My Rough Rider body was not in a very bad shape, but it had it's fair share of drilled holes and cracks. I could have used glue and putty, but that would have been a weak solution. Also filling holes with putty is not a good idea as all putty will shrink when curing.

So I tried plastic melting to form a solid repair.

 

Here are two examples of holes I had to fix. The body had 6-8 such holes, and several cracks around the rear body mount.

DSC01978

 

The tools needed. Soldering Iron and scrap plastic being the important ones. I also used the Dremel with rotating sander.

Note that the Soldering Iron may need a new tip after this unusual use of it...

Also ensure good ventilation, as melted plastic smells awful, according to my wife...

DSC01978

 

Here is the trick:
Use the Soldering Iron to heat up the plastic around the damage, on the body. Be careful not to overheat and thus remove material. Then use the Soldering Iron to melt the plastic stick into the body's melted plastic. Make sure to add more than enough material, and gently press the material into the body using the soldering iron.

DSC01978

 

Repeat on the inside to make a strong repair.

DSC01978

 

Then start the Dremel, and grind to a rough finish, leaving room for Putty. (take away high points)

Use low speed on the Dremel, or else the plastic will melt again...

DSC01978

 

Then add Putty as many times as required to make a smooth finish. I usually sand with 400 or 800 in the last round..

DSC01978

 

And this is the end result. Impossible to see the repair from outside, and the good feeling of knowing it is a solid repair.

DSC01978

 

_____________________________
Written by Larbut

Cookies are required to make this site work. If you continue to use this site you permit us to use cookies.