Whats the best glue for plastic :)

[threaders]

He fellas,
Got a broken darth vader tie fighter wing thats snapped at the bit you insert in the main body. Its only a spare for display so it just has to work again, not look perfect.
Tried superglue, but that seems to frost and come unstuck after a week or so.
What do you guys use??
Cheers, Jonathan

 

[Palifan]

Hi Jonathan,

It's always going to be tough to get something to glue well when it's a piece that's supporting a larger piece. I tend to always try to drill a small hole into both pieces (where the break is) and insert a small metal rod before glueing each piece together (sometimes I've even used 2 rods so the break can't swivel). It tends to really strengthen the break but without seeing it I'm not sure if this is even possible with what's broken.

The glue I use is Araldite, 2 part epoxy glue which is pretty clear and very strong if you leave it to set for a day. It's been around for years so I'm not sure if there's an even stronger glue out there but it's generally served me well.

Hope this is of some help but I'm keen to hear what other people use, if they've found something better.

Ian

 

[Frunkstar]

2nd vote for Araldite, also worth backing it up with Miliput (epoxy putty) if there is a hollow space to fit some in behind the break, same principal as the rods but no need to drill anything, miliput is pretty much a putty form of Araldite & will set like concrete, just make sure you mix both of these glues really well as there is a adhesive & a hardener & if you don't mix well enough it won't bond & have "soft spots" within the adhesive.

 

[Palifan]

I almost mention miliput but wasn't sure if there would be any hallow in the break. That's probably been my number one thing to use for fixing things over the year. It sets like stone and once you have it in place and smooth it with a little water on your finger it can work great on a bit of broken moulding or chip out of something.

 

[Michael Sith]

Araldite for me as well

 

[threaders]

I would be interested in a pic of the drill set up you use for a fine drill bit. I have a top gun on a falcon that has had the fixings snapped off so cant join the two peices together
I take it the araldite is also the stuff you have to mix yourself then?

 

[Lonebudman]

I use Plastech for repairs like this,though its not as handy to use as Araldite.I originally bought it for fairing repairs but use it for any plastic repairs now.

http://www.demon-tweeks.co.uk/motorcycle/fairings/plastech-plastic-repair-kit

 

[Palifan]

It looks to me that you could use the miliput on the inside and then use the araldite to glue the break. As the break is jagged it should bond pretty well and as the miliput is like plasticine you have hours to pay around with it before it sets so you could use this first. It's a little hard for me to explain how to do it but if you push the miliput into the wing piece first and leave some proud of it you could then put the glue onto the smaller piece and then sqwish the two pieces together. The only problem you might have is that the hole maybe a bit deep in the wing to put miliput into it but I think it would be worth a look. miliput comes in a small box so there should be plenty there and it will dry wet, so there's no problem with using glue at the same time. You also find that the araldite works fine on it's own as I said before it looks like a good sort of break to use that type of glue. As was said before, do mix the glue (and miliput) together well and you should have about 40-50 seconds to play with it before it begins to set.

As for my drill set up I should have mentioned that I use a dremel drill as you can control the speed of it and use small drill bits. You'll have trouble doing anything fine with a standard drill unless you can use a pillar drill from somewhere.

let me know if anything's unclear or you want more advise.

 

[threaders]

Many thanks for the detailed reply and advice. I will definatly give it a go, the only problem is there is quite a few different araldite glue products and not all of them state weather they dry clear or not.
Is this the right stuff
http://www.fitmykitchen.co.uk/p-15780-araldite-precision-2-x-15ml-tube.aspx?gclid=CIb919iCp7YCFc3HtAod_zgARw
Or does anyone have any links? I really appreciate the help and all your time, Cheers, Jonathan

 

[tiefighterboy]

For that...I agree the two part Epoxy putty should hold it. I use Loctite............
http://compare.ebay.com/like/350635426938?var=lv&ltyp=AllFixedPriceItemTypes&var=sbar