Plastic Welding - Repair broken bumper tab with hot air plastic welder

This video demonstrates how to use a hot air plastic welder to repair a typical broken bumper tab. You will get a much stronger weld if you use one of Polyvance's nitrogen plastic welders.

Always wear proper safety gear while working!

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Products Used:

Note: This is a list of the Polyvance products that can be used to make this repair. This list does not include sanders, grinders, or other common tools you will need. If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to call technical support at 800-633-3047.

• 1000 Super Prep Plastic Cleaner (several options available) OR 1001-4 EcoPrep Plastic Cleaner
• Aluminum Body Tape (several options available)
• 6125 Tapered Burr (several options available)
• Hot air plastic welder OR a nitrogen plastic welder
• Welding Rod
  Choose the appropriate welding rod to match the plastic by looking at the identification symbol.

Video Notes:

• Super Clean Plastic Cleaner has been renamed Super Prep Plastic Cleaner.
• English Closed Captions have been provided for this video. Click on the CC button to turn them on or off.
• The length of this video is in no way representative of the actual time required to perform a complete repair and therefore should not be used for estimating purposes.

English Transcript:

This video will demonstrate how to repair broken bumper tabs with a hot air plastic welder.

First, clean the damaged area with Polyvance's Super Clean Plastic Cleaner. Use aluminum tape to create a backing for the new plastic. Aluminum tape is very stiff and can withstand the heat from the plastic welding. Use a die grinder with a tapered burr and taper the plastic to a point.

If you have a nitrogen plastic welder, you will get a stronger repair. Aim the flow of the air where the welding rod intersects with the plastic that you are welding. Be sure to melt both the rod and the existing plastic. On this particular weld, we are going to do several passes until the volume of the new plastic is about the same as the volume of the missing plastic. Use the airless welder to smooth the new material.

Allow time for the plastic to cool and solidify before trimming the plastic with the utility knife. Use a DA sander to get the new plastic the same thickness of the surrounding plastic. Finally, re-drill the hole using a die grinder and a tapered burr.