Hi,

I have a remote car door control, and a piece of the plastic case has been
snapped off. The piece has one of the key-ring loops at the top. The other
loop is on the undamaged half of the case.

Can find no markings which seem to identify the plastic type. Inside the
case, maybe written by hand in white paint, is 2c, and below that, 23. Any
other markings are FCC and Canadian radio compliance codes, etc. The maker
is DENSO.

Markings as on exterior of cover: FCC ID:HYQ1512S, CANADA:1551 102 326,
RSS - 210, DENSO.

The broken piece is large enough to work with, about 1 1/8" long and 3/4"
wide. The break is roughly a straight line, the edges are ragged and don't
fit together tightly. Some unknown person has in the past tried to repair
with what looks like plastic model cement. It hasn't held, and I've peeled
the cement off.

After Googling a lot, I still don't know how to identify the type of
plastic, and how make a solid repair. Using "Ambroid ProWeld Professional
Plastic Welder, For styrene, Butyrate, ABS & Acrylic (Lucite or Plexiglas)"
the parts are together now, but not very securely.

Working from the inside so it looks ok, would hot glue gun material work?
Or use a soldering iron tip to smooth and seal the edges? (I've not had
good results with this in the past)

Help would be welcome.

Thank you!
Dugie

In article ,
"Dugie" wrote:

Hi,

I have a remote car door control, and a piece of the plastic case has been
snapped off. The piece has one of the key-ring loops at the top. The other
loop is on the undamaged half of the case.

Can find no markings which seem to identify the plastic type. Inside the
case, maybe written by hand in white paint, is 2c, and below that, 23. Any
other markings are FCC and Canadian radio compliance codes, etc. The maker
is DENSO.

Markings as on exterior of cover: FCC ID:HYQ1512S, CANADA:1551 102 326,
RSS - 210, DENSO.

The broken piece is large enough to work with, about 1 1/8" long and 3/4"
wide. The break is roughly a straight line, the edges are ragged and don't
fit together tightly. Some unknown person has in the past tried to repair
with what looks like plastic model cement. It hasn't held, and I've peeled
the cement off.

After Googling a lot, I still don't know how to identify the type of
plastic, and how make a solid repair. Using "Ambroid ProWeld Professional
Plastic Welder, For styrene, Butyrate, ABS & Acrylic (Lucite or Plexiglas)"
the parts are together now, but not very securely.

Working from the inside so it looks ok, would hot glue gun material work?
Or use a soldering iron tip to smooth and seal the edges? (I've not had
good results with this in the past)

Help would be welcome.

Thank you!
Dugie

I fixed my girlfriends remote key fob with some industrial epoxy. *Not*
the five minute stuff. Used plenty, and machined away the excess where
needed. That was six months ago and it's held up fine since then.

Dugie wrote:
Hi,

I have a remote car door control, and a piece of the plastic case has been
snapped off. The piece has one of the key-ring loops at the top. The other
loop is on the undamaged half of the case.

Can find no markings which seem to identify the plastic type. Inside the
case, maybe written by hand in white paint, is 2c, and below that, 23. Any
other markings are FCC and Canadian radio compliance codes, etc. The maker
is DENSO.

Markings as on exterior of cover: FCC ID:HYQ1512S, CANADA:1551 102 326,
RSS - 210, DENSO.

The broken piece is large enough to work with, about 1 1/8" long and 3/4"
wide. The break is roughly a straight line, the edges are ragged and don't
fit together tightly. Some unknown person has in the past tried to repair
with what looks like plastic model cement. It hasn't held, and I've peeled
the cement off.

After Googling a lot, I still don't know how to identify the type of
plastic, and how make a solid repair. Using "Ambroid ProWeld Professional
Plastic Welder, For styrene, Butyrate, ABS & Acrylic (Lucite or Plexiglas)"
the parts are together now, but not very securely.

Working from the inside so it looks ok, would hot glue gun material work?
Or use a soldering iron tip to smooth and seal the edges? (I've not had
good results with this in the past)

Help would be welcome.

Thank you!
Dugie



I found that black ABS cement worked for the broken fender on my wifes
scooter. This is the glue used for black drain pipes which you can get
at any hardware store. For me it was trial and error until I found the
right glue. You know its right when the glue will mar and soften the
plastic and then harden back when it cures. Try on an inconspicuous
place first. I used cut up pieces of a credit card to reinforce the joint.
I also used purple primer on the parts before gluing but don't know if
primer is needed.

Kevin

On Thu, 22 Nov 2007 16:31:31 -0400, "Dugie"
wrote:

Hi,

I have a remote car door control, and a piece of the plastic case has been
snapped off. The piece has one of the key-ring loops at the top. The other
loop is on the undamaged half of the case.

Can find no markings which seem to identify the plastic type. Inside the
case, maybe written by hand in white paint, is 2c, and below that, 23. Any
other markings are FCC and Canadian radio compliance codes, etc. The maker
is DENSO.

Markings as on exterior of cover: FCC ID:HYQ1512S, CANADA:1551 102 326,
RSS - 210, DENSO.

The broken piece is large enough to work with, about 1 1/8" long and 3/4"
wide. The break is roughly a straight line, the edges are ragged and don't
fit together tightly. Some unknown person has in the past tried to repair
with what looks like plastic model cement. It hasn't held, and I've peeled
the cement off.

After Googling a lot, I still don't know how to identify the type of
plastic, and how make a solid repair. Using "Ambroid ProWeld Professional
Plastic Welder, For styrene, Butyrate, ABS & Acrylic (Lucite or Plexiglas)"
the parts are together now, but not very securely.

Working from the inside so it looks ok, would hot glue gun material work?
Or use a soldering iron tip to smooth and seal the edges? (I've not had
good results with this in the past)

Help would be welcome.

Thank you!
Dugie

Stuff like that is usually injection molded, and often with a variety
of PVC, so you might try the solvent used for PVC plumbing.

I've had pretty good luck on things like this by first gluing it with
polyurethane glue (gorilla glue) and then taking a small piece of
aluminum window screen cut to bridge across the gap and then using a
soldering iron to heat the screening and press it into the melted
plastic. Done on the inside, you don't see it, but the screen
reinforces the break so it is very strong. I've even used a few short
pieces of small diameter bare wire instead of screen when there isn't
room to use the screen.

HTH,

Paul F.

Nice idea, I'll remember that next time I need to do a repair.


"Paul Franklin" wrote in message
...
On Thu, 22 Nov 2007 16:31:31 -0400, "Dugie"
wrote:

Hi,

I have a remote car door control, and a piece of the plastic case has been
snapped off. The piece has one of the key-ring loops at the top. The other
loop is on the undamaged half of the case.

Can find no markings which seem to identify the plastic type. Inside the
case, maybe written by hand in white paint, is 2c, and below that, 23. Any
other markings are FCC and Canadian radio compliance codes, etc. The maker
is DENSO.

Markings as on exterior of cover: FCC ID:HYQ1512S, CANADA:1551 102 326,
RSS - 210, DENSO.

The broken piece is large enough to work with, about 1 1/8" long and 3/4"
wide. The break is roughly a straight line, the edges are ragged and don't
fit together tightly. Some unknown person has in the past tried to repair
with what looks like plastic model cement. It hasn't held, and I've peeled
the cement off.

After Googling a lot, I still don't know how to identify the type of
plastic, and how make a solid repair. Using "Ambroid ProWeld Professional
Plastic Welder, For styrene, Butyrate, ABS & Acrylic (Lucite or
Plexiglas)"
the parts are together now, but not very securely.

Working from the inside so it looks ok, would hot glue gun material work?
Or use a soldering iron tip to smooth and seal the edges? (I've not had
good results with this in the past)

Help would be welcome.

Thank you!
Dugie

Stuff like that is usually injection molded, and often with a variety
of PVC, so you might try the solvent used for PVC plumbing.

I've had pretty good luck on things like this by first gluing it with
polyurethane glue (gorilla glue) and then taking a small piece of
aluminum window screen cut to bridge across the gap and then using a
soldering iron to heat the screening and press it into the melted
plastic. Done on the inside, you don't see it, but the screen
reinforces the break so it is very strong. I've even used a few short
pieces of small diameter bare wire instead of screen when there isn't
room to use the screen.

HTH,

Paul F.

On Nov 22, 5:30 pm, Paul Franklin
wrote:
On Thu, 22 Nov 2007 16:31:31 -0400, "Dugie"





wrote:
Hi,

I have a remote car door control, and a piece of the plastic case has been
snapped off. The piece has one of the key-ring loops at the top. The other
loop is on the undamaged half of the case.

Can find no markings which seem to identify the plastic type. Inside the
case, maybe written by hand in white paint, is 2c, and below that, 23. Any
other markings are FCC and Canadian radio compliance codes, etc. The maker
is DENSO.

Markings as on exterior of cover: FCC ID:HYQ1512S, CANADA:1551 102 326,
RSS - 210, DENSO.

The broken piece is large enough to work with, about 1 1/8" long and 3/4"
wide. The break is roughly a straight line, the edges are ragged and don't
fit together tightly. Some unknown person has in the past tried to repair
with what looks like plastic model cement. It hasn't held, and I've peeled
the cement off.

After Googling a lot, I still don't know how to identify the type of
plastic, and how make a solid repair. Using "Ambroid ProWeld Professional
Plastic Welder, For styrene, Butyrate, ABS & Acrylic (Lucite or Plexiglas)"
the parts are together now, but not very securely.

Working from the inside so it looks ok, would hot glue gun material work?
Or use a soldering iron tip to smooth and seal the edges? (I've not had
good results with this in the past)

Help would be welcome.

Thank you!
Dugie

Stuff like that is usually injection molded, and often with a variety
of PVC, so you might try the solvent used for PVC plumbing.

I've had pretty good luck on things like this by first gluing it with
polyurethane glue (gorilla glue) and then taking a small piece of
aluminum window screen cut to bridge across the gap and then using a
soldering iron to heat the screening and press it into the melted
plastic. Done on the inside, you don't see it, but the screen
reinforces the break so it is very strong. I've even used a few short
pieces of small diameter bare wire instead of screen when there isn't
room to use the screen.

HTH,

Paul F.- Hide quoted text -

I would second this suggestion. Type of plastic is not as important
as reinforcing bond. You could identify plastic by solvent and
burning tests but this would consume some of it. I would probably
just use a two part epoxy recommended for plastic.

Frank

According to Dugie :

I have a remote car door control, and a piece of the plastic case has been
snapped off. The piece has one of the key-ring loops at the top. The other
loop is on the undamaged half of the case.

After Googling a lot, I still don't know how to identify the type of
plastic, and how make a solid repair. Using "Ambroid ProWeld Professional
Plastic Welder, For styrene, Butyrate, ABS & Acrylic (Lucite or Plexiglas)"
the parts are together now, but not very securely.

Many of these things are made with ABS, but I think the Ambroid
should have worked then. Could have been poor application or
stale glue. Or a different plastic altogether.

Touch a spot on the inside with nail polish or acetone. If the
plastic softens, _fresh_ airplane glue or the ambroid should work.
I've had extremely good success on ABS housings with ABS pipe
glue.

You could hedge your bets with a PVC/ABS transition plumbing
glue. But the ambroid should have been roughly equivalent to that...

Many plastics can't be solvent welded (eg: polyethylene). These
are the plastics that feel slippery and (usually) somewhat softer
than the rigid plastics. You can thermal weld many, but not all
of them. I've not had much success with it either. Practise a lot
first. The trick is slow heat to ensure that the _whole_ bonding
surface softens.

There are some plastics that are just plain difficult to bond
with anything. Eg: except for some unusual situations, once
a delrin or nylon part is broken, it stays broken.

Working from the inside so it looks ok, would hot glue gun material work?

A high temp glue gun might do just enough thermal weld plus "backing" to
work.
--
Chris Lewis,

Age and Treachery will Triumph over Youth and Skill
It's not just anyone who gets a Starship Cruiser class named after them.

Chris Lewis wrote:
According to Dugie :

I have a remote car door control, and a piece of the plastic case has been
snapped off. The piece has one of the key-ring loops at the top. The other
loop is on the undamaged half of the case.

After Googling a lot, I still don't know how to identify the type of
plastic, and how make a solid repair. Using "Ambroid ProWeld Professional
Plastic Welder, For styrene, Butyrate, ABS & Acrylic (Lucite or Plexiglas)"
the parts are together now, but not very securely.

Many of these things are made with ABS, but I think the Ambroid
should have worked then. Could have been poor application or
stale glue. Or a different plastic altogether.

Touch a spot on the inside with nail polish or acetone. If the
plastic softens, _fresh_ airplane glue or the ambroid should work.
I've had extremely good success on ABS housings with ABS pipe
glue.

You could hedge your bets with a PVC/ABS transition plumbing
glue. But the ambroid should have been roughly equivalent to that...

Many plastics can't be solvent welded (eg: polyethylene). These
are the plastics that feel slippery and (usually) somewhat softer
than the rigid plastics. You can thermal weld many, but not all
of them. I've not had much success with it either. Practise a lot
first. The trick is slow heat to ensure that the _whole_ bonding
surface softens.

There are some plastics that are just plain difficult to bond
with anything. Eg: except for some unusual situations, once
a delrin or nylon part is broken, it stays broken.

Working from the inside so it looks ok, would hot glue gun material work?

A high temp glue gun might do just enough thermal weld plus "backing" to
work.
Nobody else said it, so I will- compare the cost of these exotic glues,
and the value of your time, with the cost of a replacement keyfob off
ebay or similar. Unless you have to go to the dealer to reprogram them
(in which case you could just swap out the already-programmed guts from
the old one), it should cost less than 20-25 bucks, based on a quick
search. Chevy Prizm, right? Is it the one that is really a Toyota, or
one of the others? Maybe the remote for the 'twin' model would work.

And yeah, I do understand the challenge of repairing something people
said is unrepairable, and the elation when you succeed.

Me, I'd just rivet a metal strap to the back and punch a hole in it,
rounding off the corners as needed to not cut through my pants pockets.
Or if there is room in the case, drill a small hole and thread a loop of
nylon cord thru it, holding it in place with a knot on the inside. (Like
the wrist strap on a cheap camera or toy radio.) Lotsa ways to McGyver a
workaround.

aem sends...

On Nov 22, 3:31 pm, "Dugie" wrote:
Hi,

I have a remote car door control, and a piece of the plastic case has been
snapped off. The piece has one of the key-ring loops at the top. The other
loop is on the undamaged half of the case.

Can find no markings which seem to identify the plastic type. Inside the
case, maybe written by hand in white paint, is 2c, and below that, 23. Any
other markings are FCC and Canadian radio compliance codes, etc. The maker
is DENSO.

Markings as on exterior of cover: FCC ID:HYQ1512S, CANADA:1551 102 326,
RSS - 210, DENSO.

The broken piece is large enough to work with, about 1 1/8" long and 3/4"
wide. The break is roughly a straight line, the edges are ragged and don't
fit together tightly. Some unknown person has in the past tried to repair
with what looks like plastic model cement. It hasn't held, and I've peeled
the cement off.

After Googling a lot, I still don't know how to identify the type of
plastic, and how make a solid repair. Using "Ambroid ProWeld Professional
Plastic Welder, For styrene, Butyrate, ABS & Acrylic (Lucite or Plexiglas)"
the parts are together now, but not very securely.

Working from the inside so it looks ok, would hot glue gun material work?
Or use a soldering iron tip to smooth and seal the edges? (I've not had
good results with this in the past)

Help would be welcome.

Thank you!
Dugie

Dugie, I sell various forms of plastic on ebay including delrin and
nylon ( under the name surplusdealdude, if anybody's looking for small
plastic offcuts btw).

It's very unlikely that this piece is delrin - it would more likely be
a polyproplylene or polyethylene, since those are the standard types
of plastic they use for this type of item. These plastics are
impossible to glue, even with epoxy, largely because their surfaces
are "oily" - that's what gives them their smooth finish.

If the fob was delrin, it would feel like a piece of rock to the
touch. It would also be impossible to glue if it were delrin.

If it is Delrin, do not try to heat the edge with a soldering iron.
Delrin emits very noxious fumes when it is heated (it's a formaldehyde
derivative) and I know of 2 cases where it made people quite sick even
with a short exposure.

Most likely this is impossible to glue back together. Welding it with
a soldering gun will also likely not work - you need precise
temperature control to weld plastics together and all you'll do is
ignite the surfaces and make a mess.

Building up the back with epoxy would be a great solution, but you'll
have to make sure that the epoxy has something to bond to , because it
won't bond to the plastic. Maybe you can bond it to the inner
workings and build it up, layer by layer.

Overall, the best idea is to buy a cheap replacement, either on ebay
or at an auto wrecking yard and get it reprogrammed.

According to aemeijers :
Chris Lewis wrote:
Nobody else said it, so I will- compare the cost of these exotic glues,
and the value of your time, with the cost of a replacement keyfob off
ebay or similar.

There's nothing exotic about a $3 tin of plastic plumbing pipe
glue or a stick of high temp hotmelt glue (if you have the gun).

At least I didn't suggest West Epoxy ;-)

[Tho the "sample kit" isn't that expensive.]

Unless you have to go to the dealer to reprogram them
(in which case you could just swap out the already-programmed guts from
the old one), it should cost less than 20-25 bucks, based on a quick
search.

There is that. I got two matching fobs for $30 (Blazer), and the
programming instructions cost another $6.

If you can't find programming instructions, programming at the
dealer can cost $100 or more. _Each_. Yipes!

And yeah, I do understand the challenge of repairing something people
said is unrepairable, and the elation when you succeed.

Me, I'd just rivet a metal strap to the back and punch a hole in it,
rounding off the corners as needed to not cut through my pants pockets.
Or if there is room in the case, drill a small hole and thread a loop of
nylon cord thru it, holding it in place with a knot on the inside. (Like
the wrist strap on a cheap camera or toy radio.) Lotsa ways to McGyver a
workaround.

SOs tend not to like McGyver'd solutions ;-)
--
Chris Lewis,

Age and Treachery will Triumph over Youth and Skill
It's not just anyone who gets a Starship Cruiser class named after them.