and you are good to go.

So unlike other glues that bond by being a medium between the two parts its more likely to stay put on a toy.

 

Devcon is also a winner. That stuff glues most everything to most everything else. Used to use it where I worked. To bond metal to plastic. Once dried you needed to grind it off to get rid of it.

Edited October 15, 2020 by big F

[DewPoint]

I'm just curious and its always good to know for future reference.  Since sqidd has already applied CA glue to the break, does he need to completely remove the CA glue before applying a new glue?  

[pengbuzz]

19 minutes ago, DewPoint said:

I'm just curious and its always good to know for future reference.  Since sqidd has already applied CA glue to the break, does he need to completely remove the CA glue before applying a new glue?  

Personally, I would, as super glue tends to have very poor shear strength. Cyanoacrylates have good tensile (pull) strength, but with sideways forces, I've found pieces repaired will come right apart. I'd remove the CA and use a different glue.

Edited October 15, 2020 by pengbuzz

[slide]

13 minutes ago, DewPoint said:

I'm just curious and its always good to know for future reference.  Since sqidd has already applied CA glue to the break, does he need to completely remove the CA glue before applying a new glue?  

Yes, but being CA that should be relatively easy. Any left on the repair surface would (one presumes) inhibit a plastic-welding agent. CA is very brittle, so it should scrape off without even marring the plastic with some caution.

 

In the Warhammer 40K world, it's advisable to attach arms, weapons etc. with CA: if you drop a mini the CA bond will break, not the arm/weapon, then just scrape-off the old CA (for fitment reasons) and re-do the joint, good as new.

1 hour ago, pengbuzz said:

Devcon Plastic Welder should work just fine. Not only does it bond very strongly (3500 psi strength), but it comes in black and cream, and fills any gaps left behind from breakage.

44 minutes ago, big F said:

Devcon is also a winner. That stuff glues most everything to most everything else. Used to use it where I worked. To bond metal to plastic. Once dried you needed to grind it off to get rid of it.

I've never heard of Devcon before, but after a quick google it sounds like some top-shelf stuff! I'll have to see if I can procure some...

 

 

Out of curiosity @sqidd, what's the nature of the breakage? is it the muzzle-section of the barrels? I can see any repair to that point being (relatively) weak considering the tiny surface area(s) involved... especially if you attempted a CA repair. Or is it someplace else on the cannon?

In general the more surface area the better for any repair job with solvents/glues.

[sqidd]

6 hours ago, big F said:

The plastic is ABS based so plumber plastic pipe weld will do it.

There are two versions you can get, one gel type, and one thin liquid type.

The  gel is great to glue where it wont show to much or you can finish the plastic. 

I suspect the liquid type will be more suitable as you can be more accurate with it.

It works by slightly liquidising the surfaces. You bring them together and the solvent evaporates the plastic solidifies and you are good to go.

So unlike other glues that bond by being a medium between the two parts its more likely to stay put on a toy.

 

Devcon is also a winner. That stuff glues most everything to most everything else. Used to use it where I worked. To bond metal to plastic. Once dried you needed to grind it off to get rid of it.

Is ABS very similar to PVC then? Or am I thinking about two different kinds of plumber plastic pipe weld then> I have some of the stuff for white PVC plumbing. You hit it with the purple I'm assuming to clean/etc it then you hit it with the cement. Is this what you're referring too?

 

Thanks or all the input guys!!!

[sqidd]

5 hours ago, slide said:

 

 

 

Out of curiosity @sqidd, what's the nature of the breakage? is it the muzzle-section of the barrels? I can see any repair to that point being (relatively) weak considering the tiny surface area(s) involved... especially if you attempted a CA repair. Or is it someplace else on the cannon?

In general the more surface area the better for any repair job with solvents/glues.

It's the "tabs" where they pop into the booster. They're side loaded. So pretty much worse case scenario.

I actually have two that are broken. This morning after they had both be re crazy glued 24hrs I took another shot at it. I measured the booster (female) and the Strike cannon clips ("male") and there was only 5 thou of flex needed in the cannon. I split the booster, put the cannon in, and then cinched the booster halves together......and it broke. I got frustrated, grabbed a file, and filed the booster out for a slightly sloppy fit and put the other cannon in there. It didn't break. I'm guessing it's really fragile though. It will work until I get a more permanent solution.

I'm actually working with someone else on the board right now on scanning the Strike Parts in, manipulating/updating them a little in CAD and then we're going to print them. If this all works out I will be replacing all of my Chunky SSP's (14 sets total Supers and Strikes) with the updated ones. It's going to be a while though I imagine.

[MechTech]

@sqidd There are actually ABS pipe fittings and then the standard PVC. Both cement types can be thick and gloppy so be careful.

Macrossjunkie had a good point with the plastic weld. If it's what I remember it is, use it outdoors with a breeze! It does weld ABS great though. Everyone is right, the CA will prevent the solvent from hitting the ABS. Acetone is also a great solvent for ABS. Too bad you don't have sprue, you can melt a little (sprue goo) to build it up, let it sit for a week or two, and then reshape the area. - MT