Plastex - magic pixie dust

[Ascalon]

So, I'd mentioned in my ZXR rebuild thread that I'd used this stuff, so when I did a major bit of it, I said I'd document the process to give a better idea of what it's all about.

Plastex comes in a kit but has two basic parts, a plastic in powder form availale in black, white and clear, and then a solvent that when applied to the powder turns it into a sort of plastic resin that chemically bonds to almost all plastics and a multitude of other materials from glass to metal and more.

So, the left hand lower fairing panel had two tabs broken off, the rear one was present but broken off, the middle one was missing completely.

I prepared the two surfaces by chamfering the edges to ensure that there was a weld-like V track for the powder to get into. Then I taped the tab in place, having made reference to centre distances for the screw holes.

You then use a bottle with a tiny applicatior tip to carefully fill the space with powder.

Then you use a tiny pippette to drip the solvent to wet the powder and then leave it to dry. It is dry in about 20-30 minutes but should be left cure for an hour before any pressure is placed on it.

I did both sides on this for extra strength.

Then, also in the kit is what's called the moulding bar. It is a special polymer stuff that becomes pliable when heated to about 40c or so.

The middle tab being missing altogether, meant that I could use the same tab on the opposite side panel to make a mould.

And here it is:

So again with tape, I put it in the right place and measured hole centres to get it aligned right.

Then you fill the void with powder. I did this in a couple of stage and built it up gradually. So, drop the power in place and drip the solvent on to start it setting.

The finished tab not only takes on the right shape, but it bonds directly to site of the missing tabe.

You can then drill, sand or file the thing to clean it up and put a well nut into it.

It really is that simple, this stuff. Bloody good product.

A

[Marb]

Just got my pack in today, start messing arround with it tomorrow. Looks good.

[Jaybewan]

Hmm, looks like I may not have to replace any of my fairings after all. A bit of elbow grease with the sandpaper and some of this stuff and they'll be sorted.

Cheers for the info fella, you may just have saved me enough cash for me to get on with fixing my wreck

[Ascalon]

Hmm, looks like I may not have to replace any of my fairings after all. A bit of elbow grease with the sandpaper and some of this stuff and they'll be sorted.

Cheers for the info fella, you may just have saved me enough cash for me to get on with fixing my wreck

Indeed, I was browsing for replacement panels meself but this stuff really does work.

Here's where I got it. Good communicatoin from them and a fair price too. No affilliation with them mind!

http://www.repairproducts.co.uk/page21.htm

A

[Jaybewan]

Indeed, I was browsing for replacement panels meself but this stuff really does work.

Here's where I got it. Good communicatoin from them and a fair price too. No affilliation with them mind!

http://www.repairproducts.co.uk/page21.htm

A

Cheers, for that.

The site seems a bit clunky but I think that may be on order in the next week or so whilst the bike is still off the road. I feel a low/zero cost project coming on

[heds954]

Blimey!!

I might even dust my plastex kit off on the strength of that demonstration... might...

How strong is the join afterwards?

[Ascalon]

Blimey!!

How strong is the join afterwards?

It seems pretty good. I left the first tab over night before doing the second and built it up in three layers and let the whole thing cure for about four days.

I tried it this morning and you can flex the whole panel by pushing the top of the newly moulded tab. So without a destructive test, I'd say it's good enough!

A

[heds954]

So the trick is is to ensure that you've got bare slightly roughed plastic and not painted surfaces for the stuff to adhere to I guess.

Having said that, say you want to recreate a fairly complex tab like in your example below, where you've got an indent on one side and a spigot on the other side..

spiggot side...

indented side...

would it be possible to create a double sided mold from this stuff...

a la...

...but with both sides in relief but taped together to get a complete two sided molded replica?

(obviously, you'd have to drill the hole still)

[Ascalon]

I suppose you could, but the point is that it is not really necessary because the side that mates to the upper fairing panel is the bit that needs to be smooth and inline with the other mating surfaces, so the back can be as rough as a bear's without consequence.

However, the moulding bar is very stretchable, but not massive. The process though means that the powder has to be dropped in to fill it up, so it may not be that easy to do it in a three sided mould. Would be worth a try though 'cause if it doesn't work you can just break it and go again.

A

[wesifume]

Excellent work there man.

I think we should all get a bit of this stuff for the garage

[Evilchicken0]

So the trick is is to ensure that you've got bare slightly roughed plastic and not painted surfaces for the stuff to adhere to I guess.

Having said that, say you want to recreate a fairly complex tab like in your example below, where you've got an indent on one side and a spigot on the other side..

I've done one of those on a honda NC29.

You need to do it in stages

1 - take a mould from the outside of the panel and make sure you can see (from the mould) how thick to make it. Cut the hole while the plastex is still soft.

2 - take a mould of the spigot, again show the depth of the spigot.

3 - make the spigot but not on the panel, just form it in the mould. make sure you make it a little bit to deep. start to pull the mould back and trim it down to roughly the line of the main panel while it's medium soft

4 - this is a little tricky. get some liquid plastex on both the new spigot and the new tab. I did this with the spigot out of the mould but you could use the mould to get the height right. Oncee the platex has gone off a bit trim up any excess.

Mine wasn't 100% but it was very close, I could have spent some more time getting the lines pin sharp but Dave was over the moon with it. The fished panels worked well and looked good from the outside of bike. If it was my bike I'd have painted the inside of the fairings in satin black like this resto (Phil Norton did the plastex on these panels).

[heds954]

I've done one of those on a honda NC29.

You need to do it in stages

1 - take a mould from the outside of the panel and make sure you can see (from the mould) how thick to make it. Cut the hole while the plastex is still soft.

2 - take a mould of the spigot, again show the depth of the spigot.

3 - make the spigot but not on the panel, just form it in the mould. make sure you make it a little bit to deep. start to pull the mould back and trim it down to roughly the line of the main panel while it's medium soft

4 - this is a little tricky. get some liquid plastex on both the new spigot and the new tab. I did this with the spigot out of the mould but you could use the mould to get the height right. Oncee the platex has gone off a bit trim up any excess.

Yep, makes sense. I think I'd have been tempted to stick a rod through from one side to the other as well, just so it aligns and so I wouldn't have to faff around with trying to drill it and probably break it.

[Ascalon]

Quick word to add to this:

I drilled the newly created from scratch tab to fit a well unt over the weekend and it worked fine.

A 9mm drill bit went through cleanly with no problems, cracks or stresses. The panel was fitted and it all works fine.

I also cleaned up the unmould back side with a file and though it does not look standard, it seems stuckturally as good as the other side.

A