I am trying to glue my plastic radiator tank using Elmer's
Polyurethane Glue just to see if it'll hold. I've heard that this
worked fine on small pinhole leaks by a few people. The
problem is that when ever the glue dries bubbles or foams
are formed on the glue in about 2 hours. The foam is a bad
thing because it's very brittle. What is the proper way to use
this glue so it won't foam?

Thanks

On Tue, 28 Feb 2006 10:12:29 GMT, "Sam Nickaby" wrote:

I am trying to glue my plastic radiator tank using Elmer's
Polyurethane Glue just to see if it'll hold. I've heard that this
worked fine on small pinhole leaks by a few people. The
problem is that when ever the glue dries bubbles or foams
are formed on the glue in about 2 hours. The foam is a bad
thing because it's very brittle. What is the proper way to use
this glue so it won't foam?

Thanks

There is a product called "Plastic Surgery" that comes in a tube and
is designed to weld plastics together. I presume the plastic surfaces
need to be DRY. I've used it on an ashtray that broke, and it
restored the product to NEW condition.

I bought my tube of the *stuff* at Kmart in the adhesives isle.

Another idea is actual plastic welding. You can buy sticks of
plastic, and in combination with a heat gun you can weld the plastic
as it melts into the radiator. I would consider that a permanent fix,
after practicing on some scrap plastics somewhere. You need a small
diameter orifice for the hot air exhaust of course. If you don't
already own a heat gun, don't bother, as they are quite expensive.

MB

MB wrote:

On Tue, 28 Feb 2006 10:12:29 GMT, "Sam Nickaby" wrote:

I am trying to glue my plastic radiator tank using Elmer's
Polyurethane Glue just to see if it'll hold. I've heard that this
worked fine on small pinhole leaks by a few people. The
problem is that when ever the glue dries bubbles or foams
are formed on the glue in about 2 hours. The foam is a bad
thing because it's very brittle. What is the proper way to use
this glue so it won't foam?

Thanks

There is a product called "Plastic Surgery" that comes in a tube and
is designed to weld plastics together. I presume the plastic surfaces
need to be DRY. I've used it on an ashtray that broke, and it
restored the product to NEW condition.

I bought my tube of the *stuff* at Kmart in the adhesives isle.

Another idea is actual plastic welding. You can buy sticks of
plastic, and in combination with a heat gun you can weld the plastic
as it melts into the radiator. I would consider that a permanent fix,
after practicing on some scrap plastics somewhere. You need a small
diameter orifice for the hot air exhaust of course. If you don't
already own a heat gun, don't bother, as they are quite expensive.

MB

I'm pretty sure the plastics used in a radiator will be a thermoset type
that will not be thermally weldable, solvent weldable perhaps.

Pete C.

On Tue, 28 Feb 2006 11:13:40 GMT, "Pete C."
wrote:

MB wrote:

On Tue, 28 Feb 2006 10:12:29 GMT, "Sam Nickaby" wrote:

I am trying to glue my plastic radiator tank using Elmer's
Polyurethane Glue just to see if it'll hold. I've heard that this
worked fine on small pinhole leaks by a few people. The
problem is that when ever the glue dries bubbles or foams
are formed on the glue in about 2 hours. The foam is a bad
thing because it's very brittle. What is the proper way to use
this glue so it won't foam?

Thanks

There is a product called "Plastic Surgery" that comes in a tube and
is designed to weld plastics together. I presume the plastic surfaces
need to be DRY. I've used it on an ashtray that broke, and it
restored the product to NEW condition.

I bought my tube of the *stuff* at Kmart in the adhesives isle.

Another idea is actual plastic welding. You can buy sticks of
plastic, and in combination with a heat gun you can weld the plastic
as it melts into the radiator. I would consider that a permanent fix,
after practicing on some scrap plastics somewhere. You need a small
diameter orifice for the hot air exhaust of course. If you don't
already own a heat gun, don't bother, as they are quite expensive.

MB

I'm pretty sure the plastics used in a radiator will be a thermoset type
that will not be thermally weldable, solvent weldable perhaps.

Pete C.

Drill it then, tap it, and put a stainless steel metal screw into it.
I don't know if you're trying to plug a hole or a linear crack. Each
requires a different solution.

MB

"Sam Nickaby" wrote in message
et...
I am trying to glue my plastic radiator tank using Elmer's
Polyurethane Glue just to see if it'll hold. I've heard that this
worked fine on small pinhole leaks by a few people. The
problem is that when ever the glue dries bubbles or foams
are formed on the glue in about 2 hours. The foam is a bad
thing because it's very brittle. What is the proper way to use
this glue so it won't foam?

Thanks




Poly glues foam when they cure. That is why they are used in loose
joints.
I usually repair cracked tanks using the plastic welder. The plastic
welds easily just don't overheat it and scorch it.



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I've very successfully used Plastic Surgery myself, after doing
something spasmodic to one tower on one of those startlingly expensive
Toyota distributor caps with integrated spark plug cables. Afterward,
I bolstered the repair externally with epoxy.

Note that gooping anything on from the outside of a pressurized system
is going to be a temporary fix at best. This guides the choice of what
to use (Plastic Surgery maybe, if he can get at the sides and has all
the missing pieces; glue probably not) and how to use it.

Worth trying, but keep an eye on the repairs and enough money in the
bank to getcha a new radiator...

Cheers,
--Joe

Sam Nickaby wrote:
I am trying to glue my plastic radiator tank using Elmer's
Polyurethane Glue just to see if it'll hold. I've heard that this
worked fine on small pinhole leaks by a few people. The
problem is that when ever the glue dries bubbles or foams
are formed on the glue in about 2 hours.

Is this the Pro Bond stuff?

This bubbling is a feature of some polyurethane adhesives, which are
designed to expand to fill gaps. I believe that it's a reaction with
water. The piece doesn't have to be wet because there is water in the
atmosphere. E.g. moisture-cured polyurethane coatings get their
moisture from the air.

Get a two-component epoxy instead. Perhaps one of those that come
pre-formulated with fillers that turn them into a putty.

There is that one product whose epoxy and hardener are both filled to
form a paste and also dyed different colors (black and white). You keep
mixing the two until the resulting paste is evenly gray.

The foam is a bad
thing because it's very brittle. What is the proper way to use
this glue so it won't foam?

There probably isnt'.

By the way, don't use this ****, it contains isocyanates, which are
very hazardous to your health. Check out the MSDS:

http://www.hunt-corp.com/msds/mp9401.htm

8.3 Exposure Guidelines

Diphenylmethane 4,4'-Diisocyanate 101-68-8
ACGIH TLV: 0.005 ppm (0.051 mg/m³) TWA

Note that 0.005 parts per million is a ridiculously small threshold
limit value. Contrast that with the solvents typically used in lacquer
thinner, whose TLV's are typically on the order of 100 parts per
million! Xylene: 100 ppm; Toluene 50 ppm; Acetone 750 ppm. What else?
Oh yes, Butyl-Acetate for slower drying: 150 ppm.

You don't want to get sensitized to isocyanates, because polyurethane
foam is everywhere. Seat cushions, insulation, moldings in car
interiors, etc.

Sam Nickaby wrote:

I am trying to glue my plastic radiator tank using Elmer's
Polyurethane Glue just to see if it'll hold. I've heard that this
worked fine on small pinhole leaks by a few people. The
problem is that when ever the glue dries bubbles or foams
are formed on the glue in about 2 hours. The foam is a bad
thing because it's very brittle. What is the proper way to use
this glue so it won't foam?




Aren't those tanks ABS? If so, you should be able to use any adhesive
used for ABS plumbing.

On Tue, 28 Feb 2006 10:12:29 GMT, "Sam Nickaby" wrote:

I am trying to glue my plastic radiator tank using Elmer's
Polyurethane Glue just to see if it'll hold. I've heard that this
worked fine on small pinhole leaks by a few people. The
problem is that when ever the glue dries bubbles or foams
are formed on the glue in about 2 hours. The foam is a bad
thing because it's very brittle. What is the proper way to use
this glue so it won't foam?

Thanks

Radiators can be bought very cheap these days. Most tank repairs do
not last long. Buy a new radiator.

Don
www.donsautomotive.com