Date: Wed, 7 Feb 2007 17:02:42 -0800
Reply-To: dylan friedman <insyncro@YAHOO.COM>
Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From: dylan friedman <insyncro@YAHOO.COM>
Subject: Re: Comments on plastic repair system/ Thule roof box repair
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=iso-8859-1
On something like that box, which is similar to the snowmobile hoods we have worked on, I would use a wide tip and preheat the crack with a heat gun first. On the backside we have held a autobody dolly to keep all the material where we want it. During the summer we put the dolly in the freezer, today we would have put it outside in the snowbank. The plastic will set the second it hits the dolly. Layering of the plastic on the frontside and being very light with the heat is how we have been able to just do light sanding. If the plastic is curling, sounds like way to much heat, way to fast. If you have a ski shop in the area, they use a tool that is very similar to fix ski bases. Someone there might be able to help with the box.
Watch the color of the plastic and any texture it has stock. As it heats it will smooth out and get glossy. Once glossy you are very close to it melting, there is a very thin line. I asked my bro is he wanted to add anything while I am writting this and he yelled back, " have them practice on milk jugs" They are really thin and difficult to weld. Once you have it down with the jugs, the Thule box will be easy.
Hope this helps.
dylan
----- Original Message ----
From: Sam Walters <sam.cooks@VERIZON.NET>
To: vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM
Sent: Wednesday, February 7, 2007 7:35:08 PM
Subject: Re: Comments on plastic repair system/ Thule roof box repair
Dylan,
Any tips you (or anyone else) can share on getting successful results
with this type of "hot air plastic welding" product?
I bought one from Harbour Freight and tried to use it to repair a broken
Thule roof box that I was given. I got terrible results. Granted, it
was my first attempt at using the thing and there were minimal
instructions. Maybe it won't work on this type of plastic.
The heat made the edges of the crack in box start to curl up and widen
faster than the rod would melt and put new material into the crack. I
gave up after figuring out that I was making things worse.
The remainder of the post is just about how I fixed the Thule box in a
very crude though successful way and where I got the broken box - feel
free to ignore this.
Some white epoxy like material (a 2 part mix kit) was used on a crack on
the bottom of the box where the fasteners go in with some success. I
had to do some sanding and grinding both inside and out so that the
attachment hardware would fit in place.
I finally fixed the remainder of the damage to box, a long crack on the
left side of the top, with some sort of plastic "epoxy" 2 part kit -
mine was black - that I got at Advanced Auto. It was for sale in the
area with body repair, paint, sanding materials, not with the gasket
sealers / makers, JIB Weld, etc. type products where most of the quick
bonding epoxy products like the first one I used were located. I also
put a layer of fiberglass on the inside under the one long crack that I
sealed with this stuff. I got a decent water proof fix that has
withstood torrential rains at both highway speeds and sitting. It
doesn't look great but it works just fine.
Relevant list(s) history: This box was on Larry Chase's first Westy /
Roadhaus - an 85 (?) 2WD. According to Karl Mullendore, Larry misjudged
his needed clearance and hit something with it, causing the damage.
Karl ended up with the box and the Yakima bars and also had the first
Roadhaus, which he fixed it up some before selling it. A couple of
years ago he offered the bars for a cheap price and the broken box for
free to the list if someone who would come pick them up at his shop in
Gapland, MD, which isn't that far from Baltimore. So, I snagged them
and eventually fixed the box early this past summer. Then I got some
necessary adapters from a Syncro list member's "garage" sale and I was
ready. They have been to UT / CO and back and on several astronomy
related camping ventures into the WV mountains.
Sam
--
Sam Walters
Baltimore, MD
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