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Intriguing if it works...

Delete this post Submitted by Ron R on 08/Nov/2015 in reply to Bondic Plastic Welder posted by Javier on 08/Nov/2015
96.234.210.179

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Seems like the idea is you get a liquid monomer, that then polymerizes under UV light. It really isn't a weld, because there is no fusion (melting or mechanical mixing of the two pieces), but it might be quite a bit more than a glue (which includes epoxies, like G-Flex).

Some things I would want to know before using:

--Does it bond well to high density polyethylene, and if the boat is an older Jackson, to cross-linked polyethylene? If not, it may peel off.
--Is it mechanically "tough", to withstand shock loads without cracking?
--Does it have a stiffness and yield strength comparable to polyethylene? If too weak, it pulls apart, if too strong, it peels off the hull.

Also, will the stuff cure in the depths of a filled crack, or do you have to make the crack wide enough so the UV light can penetrate all the way through the Bondic material?

Even if this stuff isn't strong enough on its own to repair a crack simply by filling the crack with it, if it bonds well to polyethylene and stays put when flexed, you may be able to make a "G-Flex style" repair. Use Bondic in the crack for water-tightness, then use two layers of glass cloth saturated in Bondic on the inside to provide the structural strength.

It may work... but I'll wait until I hear of other boaters having long-term success.

All that said, I have had acceptable results "brazing" Jackson cross-link and backing up with a 2-layer glass patch with G-Flex. Use a soldering gun to soften up the crosslink and fill in between with HDPE. Crosslink won't melt and bond to itself, but when soft it will bond and mix with HDPE, so the joint is crosslink-HDPE-crosslink. Analogous to brazing, where the base materials don't fuse to each other, but are fused to a "bridge" material in between. Then prepare the backside for G-Flex (clean, sand, flame) with a tapered glass patch. Works well when you can easily get to the backside of the crack, like in the bottom. Royal pain trying to press a patch blind, like the inside of cockpit coaming.

I've tried G-flex on 3 boats. 2 are in service. The other, the first I did, is in reserve in case its replacement breaks. Bought a replacement before attempting to fix. After fixing, let Duffy try to destroy it in two safety classes. Got some interesting pins, with deep dents under the patch. Stomped the dents out, patch still fine. Duffy doesn't get to play with that boat anymore.

My $0.02. Some advice is worth less than what you pay for it.


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