supercurio Posted May 19, 2021 Share Posted May 19, 2021 (edited) Hi! The outer shell of my 16X is a little sad, with 3 attachement points broken by now. I got the wheel 2nd hand and 2 already were. I've tried super glue, then this epoxy glue after some sanding prep without success. Would anyone know what could work in that case? It looks like it needs to be pretty strong given the forces applied with the side pads and when the wheel falls. Is the shell made of ABS? State of affairs The epoxy fails too quickly Edited May 19, 2021 by supercurio Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
supercurio Posted May 19, 2021 Author Share Posted May 19, 2021 It looks like it's ABS indeed, and acetone with some tightening force seem to be working to melt elements back together! Let's see how strong it is however.. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SixteenX Posted May 20, 2021 Share Posted May 20, 2021 (edited) It is indeed hard to repair, but the following might be of help to you, If I was in your situation (with my 16X) I would use superglue reinforced with baking soda to make a pyramid shape around the elements, but before I would melt 3 staples around the element into the plastic of the case and the element. To melt a L shape staple into plastic, to reinforce its structure, cut one leg and then use a soldering iron to slowly push the staple into the plastic. Here is the video I refer to perform my repairs, you do not need to buy the stapler they have : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J-5PsKU2ZLY One video on baking soda technic : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cARGGBa2ABY Hope it helps Edited May 20, 2021 by SixteenX 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
redsnapper Posted May 20, 2021 Share Posted May 20, 2021 (edited) CA glue + baking soda is great. can also use fine wire mesh / steel wool heated with soldering pen to solidify (like rebar) - then use ziptie and iron to melt/weld over etc CA glue + baking soda dries super quick so not ez to mould etc- CA + graphite makes a malleable paste with longer working time... Edited May 20, 2021 by redsnapper 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
s.m. Posted May 20, 2021 Share Posted May 20, 2021 I would use a longer screw and a washer that covers the hole and forces from the outside insdead of pulling at the weakest point in this structure. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
supercurio Posted May 20, 2021 Author Share Posted May 20, 2021 Oh wow awesome, thanks for the advice guys! I'll try the superglue + baking soda trick if the current approach with melting ABS with acetone didn't work out (or a combination of both) Here's the current status after the acetone attempt: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
supercurio Posted May 20, 2021 Author Share Posted May 20, 2021 Well, that didn't work for 2 out of 3, I'll try superglue + baking soda next Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SixteenX Posted May 21, 2021 Share Posted May 21, 2021 (edited) Instead of trying one solution at a time, I would advise a "Belt and suspenders" approach, why not @redsnapper recommendation "use fine wire mesh / steel wool heated with soldering pen to solidify" and cover with superglue and baking soda. The drawback with superglue and baking soda is that it is a build up with additional material around the "wound" but leave a weaker bound on plastic to plastic the part of this wound. So I would guess superglue+baking soda would work for image 1&2 but not for no 3 Edited May 21, 2021 by SixteenX Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
supercurio Posted May 21, 2021 Author Share Posted May 21, 2021 Alright! I got results I initially messed-up in my application of the baking soda: adding baking soda to the glue directly before pressing the broken element in place. It hardened immediately and then the element didn't fit anymore. I had to sand and used a Dremel as well to make surfaces mostly flat. Then the final results, on both attachement points I took the opportunity to add the mix to around the part that was successfully repaired with acetone only, for reinforcement It doesn't look pretty, but it seems pretty strong. Thanks a lot for the advice! Since I'm using the 16X for technical off-road and it takes a beating from times to time, it's much more valuable to be able to repair it than buying replacement parts repetitively. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
redsnapper Posted May 22, 2021 Share Posted May 22, 2021 CA + graphite can be worked into a malleable paste. CA + bs has zero working time & creates a product like acrylic which is quite brittle (no distortion resistance). If your last test fails again, embedded mesh then build up with melted ziptie may offer more tensile strength... Auto repair guys use this to fix broken plastic parts and supposed to be pretty bomb proof (although time consuming to do)... see - 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dgtreble Posted June 1, 2021 Share Posted June 1, 2021 I recommend using ABS pipe glue it's a combination of abs and Acetone and basically melts the post in place creating a solid point, I use all the time it's like 5$ and creates a solid connection. My 16x shorted out because of a broken post so be careful 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bcarp Posted June 2, 2021 Share Posted June 2, 2021 I just gave up on mine & bought new shells. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.