How to repair plastic.

Use a plastic cement or solvent to join pieces of plastic together. The type of solvent you need depends on the type of plastic you’re repairing. Test the solvent on a small, hidden area of the plastic to make sure it won’t cause discoloration or other damage.

If you have a nonporous, rigid piece of plastic, a plastic adhesive can be used to bond it back together. You can buy this at any hardware store, or online. You will also need sandpaper and a small container for mixing the adhesive.

Prepare the surface by sanding the broken edges with coarse-grain sandpaper until the edges are smooth and flat. Wipe away dust with a clean rag and apply acetone with a cotton swab to remove any grease left from handling.

Mix equal amounts of adhesive and hardener in your container until they are thoroughly blended; use a toothpick if necessary to scrape down the sides where there may be unmixed adhesive. The glue typically sets in about 5 minutes, so be prepared to apply it quickly after mixing.

Apply an even coat to one side of each broken edge and press them together firmly for at least 60 seconds while the glue dries; refer to your product instructions for exact drying

Plastic cement is a solvent-based glue that melts the surface of plastic and fuses two pieces together. It’s used to repair cracks and joins in plastic items, such as children’s toys or household goods. You can buy it from hardware stores or online.

If you have a broken plastic item and you want to repair it, the best way is to use plastic cement. The procedure is simple and should only take about half an hour for each piece you’re fixing.

Firstly, clean the area around the crack or join with some rubbing alcohol. This will remove traces of mold release or oil which may be on the surface of the plastic, so that the cement can bond with it properly. If there are any holes in the surface, fill them with some putty.

Next, apply some acetone to a toothpick and run it along the edges of both pieces where they fit together. This will melt the surface of the plastic slightly, making it easier for them to bond when you apply the cement. Apply a thin coat of cement to one side and wait a minute for it to get tacky before pressing both pieces together. Hold them in place until they are set; this may take up to an hour depending on how much cement you used. If necessary

To repair cracks in plastic, use plastic cement. Apply sparingly and allow to dry thoroughly.

To repair cracks in plastic, use a plastic cement. Apply sparingly and allow to dry thoroughly.

Repair cracks in plastic housings with cement. We are a society that discards things too easily, and this is especially true of products made of cheap plastic. The throwaway culture we have created has taken its toll on our environment and on our wallets.

There are a variety of glues that can be used to repair cracks in plastic housings, but it isn’t always obvious which ones will work best. For example, cyanoacrylate (the stuff commonly sold as super glue) doesn’t work with polyethylene or polypropylene plastics.

One product that does work well for repairing these types of plastics is Duro Super Glue Plastic Fusion ($5). It works by fusing the plastic together with a chemical process rather than bonding it together with the glue itself.

Plastic cement

Repairing broken plastic objects is a difficult problem. If you apply normal glue to the surface and try to heat it up, the glue will melt, but the plastic won’t. The secret is to use cyanoacrylate glue (a.k.a. superglue). It’s amazing stuff; it will stick to just about anything. But it’s pretty hard to apply to a small area without getting some on yourself or your surroundings. What I use is a cotton swab coated with superglue and then you push the cotton into the crack and cut off the excess with scissors, leaving only a tiny amount in the crack where you want it. A couple of drops of accelerator (available from any hobby shop) will make it dry instantly, and you can add more glue later if necessary.

Plastic cement is a mixture of solvents whose vapors soften polystyrene. Most plastic model kits are made from polystyrene, so it is not surprising that the first tool most modelers buy is a jar of plastic cement.

This is not the same thing as “model glue.” The latter is usually either cyanoacrylate (“superglue”) or a white glue such as Elmer’s. These glues will not stick polystyrene; they are just for gluing wood, metal, or other materials to the model.

Plastic cement consists of two chemicals, a solvent and a hardener. When the two are mixed inside the special applicator bottle they melt polystyrene and bond it together. For this reason you should always mix them in the correct proportions, using the supplied applicator tip. If you use too much solvent, you will dissolve your model into a sticky puddle. If you use too much hardener, it will react with itself without dissolving any plastic; when you try to apply this goo to your model, it will just smear around on its surface like oleomargarine on toast.

A correctly prepared batch of cement should dissolve and bond plastic rapidly, but also leave it sufficiently flexible