☆ The Chop Shop What Glue to Use For Body Work/Repairing Cracks in Plastic and Why ☆
 

Hey guys "thumbsup" So I get this question almost every other day so I figured I would just put this out here for everyone to see. So if you have questions or comments feel free to ask. I'm not giving away all of the trade secrets :flipoff: but I'll help out as much as I can. Please keep in mind that I DO NOT claim to be a expert on this subject. But I have done tests with styrene as well as scrap plastic pieces from a Hilux to test these glues and these methods so I know what happens to the plastic when you do the following to them.

I use three different glues for my body work :shock:. Three different glues because each one has a different compound to cover every range of rigidity. Starting from the top.

Bob Smith Industries (BSI) CA glue
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CA glue is a external glue. It will somewhat heat up the plastic alone, but not enough to really even tell. CA glue by itself is very brittle (unless you buy the flexible stuff) so it isn't all that strong by itself. Keep in mind, this is the brittle glue. I use Insta-set CA accelerator with it and that literally heats things up for a instant and strong bond. It will get hot enough to emit smoke and can burn your fingers. Watch your eyes and inhaling too.
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It'll also help keep the plastic or tire from turning white after it's cured. IT WILL NOT 100% PREVENT that from happening, but it does a great job of keeping it to a minimum.

Next, Plastruct Bondene or Tenax 7R
http://i268.photobucket.com/albums/j...ps186bf58d.jpg
The Bondene/Tenax7R is a plastic welder. It melts the plastic so that you actually get a true bond for the two sides. It takes a while to cure, but once it does you have a fairly strong bond. Keep in mind, this glue isn't brittle nor flexible. It merely melts the two halves together so you have a bond that is juuuust a little weaker than the whole unit would be if it hadn't of been cut at all. The joints will still be stiff if you used a wider "glue contact" area. But simply because it is now thicker than the whole sheet of styrene/body/etc was. When you get a true bond with this glue it will actually rip the styrene when you try to peal the halves back apart. If you do a "butt joint" using this glue it won't hold up very well. As I said before it's just a little weaker than it was originally, but thats enough for it fold easily.


And finally the ShooGoo or E6000.
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As you know, these two adhesives are rubbery. The get pretty firm but you can bend it all over and even peel it off if you try hard enough. This glue is the glue of all glues for a RC nut. It is the MacGyver of glues.
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If Chuck Norris and Macgyver had a glue baby...it would be named Shoo Goo or E6000 :shock:. Ok, enough of that...back on track.
It will hold two halves of plastic/styrene together just fine by itslef. But its not sandable and you can't do any body work because of how flexible it is. When you paint on top of styrene or plastic that has been joined by ShooGoo/E6000 you can fold the styrene like a hinge, so the paint cracks. Both of these glues will shrink when fully cured. If you were to layer two sheets of styrene together using either of these glues to bond them it will shrink far enough to cause the styrene to wrinkle up like you fingers when they've been soaked in water for an extended period of time. If you use it on painted lexan, it will pull the paint off of the lexan unless you have lightly sanded the lexan before painting to get a super strong bond. Keep this in mind when modifying lexan bodies or attaching the front ends on certain bodies where they're made seperate.

So why all three?
Take any ONE of those glues and try to make a bond or glue two halves of plastic together edge to edge (No overlap, just a butt joint). The CA glue will crack when bending the two. If you just gob it on it'll hold, but it'll look like sh!t. Sand it down as it should be and it's going to snap the first time you hit something or have a roll over. As for the Bondene/Tenax7R, it by itself will hold to an extent. But it isn't a very strong glue for butt joints, only for over lapping joints do you see any real strength with this glue. Some people will mix minced rubber bands or fine shreds of styrene to create a thicker paste like substance, and that works pretty good. But not as good as this 3 glue method. Finally, the ShooGoo or E6000. When you make a butt joint using this glue it literally folds like a hinge. The is no rigidity there. By using these three different glues you cover all three areas. You have everything covered from the brittle end of things down to the flexible end of things. IF you smack a rock hard enough to break thru the CA glue a.k.a. "the hard shell brittle plastic" and the Bondene a.k.a."the somewhat weakened plastic" then the Shoogoo "the rubbery hinge" will still hold the two pieces together. I've had my rigs roll down 2 ft of rock end over end, down 10ft worth of hills in comps, you name it and the only thing that breaks is the virgin plastic. If I repair the broken spots with this method that spot will NOT break again unless you really try at it.

I hope that helps. As I said before, feel free to ask any questions on this thread "thumbsup". Don't be afraid to chop up a $100 body, it's only plastic. If you decide that it's not worth it for you to mess up a expensive body...I happen to know a guy. :mrgreen:

Re: ☆ The Chop Shop What Glue to Use For Body Work/Repairing Cracks in Plastic and W
 

Thanks for the info Hoosierdaddy. What is the best stuff to use as a filler, that you can paint and sand? I.e what could you recomend for filling the bolt holes on the fenders of a NB jk?

Re: ☆ The Chop Shop What Glue to Use For Body Work/Repairing Cracks in Plastic and W
 

Hoosier: I've had great luck with good ole Testors Orange Model Glue!

Nitro: you can use Testors Body Putty, or any 1:1 body filler. ie: bondo, rage, evercoat, so on and so forth!
I will recommend evercoat featherlite any day of the week!

Re: ☆ The Chop Shop What Glue to Use For Body Work/Repairing Cracks in Plastic and W
 

Thanks for that Phippy. Looks like im off to the shop today to get some filler.

Re: ☆ The Chop Shop What Glue to Use For Body Work/Repairing Cracks in Plastic and W
 

No problem! For cracked styrene, use aluminum window screen and a soldering iron from the back of the body. The soldering iron will both heat the screen and melt the plastic, imbedding it into the plastic. It will help strengthen the repair!

Re: ☆ The Chop Shop What Glue to Use For Body Work/Repairing Cracks in Plastic and W
 

I recomend this stuff, Bondo filler/Glazing putty.
http://i268.photobucket.com/albums/j...ps38ef7f21.jpg
You can buy it at Walmart or similar stores for just a few dollars. If you want to spend more $$$ for less product, try this stuff.

* (UPDATE) I've been doing some experimenting with filler lately. While your standard 3M glazing putty/filler works fine, the green filler resists cracking during the curing process much better. It is more expensive and you get way less for the money too, but if it saves a few layers (and possibly a day or two of cure time) then it's well worth it.
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It doesn't heat up like true Hobby Grade CA glue, therefor doesn't hold as well. Not to mention it's alot easier to use the style of bottle that the professional grade stuff comes in vs. a metal toothpaste tube.

You might want to be careful doing this. On thinner hardbodies apply enough heat to embed mesh into the plastic will warp the exterior of the body. (i.e. Tamiya Sand Scorcher) On thicker bodies like the Hilux or Clod that may do the trick, but I prefer to use a thin strip of styrene with the 3 glue method.

Re: ☆ The Chop Shop What Glue to Use For Body Work/Repairing Cracks in Plastic and W
 

Where was this like a week ago? Jk. Nice to see this in one easy to follow thread. Should help a lot of people out.

Re: ☆ The Chop Shop What Glue to Use For Body Work/Repairing Cracks in Plastic and W
 

love E6000. use it on everything. takes a day to fully cure. but its worth the wait.

and filler stuff is awesome. bondo is way cheaper. i use the green stuff but it seems to harden in the tube...

Re: ☆ The Chop Shop What Glue to Use For Body Work/Repairing Cracks in Plastic and W
 

Hoosier: I've worked at a body shop repairing bumpers. It's worked out well in the past!

Anyone ever done a lineX body?

Re: ☆ The Chop Shop What Glue to Use For Body Work/Repairing Cracks in Plastic and W
 

Im sure that method works out great for 1:1. But the bumper of a Pontiac Grand Am is little different than a Tamiya Hilux :mrgreen:.

As for the line-x, there are already other threads that cover that topic "thumbsup".

Re: ☆ The Chop Shop What Glue to Use For Body Work/Repairing Cracks in Plastic and W
 

You know what sux? Is that half this stuff you can not get in Australia. It makes it real hard to find similar product. I appreciate the replies guys.

Re: ☆ The Chop Shop What Glue to Use For Body Work/Repairing Cracks in Plastic and W
 

I'm a little confused here...
Is the idea to use all three at once on the same spot, or just pick the one most suitable each time?

Re: ☆ The Chop Shop What Glue to Use For Body Work/Repairing Cracks in Plastic and W
 

That does suck. Sorry to hear that.

The idea is to use all three. The CA goes on the back side of the body, the Bondene on the outside. Then a thin layer of Styrene on the back side for reinforcement followed by a coat of ShooGoo or E6000 to strengthen everything up even more. "thumbsup" Hope that helps clarify things.

Re: ☆ The Chop Shop What Glue to Use For Body Work/Repairing Cracks in Plastic and W
 

Same thought went through my mind as well...;-)

Yes, that explains it very well, thanks. Thanks for the thread as well.

I started to use Shoo Goo/Marine Goo many years ago when my kids were younger. The plastic used in a lot of toys refused to be held together by any glue I found. Shoo Goo seemed to do the trick, especially if you roughened the plastic a bit 1st.

Re: ☆ The Chop Shop What Glue to Use For Body Work/Repairing Cracks in Plastic and W
 

Hey Mr. Hosierdady, I have a question about E6000. I need to attach a styrene cab back to a lexan body. If I run a bead of E6000 around the inside joint, will that stuff mess up the laquer-based Model Master paint I have already layed down? The lexan is painted on the inside.

P/S: great write up "thumbsup"

Re: ☆ The Chop Shop What Glue to Use For Body Work/Repairing Cracks in Plastic and W
 

Thank you sir "thumbsup"

As for the question... Basically, the best way to go about it is to sand the paint off of the cab back where the glue is going to be applied and use a thin layer when attaching it to the lexan cab. Don't go crazy with it because the glue will shrink once it has cured and unless you have done a bullet proof job of prepping and painting, it will pull/wrinkle the paint on the lexan. This is one of those times when just a little is just enough. Once the very thin coat of E6000 has cured for a full 24 hrs at least, then you can reapply a very thin coat if needed. Just remember not to get carried away with the glue and you should be fine. I make no promises on this, but thats the best way that I know to go about it sir. Hope that helps :mrgreen:.

Re: ☆ The Chop Shop What Glue to Use For Body Work/Repairing Cracks in Plastic and W
 

I was planning to lay on the glue as if I were caulking a bathtub, good thing I asked first. Thanks bud! :mrgreen:

Re: ☆ The Chop Shop What Glue to Use For Body Work/Repairing Cracks in Plastic and W
 

not quite glue related... but can you heat and bend styerene? thinking about trying something with a hard plastic body but I'm going to need to fab a back for it. with the curved top I was wondering if I could bend some 1/2 round and glue it between the top and back so that I can then sand down and round out the joint.

Re: ☆ The Chop Shop What Glue to Use For Body Work/Repairing Cracks in Plastic and W
 

Yes, you can heat and bend styrene. Flat pieces will turn away from the flame until it reaches it's melting point. Then it'll curl up and pull towards the flame. Just take your time and put subtle heat to it. Don't rush it, you want to heat the plastic very gradually to be sure to not over heat or burn the plastic. You can do that with the to, but I would recommend "stair stepping" it with a smaller piece of styrene on top of the roof. Then you can sand it down to make your curve that you want. Plus that way makes you have two layers of styrene up top so it'll be stronger in a roll over. To give you a idea of what Im talking about, check out my D90 truck build and look at how I did the roof on it. That's the best way to get that curved roof like I think you're looking for. "thumbsup"

Good to know about heat and bends, was wondering about that as well. Would an open flame or heat gun work better?