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I watched a video on the current welding technology for repair automobile bumper covers. Would this work in cracks in aircraft wing tips?
I used fiberglass resin and a few layers of fiberglass cloth on the inside of my plastic wing tips. It has held up surprisingly well.I watched a video on the current welding technology for repair automobile bumper covers. Would this work in cracks in aircraft wing tips?
It will work provided the tips are plastic as mentioned earlier. However, I've found the repair doesn't last long. The best route is to make a permanent repair with one of the proper plastic repair methods out there.Would this work in cracks in aircraft wing tips?
Oakley makes an ABS cement. Isn’t it the same thing?I have a 1976 Apache Camper. It is a hard sided pop-up. A large portion of the camper is ABS plastic. The standard repair method is to melt ABS with MEK/MEK Substitute/Acetone to make a slurry. You can then repair the part with the slurry.
They do. I think it is the same. I always made my own.Oakley makes an ABS cement. Isn’t it the same thing?
The only thing I see is the make an Extra Special for extreme heat and cold use.They do. I think it is the same. I always made my own.
The only thing I see is the make an Extra Special for extreme heat and cold use.
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It is formulated for use in the hot and arid climates in the western United States according to manufacturer.“Extra Special”? Is that just ridiculous marketing hype, or an actual defined term like “extra virgin olive oil”?
I see they have a “Medium Black ABS cement”. Is there a Special Medium Black ABS Cement as well as the Extra Special version?
I used to do that until I found out that most of the interior and exterior plastic stuff is ABS. Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene. Same plastic used in household drain pipes. The black pipes. If you go to the building supply (Home Depot Aircraft Repair) you can get a little can of ABS solvent cement, and it's just ABS dissolved in MEK. It's yellow. You put some tape over the crack on the outside of the fairing or panel, to keep the crack aligned and to prevent any bleed-though of the cement, then clean the backside with MEK, which also primes it, and then cut some fiberglass cloth (not mat) patches to fit. Best is to cut it so the weave is 45° to the crack; this gets all the fibers working for you, and cut that way, it will conform easily to compound curves. Wet the surface with the yellow goop, press the cloth into it, adding another layer if necessary. Don't overdo it with the goop.I used fiberglass resin and a few layers of fiberglass cloth on the inside of my plastic wing tips. It has held up surprisingly well.
ABS. Never seen anything else used unless the fairings were fiberglass.Impossible to say without knowing what kind of plastic is involved.
The Cessna R182 service manual actually suggests that for cracked fairings, but it really doesn't work well at all. It's difficult to get good fusion along that narrow interface in the crack. Got to use MEK; nothing else fuses well. The manual says to shave some ABS off the fairing in an obscure place and dissolve the shavings in MEK.A large portion of the camper is ABS plastic. The standard repair method is to melt ABS with MEK/MEK Substitute/Acetone to make a slurry. You can then repair the part with the slurry.