DIY Fairing Repair - DIY soldering abs plastic

[oren102]

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I have plastifix and tried it. To me it's not as strong and results vary depending what kind of break is it (I think it was invented for people who cannot weld plastic; It is expensive; if anyone wants you can have my barely used set for peanuts ....). As Les suggested, fix plastic with real plastic if you can. The only problem is that if you keep braking parts, it will get expensive (I don't care what people say). So you have to eventually learn how to do it. It's not really that difficult in my opinion. You just have to have a patience and bit of knowledge. Good tools make it only easier.

how many peanuts? I might have a few bags hanging around the house.

 

[cheekeebandito]

no fibreglass on plastic , period..... unless you don't care what it looks like or how long it lasts........ and if I was shopping for a used bike and saw a repair like that , I'd seriously wonder what other short cuts were taken for other things , like maintenance etc....... do it once, and do it right.......... I'd post a tutorial , but it would turn into a book , and who wants to spend the money to buy the proper equipment , tools and materials , to just learn on their own bike.....the difference in a soldering gun and a plastic welder is that a plastic welder is expensive , and has a variable heat control...... this is the trick.... proper welding takes the exact right temperature to blend the rod and surrounding plastic..... with street bike fairings, it's usually ABS.... with a soldering gun, you have zero control over the temperature, and this doesn't help to make a weld strong..... and the learning process doesn't yield the best results , first try........... just sayin'
I'm not familiar with plastfix, and maybe it's a decent product , I just use what works for me , and it has long term results that look like factory....
Carbon fibre is fine for fairings, but it's expensive and a little more bling and as far as fairings go, it's more like fibreglass....... great for short term and very light , but not a great alternative for street applications....... I have a fair bit of CF on my Ducati, but it's only bling ....

 

[oren102]

learning process doesn't yield the best results , first try........... just sayin'

The issue is that it's quite expensive to get it fixed by a professional such as yourself.
My whole job cost me:
$20.00 for the kit of plastifix
$10.00 for 200,400,1000,2000 grit sandpaper
$200 for matte black automotive paint
$100 automotive clear
$0 practice using hvlp gun on cardboard
$0 borrow my friends booth
and this was for a whole set of fairings. Yes it took me over two weeks and a lot of running around with the fairings but it was much better than the $1300 alternative from a few local shops.

Carbon fibre is fine for fairings, but it's expensive and a little more bling and as far as fairings go, it's more like fibreglass....... great for short term and very light , but not a great alternative for street applications....... I have a fair bit of CF on my Ducati, but it's only bling ....

How come it's not so good for street applications (Price negated)? A DIY project wouldn't cost more than $300 (and about two months of work) for an entire set of fairings.

 

[Baggsy]

How big an area are you looking to fix?

Does Home Hardware still sell plastex?

Pollocks Home Hardware on Roncesvales used to have it.

 

[cheekeebandito]

I'm glad you're able to do all that yourself.... You're not including the cost of hydro to run a compressor, exhaust fans, adhesion promoter, reducer , gun cleaner and lube, paint filters, etc etc etc....... Not everyone has access to a real paint booth, and many many people have brought their partly prepped or painted fairings and said to me that they wish they'd just brought them to me in the first place...... Obviously this doesn't apply to everyone , and I'm not saying you have to do this , or you have to do that..... Experience is the biggest factor in any paint job , and there' no way you can get it perfect first or second time around...... And a bad result will make some people unhappy , while lowering the resale value of their bike at the same time....... These views are my opinion only, based on years of experience... take them or leave them , I don't really care.... but if it saves someone a lot of grief, then it's worth while..... As far as CF fairings, again, only my opinion...... if they were practical , you'd see them stock on every street bike and car....... it isn't , and you don't see it...... simple as that ........ again, MY opinion only........ Cheers ! Les

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