HOW TO repair your fairings for a £5 at home

Discussion in 'Maintenance' started by Apollo, Mar 26, 2018.

  1. Apollo

    Apollo Active Member

    Joined:
    Nov 14, 2017
    Messages:
    98
    Likes Received:
    19
    Quick emergency solution to fix your fairings, can be used in long term if you're not too bothered by cosmetics or fixing a spot that isn't too visible


    What you'll need:


    - sandpaper
    - brake cleaner or something to totally de-grease the area
    - ABS solvent/cement solution
    - small brush if precision is required, I've used a little art brush which I've cut very short to make it easy to apply precisely

    I've used this https://www.screwfix.com/p/floplast...gclsrc=aw.ds&dclid=CNDEqvC97NkCFYiFGQodC-8EBQ

    Sadly all the solutions sold in the UK are clear colour, good if you're running different colour than black, bit visible if you're running black ;-/

    What it does

    The solvent lightly dissolves the plastic where applied, the rest of the solution literally contains ABS plastic cement so after the application the bond should be really close to being as good as the original plastic, it can also fill light cracks etc. It doesn't glue it together, but rather chemically welds it together.

    It won't be the most beautiful fix in the world, but if you take your time and do it precisely it can be done in a way that's hard to notice.

    This stuff is used for plumbers and chemically welding pumps together even in pressured systems, so after it's cured it should really hold together well.

    Do this in a ventilated area, or it will make you high as a kite, the shit is potent.


    How to:
    1 - LIGHTLY sand the crack or the relevant bonded place
    2 - clean it of hubris
    3 - use break cleaner etc. to get the area clean and grease free
    4 - let it sit for a minute for the degreaser to evaporate
    5 - apply solvent/cement to both sides of the crack - give it 10-20 seconds before putting it together, especially if it's an area that has a bit of pressure on it naturally - such as my nose cone, it will make it stickier and therefore will stay together rather than slide apart
    6 - put it together and hold it for 1-2 minutes to make sure it's in place (if it isn't held in place naturally)
    7 - leave it alone, make sure that when you leave it, it won't be prone to falling apart, you want to find a position when the pieces are pressed together naturally, or use clamp etc.
    8 - it says it's okay to handle after 10 minutes but leave it way longer than that (trust me on this if you don't want to be doing it again, I've learned the hard way)
    9 - let it cure for 24 hrs
    10 - apply a thick layer of it on the back side of the fairing and let it cure, this will help to strengthen the area


    This is what it looks like when curing:
    FullSizeRender.jpg

    If you're patient (which I'm not, after it fell apart two times before I've figured out how to do it properly.. You can make it look really clean.

    Afterwards use a razor or a scalpel to clean the outer surface and a black tcut to make it look nice, if done properly it should be hard to notice unless you know about it or are looking at the exact spot.


    Hope this helps someone!
     
    #1 Apollo, Mar 26, 2018
    Last edited: Mar 26, 2018
    • Like Like x 1
  2. TheRamJam

    TheRamJam Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Feb 26, 2013
    Messages:
    977
    Likes Received:
    497
    Looks great mate

    Any pics of the finished item?
     
  3. Apollo

    Apollo Active Member

    Joined:
    Nov 14, 2017
    Messages:
    98
    Likes Received:
    19
    It's still curing, I will post a pic after it's all done :)
     
  4. Muffking

    Muffking God Like

    Joined:
    Jun 30, 2012
    Messages:
    5,751
    Likes Received:
    2,786
    Solvent welding :D I've just done all the waste pipes in my new bathroom with that stuff. It's great stuff for melting plastic together, but smells like it could do you some harm :eek:
     
  5. Apollo

    Apollo Active Member

    Joined:
    Nov 14, 2017
    Messages:
    98
    Likes Received:
    19
    Haha indeed, I've done it in a non-ventilated room the first time, the can was opened 30sec max and gave me a headache af lol.

    I've just managed to buy a nose cone which (not a perfect one sadly lol), has some tabs missing, so I will now be looking into moulding tabs and welding them on.. Will write that up too when done haha
     

Share This Page