ABS adhesive

[montmil]

There have been a couple threads on this site regarding ABS adhesives. As in, what will work and what doesn't.

One of the latest concerns Msbuck's Laverda and its broken fender... http://suraklyn.com/yabb/YaBB.pl?num=1218250956

I sent an email to the damsel in distress with some additional suggestions. Here's what worked for me.



OK, it's not a motorcycle and the nationality is all wrong for the Lavera. But it IS ABS plastic and I did fix it! Man, those stone "pecks" really show up. Ugh!

I maintain and consider myself the caretaker on my elderly VW Cabriolet. The aluminum bumpers have ABS end caps. They are as rare as hen's teeth these days so fixing them is just about the best way to go unless you're willing to pay large dollars on eBay.

Spot the small crack? I stop drilled the stress crack with a 3/32 " bit. Hopefully, that will keep the crack from migrating. Still needed to fix / reinforce the area.

Now comes Ace Hardware's house-brand ABS 5-minute epoxy. I'll spare myself additional embarassment with the story related in the link. Read it and have pity on me  

Backtracking here to my aircraft construction for just a moment. Composite aircraft -fiberglas, E-glass, kevlar, vinylester, carbon fiber, etc- frequently need additional reinforcement at joint lines and corners. Enter a material known as Cotton Flox. Visualize, if you will, a cotton ball that has been sent through the food processor on the puree setting. That's flox.

A one-pound bag of this lightweight stuff takes up a lotta space. When blended with epoxy resins for lamination or epoxy adhesives, the flox becomes a reinforcing matrix of cross-linked fibers. Barney style, it's stronger than your momma's love.

I fixed the Cabriolet fender cap with the Ace ABS adhesive and a bit of cotton flox. A built up area on the backside of the fender cap did the trick. A suitably sized piece of heavyweight fiberglass cloth would work as well. The end cap break is now very solid. Couple links to suppliers who maintain web catalogs.

http:// http://www.aircraftspruce.com/

http://www.wicksaircraft.com/



And this is the stuff. Beemer saddlebags with cracks can be repaired economically. I would suggest not using the material on the exterior surfaces unless absolutely necessary. Wipe off any adhesive squeeze out before the material cures. That should camouflage the area nicely.

  

[mikethebike]

I've often used Araldite and if necessary, reinforced it with strips of other materials.

If you stick sellotape or masking tape over the front of the repair and remove it when set, it can be painted to match the panel.

[Yikes]

Mont, your bumper repair looks great!  Do you think the ABS epoxy would work on the black vinyl instrument cover?  I've got a couple of breaks and gaps in mine (I can't even call them cracks)  that I've tried to fix with plastic rubber cement, black silicone, ABS glue, epoxy and Gorilla glue.  Not all at once mind you, but maybe I should have.  I just haven't found anything that has both the adhesion and the tensile strength to stick and  to hold it together.  Replacement has not been an option since  the new part is nearly $200 and decent used ones are non-existent.

I'm wondering if anyone has had any success in rehabilitating a split instrument cover.   :-/

[montmil]

Are you referring to the "black bean pod" that houses the instruments or that weird "crash pad" that's a rubbery material? Your cow's tongue,  Lemme know...

Monte

[Yikes]

It is the top the two-part cover that slips down over the speedo, tach and ignition.  BMW part #32711236896.  It's also called the "impact top plate" or the "upper hub cap".  Mine is split on the right and left side at the holes that the tach and speedo peek up through.  It is made of vinyl or heavy rubber and has a metal plate in part of it.  It is removed by un-doing two screws on the bottom part and by unscrewing the collar ring and plastic flange on the inignition switch.  It also carries the on/off switches for my headlight and heated grips.  It extends to just over the handlebar mounts.

[montmil]

I know the "Hub Cap" piece. And what's up with that part name? Mine was torn below the instruments and I left it in the Austin, Texas sanitary landfill before I hauled the bike back to North Texas.

I would not put much faith in the ABS epoxy fix. As I recall, the Beemer part is sort of rubbery and will easily flex. Maybe. That's not good for a "glued" joint. However, if you'd like to give it a shot, and what have you got to lose?, here's what I'd do...

I would locate some thin aluminum, perhaps .063, and shape some sort of connection plate between both sides of the break. After getting the aluminum to correct size, drill a nice pattern of small holes through the plate/s. What you want is to get some of the adhesive to squish through the holes and, after cure, form solid rivets. More holes, more rivets, more gooder. Is that a word?

You will likely need to develop some sort of clamping action to hold the "hub cap" while the adhesive cures.

On my R65, I ditched the entire Black Bean Pod and installed a digital instrument that has been a fine performer. Good luck with the repair. Post results. Inquiring minds want to know.   Monte