fiberglass repair for plastic fender

[john]

I have a 91 Kaw Eliminator 250. Someone cracked the rear fender while it
was parked. Can i apply fiberglass to the underside as a fix? Will the
resin melt the plastic fender? email reply to ***@hotmail.com, please.

[John Johnson]

Post by john
I have a 91 Kaw Eliminator 250. Someone cracked the rear fender while it
was parked. Can i apply fiberglass to the underside as a fix? Will the

If you search the archives of rec.motorcycles.tech, you'll find a lot of
information on plastic repair products. THe short version is that many
people use fiberglass kits to repair their plastics (though it can
require some additional prep, and sometimes the resin is less flexible
than the plastic, leading to delamination). Other people use
products/methods like: PlasticWeld, Plastex, hot-air guns (plastic
welding kits), superglue and baking soda, etc.

I've personally used Devcon's PlasticWeld (a plasticized epoxy, designed
to be flexible when cured, and to bond to most plastics) with success in
the past. I've not tried any of the other methods. HTH

[High Plains Thumper]

Post by John Johnson

Post by john
I have a 91 Kaw Eliminator 250. Someone cracked the rear
fender while it was parked. Can i apply fiberglass to the
underside as a fix? Will the resin melt the plastic

If you search the archives of rec.motorcycles.tech, you'll
find a lot of information on plastic repair products. THe
short version is that many people use fiberglass kits to
repair their plastics (though it can require some
additional prep, and sometimes the resin is less flexible
than the plastic, leading to delamination). Other people
use products/methods like: PlasticWeld, Plastex, hot-air
guns (plastic welding kits), superglue and baking soda,
etc.
I've personally used Devcon's PlasticWeld (a plasticized
epoxy, designed to be flexible when cured, and to bond to
most plastics) with success in the past. I've not tried any
of the other methods. HTH

I used fiberglass resin and cloth to repair the plastic covers
on the CB100. Worked fine, main thing is a light cleaning of
the crack and surrounding area with a solvent like acetone,
after sanding surface where cloth is to be applied with course
sandpaper to roughen it up for adhesion. After repair, then
used a small amount of Bondo and spot putty to fill cracks and
low spots. After painting, can't tell it was cracked.

If it is a small crack, might be able to use superglue. If
larger, fiberglass cloth helps to reinforce it. As a general
rule, fiberglass resin shouldn't melt or deform the plastic.
However, one can mix a small amount and dob it on an unseen
location, check back later to see how it affected it, before
being committed to it.

If it is a hard plastic like ABS, fiberglass will work. Also,
MEK can be used to weld some plastics. And I have used PVC
and PCVC (or whatever the black stuff is called) pipe cement
to weld plastic. If it is the soft plastic, that is hard to
fix, IMHO, except by heat weld. But I've used roof flashing
metal and pop rivets with backing washers, rivets are
noticeable but fixes as long as looks aren't important.

[sweller]

Post by john
Can i apply fiberglass to the underside as a fix? Will the
resin melt the plastic fender?

Yes, yes, ohhhh yes. No, it won't melt a plastic mudguard.

Daz, mups and I are the GODS of fibreglass repair. Haircut, Sir?

[Lozzo]

sweller says...

Post by sweller

Post by john
Can i apply fiberglass to the underside as a fix? Will the
resin melt the plastic fender?

Yes, yes, ohhhh yes. No, it won't melt a plastic mudguard.
Daz, mups and I are the GODS of fibreglass repair. Haircut, Sir?

And I'm the god of plastic welding.

[Mark Olson]

Post by Lozzo
sweller says...

Post by sweller

Post by john
Can i apply fiberglass to the underside as a fix? Will the
resin melt the plastic fender?

Yes, yes, ohhhh yes. No, it won't melt a plastic mudguard.
Daz, mups and I are the GODS of fibreglass repair. Haircut, Sir?

And I'm the god of plastic welding.

Just where were you when I had my 40 days and 40 nights of wailing and
gnashing of teeth with my Vetter Windjammer V on the CB900C, O god??

I eventually took it to a 'professional' plastic weldor but he appeared
to be both spastic and blind, judging by the results.

[riccip]

Post by john
I have a 91 Kaw Eliminator 250. Someone cracked the rear fender while it
was parked. Can i apply fiberglass to the underside as a fix? Will the

A fireglass patch will be okay. It won't melt but rub the
underside down well so it will key. Also you've gorra make sure
you don't over-catalyse the resin, or it might end up a different
shape.

riccip

[g***@rocketmonkeys.com]

What if it's more than a crack? I had a 1 inch piece of the front
fender crack off. Would it hold with fiberglass cloth reinforcement?
Combination of that and glue? Or am I stuck looking for a
replacement... Thanks.

[scrape]

Post by g***@rocketmonkeys.com
What if it's more than a crack? I had a 1 inch piece of the front
fender crack off. Would it hold with fiberglass cloth reinforcement?
Combination of that and glue? Or am I stuck looking for a
replacement... Thanks.

I missed the post where it was mentioned what bike this is, but
aftermarket plastic fenders can be had for around $20 in the US.

If this doesn't apply here, nevermind.

[riccip]

Post by g***@rocketmonkeys.com
What if it's more than a crack? I had a 1 inch piece of the front
fender crack off. Would it hold with fiberglass cloth reinforcement?
Combination of that and glue? Or am I stuck looking for a
replacement... Thanks.

Just fibreglass mat and resin applied underneath, then filler to
finish. It's not difficult, you just stipple with a stiff
paintbrush. Done properly it'll hold forever. You'd have to
figure a way to hold it in place for 24 hours though, then grind
off the rough edges (of the protruding fibreglass), fill and
paint.

riccip

[Shep©]

On Sat, 30 Jul 2005 20:03:36 GMT As Androids Dreamed Of Electric Sheep

Post by riccip

Post by g***@rocketmonkeys.com
What if it's more than a crack? I had a 1 inch piece of the front
fender crack off. Would it hold with fiberglass cloth reinforcement?
Combination of that and glue? Or am I stuck looking for a
replacement... Thanks.

Just fibreglass mat and resin applied underneath, then filler to
finish. It's not difficult, you just stipple with a stiff
paintbrush. Done properly it'll hold forever. You'd have to
figure a way to hold it in place for 24 hours though, then grind
off the rough edges (of the protruding fibreglass), fill and
paint.
riccip

However.Always key the surface that you are going to apply the fibre
glass matt or silk to otherwise it will not bond correctly and
degrease it after keying.This is the common procedure I use on
Aircraft composite(Fibre Glass) components.
If the area requires more tensile strength then you can cut a
sliver of 20 gauge alluminium to suit the job(but smaller than the
Matt/Silk you overlay) and glue this in place 1st(Superglue will
do),then apply the Matt/Silk and resin.

Tip:
Get a 1" paint brush.Wrap a couple of layers of masking tape around
the bristles of the brush up the hilt.Then use a,"Stanley
Knife/Scalpel" to cut the bristles half way down.This will make
a,"Stumpy-Brush" which you can stab the resin correctly into the
Matting/Silk.Then dump the brush in some thinners(Not Turps) so as to
keep the brush alive.A ,"Stumpy" brush is way to useful to lose as it
can also be used for cleaning and de greasing al motorcycle parts and
can be used many times if the above is done :)

HTH :)

[Grimly Curmudgeon]

We were somewhere around Barstow, on the edge of the desert, when the

Post by Shep©
Get a 1" paint brush.Wrap a couple of layers of masking tape around
the bristles of the brush up the hilt.Then use a,"Stanley
Knife/Scalpel" to cut the bristles half way down.This will make
a,"Stumpy-Brush" which you can stab the resin correctly into the
Matting/Silk.Then dump the brush in some thinners(Not Turps) so as to
keep the brush alive.A ,"Stumpy" brush is way to useful to lose as it
can also be used for cleaning and de greasing al motorcycle parts and
can be used many times if the above is done :)

If you find yourself without any cheap paintbrushes, you can wrap some
insulting tape round some rope and make yourself a stumpy brush for
nowt. Such a thing usually happens on a Sunday when you really need to
do some glassing and everywhere's shut.

[petrolcan]

In article <***@4ax.com>, Grimly
Curmudgeon says...

Post by Grimly Curmudgeon
We were somewhere around Barstow, on the edge of the desert, when the

Post by Shep©
Get a 1" paint brush.Wrap a couple of layers of masking tape around
the bristles of the brush up the hilt.Then use a,"Stanley
Knife/Scalpel" to cut the bristles half way down.This will make
a,"Stumpy-Brush" which you can stab the resin correctly into the
Matting/Silk.Then dump the brush in some thinners(Not Turps) so as to
keep the brush alive.A ,"Stumpy" brush is way to useful to lose as it
can also be used for cleaning and de greasing al motorcycle parts and
can be used many times if the above is done :)

If you find yourself without any cheap paintbrushes, you can wrap some
insulting tape round some rope and make yourself a stumpy brush for
nowt. Such a thing usually happens on a Sunday when you really need to
do some glassing and everywhere's shut.

You sir, live in a backwater place.

[Grimly Curmudgeon]

We were somewhere around Barstow, on the edge of the desert, when the
drugs began to take hold. I remember petrolcan

Post by petrolcan
You sir, live in a backwater place.

Rural Ireland? Whatever makes you say that.

[petrolcan]

In article <***@4ax.com>, Grimly
Curmudgeon says...

Post by Grimly Curmudgeon
We were somewhere around Barstow, on the edge of the desert, when the
drugs began to take hold. I remember petrolcan

Post by petrolcan
You sir, live in a backwater place.

Rural Ireland? Whatever makes you say that.

Heh

[raden]

Post by Grimly Curmudgeon
We were somewhere around Barstow, on the edge of the desert, when the

Post by Shep©
Get a 1" paint brush.Wrap a couple of layers of masking tape around
the bristles of the brush up the hilt.Then use a,"Stanley
Knife/Scalpel" to cut the bristles half way down.This will make
a,"Stumpy-Brush" which you can stab the resin correctly into the
Matting/Silk.Then dump the brush in some thinners(Not Turps) so as to
keep the brush alive.A ,"Stumpy" brush is way to useful to lose as it
can also be used for cleaning and de greasing al motorcycle parts and
can be used many times if the above is done :)

If you find yourself without any cheap paintbrushes, you can wrap some
insulting tape round some rope and make yourself a stumpy brush for
nowt. Such a thing usually happens on a Sunday when you really need to
do some glassing and everywhere's shut.

Shut ?

Sunday's the busiest day of the week hereabouts

[Grimly Curmudgeon]

We were somewhere around Barstow, on the edge of the desert, when the

Post by Grimly Curmudgeon
Such a thing usually happens on a Sunday when you really need to

Post by Grimly Curmudgeon
do some glassing and everywhere's shut.

Shut ?
Sunday's the busiest day of the week hereabouts

If I had shops on my doorstep I wouldn't be living where I am. On
balance, I prefer it this way - normally if I need stuff I get it during
the week before I'm going to use it.

[Shep©]

On Sun, 31 Jul 2005 01:08:41 +0100 As Androids Dreamed Of Electric
Sheep and then Grimly Curmudgeon

Post by Grimly Curmudgeon
We were somewhere around Barstow, on the edge of the desert, when the

Post by Shep©
Get a 1" paint brush.Wrap a couple of layers of masking tape around
the bristles of the brush up the hilt.Then use a,"Stanley
Knife/Scalpel" to cut the bristles half way down.This will make
a,"Stumpy-Brush" which you can stab the resin correctly into the
Matting/Silk.Then dump the brush in some thinners(Not Turps) so as to
keep the brush alive.A ,"Stumpy" brush is way to useful to lose as it
can also be used for cleaning and de greasing al motorcycle parts and
can be used many times if the above is done :)

If you find yourself without any cheap paintbrushes, you can wrap some
insulting tape round some rope and make yourself a stumpy brush for
nowt. Such a thing usually happens on a Sunday when you really need to
do some glassing and everywhere's shut.

Nice one.That one's gone into the memory bank :)

If you have a hollow gear change lever that may be prone to
breaking(some are not that substantial).Get a piece of nylon rope
smaller than the diameter of the lever.Cut it to length a little
shorter than the inside of the lever and poke it in.Mix up around an
egg-cup full of polyester fibre glass resin with hardener.Set lever
vertical and pour resin in up to the top.When this sets you will have
a solid but lightweight virtually indestructible lever :)

[riccip]

Post by Shep©
If the area requires more tensile strength then you can cut a
sliver of 20 gauge alluminium to suit the job(but smaller than the
Matt/Silk you overlay) and glue this in place 1st(Superglue will
do),then apply the Matt/Silk and resin.

Not sure that would hold. .I'd suggest sandwiching the alu
between 2 layers of matt although you'd prolly get enough tensile
strength from 2 layers of matt alone. Racing panels on dragsters
are usually made using just a single layer with an additional
narrow 'crafty strip' around the edges.

riccip

[Shep©]

On Sun, 31 Jul 2005 05:04:43 GMT As Androids Dreamed Of Electric Sheep

Post by riccip

Post by Shep©
If the area requires more tensile strength then you can cut a
sliver of 20 gauge alluminium to suit the job(but smaller than the
Matt/Silk you overlay) and glue this in place 1st(Superglue will
do),then apply the Matt/Silk and resin.

Not sure that would hold. .I'd suggest sandwiching the alu
between 2 layers of matt although you'd prolly get enough tensile
strength from 2 layers of matt alone. Racing panels on dragsters
are usually made using just a single layer with an additional
narrow 'crafty strip' around the edges.
riccip

I meant you glue the ally strip on first and then layer over it.Works
a treat :)