Serious Plastic Welding - It worked for me
While working on my 14 year old 986 across the last year I've occasionally come across cracked or broken plastic body parts. Rather than to continue to order and wait to receive a new part via UPS (my nearest Porsche dealer is a ~4 hr round trip), I decided to check out plastic welders to try and make repairs. This saves project time waiting for parts and sometimes $$$. Also, I'm waiting on my wheels and Brombacher to be delivered so I have some downtime.
As always, a lot of junk out there. Turns out there are two types of serious plastic welders - ceramic core/metal tip and nitrogen forced air tip. I decided that the nitrogen forced air was too much for my needs (although generally considered superior), so I went for a Polyvance 5700HT Mini Weld Model 7 Airless Plastic Welder. It's basically a 200 watt instrument similar to a soldering iron on steroids with an adjustable temp control, two special tips (a feeder tip and a finishing tip), a bunch of different welding rods, reinforcing screen, an instructional DVD and an invaluable book on plastic types and plastic repair methods. Here's a pic: http://986forum.com/forums/uploads02...1518898348.jpg There are two principal types of plastic welding - fusion repair and adhesive bonding repair. You generally use fusion repair when you know specifically the material you are repairing (so you can use a compatible welding rod and correct welding temperature) and you use adhesive bonding repair when you are unsure of the material or under other certain special circumstances. I did a fusion repair. The Problem - a crack on the rear left side inner fender liner that started on the corner seam and that was making its way up the liner. I drilled the hole seen in the left side of my red outline to stop the crack (it had turned, you could see the crack end better from the side not shown): http://986forum.com/forums/uploads02...1518898607.jpg First step was to determine what type of material I was repairing. It's the first two letters of the circled marking (PP - polypropylene) : http://986forum.com/forums/uploads02...1518898893.jpg Check the handy included booklet to determine material type, repair processes and welding rod type : http://986forum.com/forums/uploads02...1518899010.jpg Select the correct rod and set the control unit to "PP": http://986forum.com/forums/uploads02...1518899252.jpg http://986forum.com/forums/uploads02...1518899197.jpg While the iron is heating up, make a valley cut in crack that is 1/2 the thickness of the material. A dremel on low speed worked the me. Be careful, too fast and you'll melt the plastic: http://986forum.com/forums/uploads02...1518899530.jpg Apply rod material in the valley and fuse/blend the rod material with the feeder tip and smooth with the feeder tip or finishing tip. I used aluminum tape to hold the piece together while welding: http://986forum.com/forums/uploads02...1518899796.jpg http://986forum.com/forums/uploads02...1518899838.jpg Let the repair cool, test it for integrity, sand it and you're gold! http://986forum.com/forums/uploads02...1518900310.jpg Because the repair is at the back bottom of the inner fender I did not spend any time with finish sanding. Just knocked off the rough edges. If needed, you can sand to body work prep readiness. No amount of reasonable tugging or pulling could separate the repaired crack and everything flexed just as it should. Now I'm ready for the next crack, broken tab or cracked bolt hole I come across without waiting for parts, and I have another new tool - bonus! |
Oh... where did you pick up that handy-dandy device? My Jeep has all sorts of plastic on it!
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Thanks for posting this Fred! Great explanation and pictures! :)
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Great work, I have only every seen this done by crosshatching with a soldiering iron, much cleaner and stronger to add some additional plastic. :cheers:
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https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00IEX6NME/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1 Don’t buy it directly at the Polyvance site, it’s way more expensive for the same kit! Regarding your Jeep, same for me. I’ll get a lot of use out of it for our atvs, off-road buggy and racing kart also. |
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https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=xYLF9DJM-YU |
Some of the mounting holes at the bottom of my front bumper have torn out during years of use. Not sure what the bumper cover material is but do you think your welder might be a solution? I’m on an eternal search to eliminate rattles
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Now I think I can do a good job repairing the damaged belly panels on my 550 SE rather than buying new. :cheers: |
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There are rods included for the common bumper materials so I think the kit might address your needs. Check out the Polyvance videos on YouTube or their website for more info. |
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I've been doing this with a soldering iron for decades. Filler rods seem unnecessary...unless you're building new material or missing a section. I've never needed them. ;)
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Welding plastic is definitely a fine art. :)
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