[Boatanchors] Repairing plastic VTVM meter cover

[Jim Wiley]

Plastic cement is still available at stores that offer plastic models. 
It is designed for styrene type plastics, which is what is used for most 
plastic models.   Testors is one brand, there are others.  The quantity 
that someone can buy at one time is generally  limited, and some stores 
will ask for ID before allowing a sale, and some limit sales to persons 
over the age of 16 or so.  I have used plain old acetone in a pinch (it 
dissolves most plastics too), but the "proper" plastic cement is 
superior.  A 1 ounce tube usually costs about 2 bux (retail) and lasts 
for two to four years on the shelf before it becomes unusable. 


- Jim, KL7CC





WA5CAB at cs.com wrote:
> John,
>
> Too bad that Barry O isn't routinely around these days as he'd probably 
> know.  But unlike the plastics used in WW-II and some Korean War vintage 
> military grade sets (mostly Bakelite), my recollection of the civilian gear of the 
> 50's and 60's is that they usually used thermoplastic plastics similar to 
> what was used in plastic model airplanes (and ships and vehicles) and that 
> the "glue" was actually a solvent.  I can't recall what the solvent was, 
> touluene perhaps.  It was mixed with some sort of gel to make it more handleable. 
>  If someone who played with it back then can recall the solvent, it is 
> undoubtedly still available.  The packaged product probably isn't.  I think it 
> was taken off the market to prevent glue-sniffers from winning the Darwin 
> Award and improving the human gene pool.  :-)  Testors used to make it, among 
> others.  But I doubt it had a 50+ year shelf life.
>
> Anyway, if the plastic is of that sort, the solvent type cement will work 
> far better than any adhesive type.  As with a butt weld in steel, the 
> resultant joint will be nearly as strong as the parent material.  Because 
> chemically, it is almost the same as the parent material.  The only caveat is that 
> the joint will not be quite transparent.  But it wouldn't be at all with epoxy 
> or cyanoacrylic.
>
>
>   
>>> Date: Wed, 2 Sep 2009 19:55:18 -0700
>>> From: k5pgw at yahoo.com
>>> To: boatanchors at mailman.qth.net
>>> Subject: [Boatanchors] Repairing plastic VTVM meter cover
>>>
>>> Today, I knocked over my Heath IM 18 VTVM and cracked the meter face 
>>>       
>> cover. I corner of the plastic meter face cover was broken OUT.
>>     
>>> I would like to glue the hunk of plastic back in the plastic cover but 
>>>       
>> something tells me that super glue will NOT WORK. Any experience with gluing 
>> this type of clear plastic out there?
>>     
>>> Suggestions based upon your experience with this type of plastic will be 
>>>       
>> appreciated. Thanks and 73, John, K5PGW
>>     
>
> Robert Downs - Houston
> wa5cab dot com (Web Store)
> MVPA 9480
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