Yours work better than mine did I've got the same one I think your prep and patience is what paid off I was trying to weld a couple of pieces of polycarbonate roof @@EliminatorPerformance
My uncle used to do the same thing! He started with bailing twine, moved up to fencing wire. But when zip ties came out he finally won. He even tried JBWELD. The vibration from the mower made everything come loose.. not the zip ties 🇺🇸
I fix my daughter’s 335 hood this week. I ended up ordering the same kit and after installing the staples I put a coat of clear JB Weld over the staples. It served two purposes by working into the joints left by the staples and also covered the sharp points.The hood had one side completely broken out and after reconnecting everything I laid a layer of fiberglass over the entire area. The bottom area of plastic where the mounting brackets attach was completely gone. I found some plastic inserts to fit into the holes of the brackets and drilled new holes through the bottom of the front grill. With the fiberglass repair kit and plastic welding kit I had fifty dollars invested.
The staple tails have some indentations in them to allow you to just bend them a little and they'll snap off, but I've only had marginal success with that. I typically use a Dremel with a cutting wheel on them. Only other thing I'd mention is once you get the staple to depth, give it a very slight twist to help the staple become completely embedded under plastic. Otherwise, they could sometimes pull out. Thank you for a great video and for sharing 😊 Just for your info. I have this item plus the regular soldering iron looking plastic welding kit and have had and used them both for a couple of years (occasional use) with no issues. I tend to use the soldering iron looking one along with stainless steel screen more often than this one, but there are use cases for both.
Hey Mark, yea I was using it the other day to fix a broken plastic snowblower chute and tried what others had mentioned about snapping the ends off, they didn't snap at all lol I still had to cut them. Like you said with the soldering iron, I then used it to melt the plastic over the staples and it seemed to hold really well. The twist definitely helps keep them in there.
I had a few riding lawnmowers which the plastic broke in the same spot. One thing I did was when I bought a new mower I took off the hood and fiberglassed a few strips around the inside edge, mostly on the weak points. It's been about 6 years and no cracks anywhere. This has been a great review, I was always curious about these plastic welders.
Very fine stainless mesh and a soldering iron with a large surface area tip does a great job too. Just cut out the right size of mesh and push it in with the soldering iron, leaves a better surface finish and is very strong, you can also use it to add filler material on the top surface before sanding it to same surface finish as the rest of the piece, maybe vapor smooth it with acetone if it’s abs or asa
He definitely mentioned that he was not that concerned about the overall appearance but was more focused on showing how the soldering tool works and getting the cracks repaired.
Thanks a lot, that's a great idea! I was just about to buy yet another single-purpose tool that I use twice a year. I still have an old soldering iron that I don't use anymore and some stainless steel mesh is easy to get, so I'll definitely try your method first.
I bought mine from Harbor Freight for $ 10.00 15 years ago and it still works. I've used it on cars, computer chairs arm rest, trash cans, anything plastic. Best $20 bucks ever spent.
I really thank you for a great demo on how to fix plastic cracks. You covered all the little details, including safety, as well as cost and reliability. Good Show!
Very good demo, clear visuals, great instructions, comprehensive, and NO MUSIC, WHAT JOY! Excellent. I needed this. Thank you!!! Dremel is useless for anything other than jewelry! No power. My trusty angle grinder is best. I have a 5" Bosch which is too heavy and too powerful for small jobs. I would suggest a small angle grinder, light duty with 4.5" blades or smaller. If anyone knows a good brand, please let me know. I would have done one more step - put painters tape on good side. Fill in the cracks with super glue on bad side, and sprinkle baking soda to harden. Now sand down, This will be harder.
That was weird how you clearly described what you were doing, hit all the important points, and showed it very clearly on video! Subscribed! The only thing I might be tempted to add is that it's not uncommon that when you get one of these cracks, the plastic is simply becoming brittle and you'll end up chasing the problem until there's no hope. I recently went to work on an old pair of rollerblades, and the entire things literally crumbled in my hands. There's zero chance I could have even put them on. But short of that type of issue, this is a great fix.
I just bought one today online, and I can't wait to repair some broken plastic trimmings on my Land Rover ❤ thank you for your kind review, I do appreciate it dearly!
Excellent video! I learned a new trick! Tx.! For cutting the ends of the staples its best to use an electrician's side cutters. You can get exactly at the staple where it comes out of the plastic.
John Deere and Toro should include one of these in every sale. Nice tool addition to the shop supply boss it will come in handy and pay for itself in a short period of time. Money well spent and a fine repair that our customer will be happy to see although this was the minor part of his repair. Very well presented tool review looking forward to seeing other tools you use in the shop and any that you may have made to make repairs easier.
Yes it works awesome, and like I said in other comments, this can now be a service that I offer at a cost and the tool will quickly pay for itself. Thanks for watching!
I bought one of these and a soldering iron style kit for setting in metal mesh and plastic rod. I've used them for quite a few repairs now and something handy to have around. The staples are really surprisingly hard to cut. I found a pair of guitar fret, end nippers that are very sharp and flush cutting.
I use paper clips to make specific shapes (circles, triangles, squares) and they're cheap. They are chrome coated and will not rust. Also, I melt the bubbled surface to both smooth the repair and to seal the element from the weather if I don't get around to paintint the seam. Great video though.
I have been putting off fixing my Kubota's plastic with hardware cloth and a big soldering iron, Some thing I saw a while ago on YT. I'm glad I saw this first.
Excellent. Clean up a breeze. Results are Top Notch. The precision of an even melt sink, is an improvement from many older home remedies. The tool is cool. I have mini end cutters that will work. Great demo video. I need to fix cracked splash cowling under my Jeep.
Fantastic! I had no idea that this existed. Nice to know that there is another way. Many replacement parts are no longer available or crazy expensive. I repaired a crack in cars rear bumper years ago with pop rivets and the repair still is perfect today.
These work great. Used it on cracked refrigerator shelf brackets. Bought some flush cut dykes from harbor freight to get rid od the sharps. Really good vid!
What a great solution! That looks like thermoset plastic, which is much harder to melt and reform successfully. As others have mentioned, I would float a layer of epoxy over the top of that repair. It will cover the burrs and reinforce an obviously weak area of the hood. I've found a thin layer of epoxy to work very well to strengthen weak plastic pieces. I even pieced back together my truck's front grill after I drove over it (don't ask how).
i have been using one of these for about 7 years now, they are very good. rabbit cutters cut flush andd are round like that. i actually just repaird a plastic dipper today with mine, mine also came with a smoothing tool to hook to it to cover the staples with melted plastic by rubbing it over the inserted staples so they wont come back out in the future.
If I am not mistakened, the tool is actually a low voltage high current transformer, more or less the same idea as a soldering gun. Other than the on-off switch and the plastic case, there is nothing to breakdown. You should expect the it to last for a very long time. Just make sure you do not over heat it by not using it continuously for a long time. My soldering gun lasted me over 30 years and keeps on working.
Great video. I bought something like this to fix my cracked dash in my pickup. A couple things I noticed, a grinder or cutting wheel will reheat the staples, so take caution while smoothing off the tips. I also used some needle nose pliers to hold the tips while I cut them off. Pretty easy to do and avoids the mess if you let them fly all over. I also used the wavy ones perpendicular to the crack. It takes more of them but it allowed me to fuse the plastic across the crack after I stapled things. You can just stitch together like a welder would and the kit I bought came with a tip the heats up and uses filler material. I guess you could also get that same outcome with a soldering iron or a plastic welder that works like one.
Oh that thing looks handy. I recently needed to repair the handle on a large plastic basket. My solution was to drill a bunch of small holes, then stitch it together using 20 AWG stainless steel solid wire. The repair was extremely solid but was time consuming and is rather non-subtle.
Great review and a cool tool to have for the casual repairer. 😎 One tip I would suggest is to use stapler sleeves as a depth guide so you don't melt through to the good side.
Yea that's what I figured, just like an induction heating tool, not everyone will have one and if you need one for every day get a good one. I think I'll email them and see if they'll send one for review, their deluxe kit has a bunch of cool accessories by the looks of it.
Great tool ^^ Thanks for the demo 2:04 it would not have to be polarized even if it was DC current flowing through. The staples themselves are basically resistors which are not polarized.
Useful video as I've been thinking about buying one of these cheap Chinese hot staplers. From what I've seen, I think once you sink the staple into the plastic, you're meant to give it a little twist. This would mean the staple is buried into the plastic better and wouldn't pop out.
I have a similar one. But it also came with an accessory. As you put on. Can look like an iron roughly. With it, you level the surface so that the clamp is completely covered with plastic. And which I think enhances the repair even more. And with one, you can also use a thin metal mesh to melt into the plastic. Sometimes melt cable ties/plastic to get more material for the repair.
Love the way you explained everything... I have to fix the air plates under my '95 Lexus. The dealer took no care when removing them and reinstalling.. This looks like the answer to the broken plastic I have to work with.. Shop around.. I see this on Amazon today for $18 US. Yes I subscribed...
The kit I bought on ebay is 150w, which makes it work much better. Also, it came with a spade-bit looking thing to do the smoothing out afterward. And I use a small needle-nose pliars to bend the legs back and forth, and they usually break off. I've seen people use metal window screen mesh with the spade-bit thingy, and embed that into thinner plastic for great strength.
Take the panels off, ruff them up under neath and clean with acetone, apply fiberglass mat 2-3 sheets thickness setting on aluminum foils then pore on resin, pick up aluminum foil, flip over to epoxy side, put on stress areas and cracks, wait a about 10 min or more depending on curing, peal off aluminum foils, leaves nice smooth surface. Easy, clean no mess, fantastic strong repair, prevents future cracks. Flip panels, bondo the small cracks or not, finish how you want. The beauty of the foil is you can put on vertical and upside surfaces cleanly with no mess. Could do this with wheel off underneath.
After sanding them down smooth you could also go over it with a coat of body filler to further help hold the staples in and make it a seamless looking repair
As long as it's compatible with the plastic. Personally I wouldn't go for Bondo or the like bc the substrate is soft, and sanding down even a tight Bondo patch is gonna scuff/dull the surrounding areas and become its own issue to refinish.
well worth tool right there to fix plastic hoods or any other parts of a mower that has plastic on it that is cracked thanks for sharing this one jake 🔧
For the scrap pins after cutting. If you tape a small peace of the green Floral foam to the side of the end cutter it should hold/catch the wire bit so it dose not fly away. Would take some trial and error to get the size right for Visibility/Catchability.
Great video! I have the same tool and it's great on plastics (esp. motorcycle fairings). I usually follow up the staples with some clear epoxy or resin (on the backside only) to make it bulletproof and fill up all of the holes and indentations. Great stuff!
I got a Cordless Plastic Welding Gun on Amazon for $19.99 with 4 different staples. It uses DeWalt batteries. I repaired the fan Housing on a Kowasaki zero turn and the plastic handle on a worx string trimmer. To replace these two items would have been oven $170.00. Have done several small jobs with it. It has been well worth the 20 bucks I spent. As you showed the crack is visible on the outside if you look close. I also used the triangle tip on my heating iron to smooth over the repairs.
Good video, well explained, well demonstrated. Looks like a tool I could use from time to time. I laughed when you pointed out that you can't pick up those clippings with a magnet.
I'm going to be honest. After watching a bunch of these videos, I decided to take my paper stapler and staple the plastic tab that broke off a truck's kick panel and then melt a zip tie along the crack and over the staples. Then I took my wood engraver and flattened the plastic out smooth. It worked great, but I would like one of these tools.
Thanks for the review. 2 things I would add: 1) when you sink the staples, at the end, twist them a bit. 2) After using the flap-disk, apply G-FLEX EPOXY (from West Marine) to cover the crack and strengthen the joints.
I've been using it more and more lately, quite a good tool for how little it costs. When you sink the hot staple into the bumper, give it a little twist, then let off the trigger and allow it to cool. Not shown in the video but a trick I learned from others commenting, prevents the staple from backing out.
Yes those plastic hoods are also expensive to replace from a dealer too, definitely worth it nice fix. Oh and NEVER load your tractors backwards on the trailer either because the wind will rip those hoods clear off! I worked for a john deere dealership for 5 years, trust me just pull them on and back them off
Thanks. We were looking for a link to the plastic soldering tool in the description and couldn't find it. Surprisingly, we found the link in the message box under you youtube ID. 😊 We followed the link, and saw that there are quite a few brands with various temperature levels from 50 to 180 and the soldering accessories. They all seem to be in the price range you mentioned, with a few others priced a bit higher.☝🏿
Thanks bumpkin! It works so well that I look forward to using it in the future. I'm sure I can advertise this as a service and the tool will pay for itself.
If you cup your other hand, and keep it over the staple end as you snip it, generally it will shoot up and bounce off your hand loose energy and stay somewhat close to the work area opposed to flying across the room. The blunt end should be what hits your cupped hand opposed to the clipped end, but you can wear a glove on that hand for extra protection. Looks like a nice tool! Or maybe using a piece of duct tape, and pick them up like dog/cat hairs like a lint brush. Nice informative video!
You video is very well done. I too have one of these welders. Your using it on a John Deere hood piqued my interest. That is precisely why I bought mine. I would like to point out something about trimming the staples. If you look closely you'll see a slight score mark at the base of the staple. If you remove the welder while the plastic is set but still hot you will be able to break the pins off below the surface. This is handy when following up with plastic rod and not needing to grind stubs down.
I use any scrap wire, or the best thing to use is screen. Stainless screen about .25 of a inch wide. Also get a roll of the duct tape that is made of metal on 1 side. The name escapes me but used on heating and cooling pipes and cracks. That works as a heat sink so the heat don't screw up the part. U can bend wire of any size to fit urr purpose. I like the screen and a weller soldering iron that has a tip with a small foot with a point like a trowel. That puts a big amount of heat and will get the screen started into plastic then I go over with a regular flat screwdriver type tip if I need to get that screen or wire deeper. I've used on quad fenders, bumpers for automotive, kids toys etc. A old plastic bucket makes some great filler for most plastics. Get to know what kind of plastic your working with. Not all are same. And u can do who's without a mask IF u have a fan blowing over the work. A spray bottle with water is good to cool down the welding quickly especially with thin pieces. Don't waste time and money on glue for plastic. Plastic will flex, bend etc. This method is hands down the best way to fix plastic. I've never used a kit like this but it seems nice to have those clips instead of bending wire or cutting screen. Always go slow and u can make great looking repairs in no time. It's especially gr8 for those dam clips or ears on door panels that always seem to break, after all others come out fine. And we know how much plastic is in our autos these days. I have also found the steel screens that come in faucets work so well for small cracks. That's the type of screen u need. U can twist and rip and it won't budge. I have repaired a bumper on a work truck and have tried to break repair. It will break in a new spot before repair fails. For hard to fix projects also resin and fiberglass can be a life saver too. Especially for posts that get broken. Like door panels. Dam old plastic door panels.
Your Very, Very Informative HANDS ON , On "How to Fix Cracks in Plastic Using a Hot Stapler"..Is By Far The Most BEST DIY Video...Anywhere On The Internet Today. Fantastic Review, & How To!!-..Great Work/Job!!..Many, Many Thanks For Uploading!!
It's unbelievable how well this little tool works, and for about $35 it's already more than paid for itself and I've been able to fix many things that would have otherwise been thrown in the garbage. Thanks for the kind words, and thanks for watching!
Bought one of these tools because I am tired of plastic parts needing to be replaced. Did a test run on an about 18 inch crack on a garbage bin lid, and it worked great. Mine came with a flat spade tool to smooth out the plastic and kind of cover the staples. I did find that since the staples are a hard stainless, that wire cutters with carbide cutting edges works best for me to trim these off. And don't drop these staples on a cement floor, as you may not be able to see them, and no help from the magnets. Had to just sweep a large area to find them.
You can “capture” those cut-off ends by putting a built-up bead if Silicone Rubber RTV (room temp vulcanization) from common hardware store tubes applied to the BACK side of the nippers blades. That way the two sides of the rubber “pinch” the wire being cut, and stops it from a free-range exit to the floor, or, you know, your eyeball.
Buy it here: amzn.to/3H4SaAo
Hello I recently wanted to get a plastic welder and was wondering if you still have that welder and is it still working?
@@VampiressEsmerelda yes still works, best $30 ever for fixing cracked plastic objects
Yours work better than mine did I've got the same one I think your prep and patience is what paid off I was trying to weld a couple of pieces of polycarbonate roof @@EliminatorPerformance
Definitely beats the old drill'n'stitch zip tie mechanic method I've been doing for years.
Yea it really does, these work great. Like I said in some other comments, for the price, you really can't beat it!
My uncle used to do the same thing! He started with bailing twine, moved up to fencing wire. But when zip ties came out he finally won.
He even tried JBWELD. The vibration from the mower made everything come loose.. not the zip ties 🇺🇸
I wonder if super glue tape (kind of) works on those type of stuff.
I don't know about it name but it's very sticky and very strong 😄
Agreed 👍🏼
But those old zip ties looks like a war scars for me
I fix my daughter’s 335 hood this week. I ended up ordering the same kit and after installing the staples I put a coat of clear JB Weld over the staples. It served two purposes by working into the joints left by the staples and also covered the sharp points.The hood had one side completely broken out and after reconnecting everything I laid a layer of fiberglass over the entire area. The bottom area of plastic where the mounting brackets attach was completely gone. I found some plastic inserts to fit into the holes of the brackets and drilled new holes through the bottom of the front grill. With the fiberglass repair kit and plastic welding kit I had fifty dollars invested.
The staple tails have some indentations in them to allow you to just bend them a little and they'll snap off, but I've only had marginal success with that. I typically use a Dremel with a cutting wheel on them.
Only other thing I'd mention is once you get the staple to depth, give it a very slight twist to help the staple become completely embedded under plastic. Otherwise, they could sometimes pull out.
Thank you for a great video and for sharing 😊
Just for your info. I have this item plus the regular soldering iron looking plastic welding kit and have had and used them both for a couple of years (occasional use) with no issues. I tend to use the soldering iron looking one along with stainless steel screen more often than this one, but there are use cases for both.
Hey Mark, yea I was using it the other day to fix a broken plastic snowblower chute and tried what others had mentioned about snapping the ends off, they didn't snap at all lol I still had to cut them. Like you said with the soldering iron, I then used it to melt the plastic over the staples and it seemed to hold really well. The twist definitely helps keep them in there.
Repairing will come back in fashion when money will get tight. I was looking for a video to fix my fridge box. Thank you!
Now is the time...
I had a few riding lawnmowers which the plastic broke in the same spot. One thing I did was when I bought a new mower I took off the hood and fiberglassed a few strips around the inside edge, mostly on the weak points. It's been about 6 years and no cracks anywhere. This has been a great review, I was always curious about these plastic welders.
Great idea thanks for sharing this one!
Very fine stainless mesh and a soldering iron with a large surface area tip does a great job too. Just cut out the right size of mesh and push it in with the soldering iron, leaves a better surface finish and is very strong, you can also use it to add filler material on the top surface before sanding it to same surface finish as the rest of the piece, maybe vapor smooth it with acetone if it’s abs or asa
Beat me by a week. Yes the screen has saved me so much time, money buying new pieces. Some u can't buy so fixing is only option.
I've used this but with an electronics rework station
The ~400°c air does beautiful things
He definitely mentioned that he was not that concerned about the overall appearance but was more focused on showing how the soldering tool works and getting the cracks repaired.
Thanks a lot, that's a great idea! I was just about to buy yet another single-purpose tool that I use twice a year. I still have an old soldering iron that I don't use anymore and some stainless steel mesh is easy to get, so I'll definitely try your method first.
I do this, and melt plastic over to hide it where possible, on black plastic, melting cable ties as filler/strenthener works well.
I bought mine from Harbor Freight for $ 10.00 15 years ago and it still works. I've used it on cars, computer chairs arm rest, trash cans, anything plastic. Best $20 bucks ever spent.
I really thank you for a great demo on how to fix plastic cracks. You covered all the little details, including safety, as well as cost and reliability. Good Show!
Very good demo, clear visuals, great instructions, comprehensive, and NO MUSIC, WHAT JOY!
Excellent. I needed this. Thank you!!!
Dremel is useless for anything other than jewelry! No power. My trusty angle grinder is best. I have a 5" Bosch which is too heavy and too powerful for small jobs. I would suggest a small angle grinder, light duty with 4.5" blades or smaller. If anyone knows a good brand, please let me know.
I would have done one more step - put painters tape on good side. Fill in the cracks with super glue on bad side, and sprinkle baking soda to harden. Now sand down, This will be harder.
That was weird how you clearly described what you were doing, hit all the important points, and showed it very clearly on video! Subscribed!
The only thing I might be tempted to add is that it's not uncommon that when you get one of these cracks, the plastic is simply becoming brittle and you'll end up chasing the problem until there's no hope. I recently went to work on an old pair of rollerblades, and the entire things literally crumbled in my hands. There's zero chance I could have even put them on. But short of that type of issue, this is a great fix.
I just bought one today online, and I can't wait to repair some broken plastic trimmings on my Land Rover ❤ thank you for your kind review, I do appreciate it dearly!
Excellent video! I learned a new trick! Tx.!
For cutting the ends of the staples its best to use an electrician's side cutters. You can get exactly at the staple where it comes out of the plastic.
John Deere and Toro should include one of these in every sale. Nice tool addition to the shop supply boss it will come in handy and pay for itself in a short period of time. Money well spent and a fine repair that our customer will be happy to see although this was the minor part of his repair. Very well presented tool review looking forward to seeing other tools you use in the shop and any that you may have made to make repairs easier.
Yes it works awesome, and like I said in other comments, this can now be a service that I offer at a cost and the tool will quickly pay for itself. Thanks for watching!
Or they should just use a better plastic that doesn't break so easily, but they are cheap so use cheap plastic.
John Deere will redesign the shell so that the entire mower stops working if you attempt to repair it.
@@Puddingskin01 Now that is a good one!
Fixed the hood on my x300 with one ,never new it existed but it sure does the trick and it’s great on car bumpers 👍🏻🍻🇨🇦
I bought one of these and a soldering iron style kit for setting in metal mesh and plastic rod. I've used them for quite a few repairs now and something handy to have around.
The staples are really surprisingly hard to cut. I found a pair of guitar fret, end nippers that are very sharp and flush cutting.
Good tip, I've heard that a few times I'll have to get a set!
I use paper clips to make specific shapes (circles, triangles, squares) and they're cheap. They are chrome coated and will not rust. Also, I melt the bubbled surface to both smooth the repair and to seal the element from the weather if I don't get around to paintint the seam. Great video though.
Great idea!!!
I have been putting off fixing my Kubota's plastic with hardware cloth and a big soldering iron, Some thing I saw a while ago on YT. I'm glad I saw this first.
Excellent. Clean up a breeze. Results are Top Notch. The precision of an even melt sink, is an improvement from many older home remedies. The tool is cool. I have mini end cutters that will work. Great demo video. I need to fix cracked splash cowling under my Jeep.
Used to do that with a soldering iron and just cut little pieces of stainless wire , hada small hole on the tip of the tool for it, it worked great
We actually did the same thing with our soldering iron before, this tool and the preformed pieces way easier to use.
Yes the dentfix one has a tool like that, plastic welding combined with the hot staples would be super strong!
I bought one of the welders, it fixed my broken JD hood, did a good job,
Much better than having a busted hood,
Just picked one up for a cracked truck mirror. Can't wait to get it all fixed up. Nice vid.
Fantastic! I had no idea that this existed. Nice to know that there is another way. Many replacement parts are no longer available or crazy expensive. I repaired a crack in cars rear bumper years ago with pop rivets and the repair still is perfect today.
These work great. Used it on cracked refrigerator shelf brackets. Bought some flush cut dykes from harbor freight to get rid od the sharps. Really good vid!
What a great solution! That looks like thermoset plastic, which is much harder to melt and reform successfully. As others have mentioned, I would float a layer of epoxy over the top of that repair. It will cover the burrs and reinforce an obviously weak area of the hood. I've found a thin layer of epoxy to work very well to strengthen weak plastic pieces. I even pieced back together my truck's front grill after I drove over it (don't ask how).
Another great video. Here is a tip. To speed up the cooling process of the plastic you can use compressed air set a low psi.
i have been using one of these for about 7 years now, they are very good. rabbit cutters cut flush andd are round like that. i actually just repaird a plastic dipper today with mine, mine also came with a smoothing tool to hook to it to cover the staples with melted plastic by rubbing it over the inserted staples so they wont come back out in the future.
If I am not mistakened, the tool is actually a low voltage high current transformer, more or less the same idea as a soldering gun. Other than the on-off switch and the plastic case, there is nothing to breakdown. You should expect the it to last for a very long time. Just make sure you do not over heat it by not using it continuously for a long time. My soldering gun lasted me over 30 years and keeps on working.
You beat me to it. It's like a Weller soldering gun that lasts 50 years except for maybe the switch.
Great video. I bought something like this to fix my cracked dash in my pickup. A couple things I noticed, a grinder or cutting wheel will reheat the staples, so take caution while smoothing off the tips. I also used some needle nose pliers to hold the tips while I cut them off. Pretty easy to do and avoids the mess if you let them fly all over. I also used the wavy ones perpendicular to the crack. It takes more of them but it allowed me to fuse the plastic across the crack after I stapled things. You can just stitch together like a welder would and the kit I bought came with a tip the heats up and uses filler material. I guess you could also get that same outcome with a soldering iron or a plastic welder that works like one.
Oh that thing looks handy. I recently needed to repair the handle on a large plastic basket. My solution was to drill a bunch of small holes, then stitch it together using 20 AWG stainless steel solid wire. The repair was extremely solid but was time consuming and is rather non-subtle.
I use my soldering gun with paper clips as the staples. Thanks for the upload
Great review and a cool tool to have for the casual repairer. 😎 One tip I would suggest is to use stapler sleeves as a depth guide so you don't melt through to the good side.
I have the dent fix hot stapler, its a great tool and I've used in the body shop I work at for years! You cant go wrong if you use it alot
Yea that's what I figured, just like an induction heating tool, not everyone will have one and if you need one for every day get a good one. I think I'll email them and see if they'll send one for review, their deluxe kit has a bunch of cool accessories by the looks of it.
@@EliminatorPerformance if you cant get them to send you one ill send you mine to demo
Great tool ^^ Thanks for the demo
2:04 it would not have to be polarized even if it was DC current flowing through. The staples themselves are basically resistors which are not polarized.
Useful video as I've been thinking about buying one of these cheap Chinese hot staplers. From what I've seen, I think once you sink the staple into the plastic, you're meant to give it a little twist. This would mean the staple is buried into the plastic better and wouldn't pop out.
Bought one awhile back. Told my wife I might need it. Well today used it on the ayp snowblower plastic bottom cover.
Nice, they commonly crack and yes if you find the pieces you can repair them. Sadly the ones brought in are too smashed up
I have a similar one. But it also came with an accessory. As you put on. Can look like an iron roughly. With it, you level the surface so that the clamp is completely covered with plastic. And which I think enhances the repair even more. And with one, you can also use a thin metal mesh to melt into the plastic. Sometimes melt cable ties/plastic to get more material for the repair.
Sir this is, without doubt, the BEST channel for repair on TH-cam! I will ALWAYS reference you first for all my small engine repairs!
Thanks for watching and thanks for the kind words!
Love the way you explained everything... I have to fix the air plates under my '95 Lexus. The dealer took no care when removing them and reinstalling.. This looks like the answer to the broken plastic I have to work with.. Shop around.. I see this on Amazon today for $18 US. Yes I subscribed...
Thanks for watching, and thanks for the kind words!
The kit I bought on ebay is 150w, which makes it work much better. Also, it came with a spade-bit looking thing to do the smoothing out afterward. And I use a small needle-nose pliars to bend the legs back and forth, and they usually break off. I've seen people use metal window screen mesh with the spade-bit thingy, and embed that into thinner plastic for great strength.
Incredibly well filmed and presented. Thanks.
dammmitt ...a tool i dont have .....here i go again
I have never related so mutch to a comment on this site!
Know how you feel!😂
And friday i got it in the mail 😅 already fixed several items! Extremely usefull when you have boys that brake toys all the time !!
Got mine yesterday upgraded 220w version
Use saudering iron, put a screw with a washer in the top and lay staples where you want them to sink and heat staple up with it
I came up with my own line of staples using up my scraps of .030 mig wire. They work great and are magnetic.
Take the panels off, ruff them up under neath and clean with acetone, apply fiberglass mat 2-3 sheets thickness setting on aluminum foils then pore on resin, pick up aluminum foil, flip over to epoxy side, put on stress areas and cracks, wait a about 10 min or more depending on curing, peal off aluminum foils, leaves nice smooth surface. Easy, clean no mess, fantastic strong repair, prevents future cracks. Flip panels, bondo the small cracks or not, finish how you want. The beauty of the foil is you can put on vertical and upside surfaces cleanly with no mess. Could do this with wheel off underneath.
After sanding them down smooth you could also go over it with a coat of body filler to further help hold the staples in and make it a seamless looking repair
As long as it's compatible with the plastic. Personally I wouldn't go for Bondo or the like bc the substrate is soft, and sanding down even a tight Bondo patch is gonna scuff/dull the surrounding areas and become its own issue to refinish.
well worth tool right there to fix plastic hoods or any other parts of a mower that has plastic on it that is cracked thanks for sharing this one jake 🔧
This tool works awesome, thanks for watching!
For the scrap pins after cutting. If you tape a small peace of the green Floral foam to the side of the end cutter it should hold/catch the wire bit so it dose not fly away. Would take some trial and error to get the size right for Visibility/Catchability.
Great video! I have the same tool and it's great on plastics (esp. motorcycle fairings). I usually follow up the staples with some clear epoxy or resin (on the backside only) to make it bulletproof and fill up all of the holes and indentations. Great stuff!
Thanks for sharing the plastic welding process.
Thanks! Excellent video, very clear, concise and covered everything thing I wanted to know.
We peeled off some letters of the John Deere we had at work so it said ‘ oh deer’ 🤣
Lol!
I got a Cordless Plastic Welding Gun on Amazon for $19.99 with 4 different staples. It uses DeWalt batteries. I repaired the fan Housing on a Kowasaki zero turn and the plastic handle on a worx string trimmer. To replace these two items would have been oven $170.00. Have done several small jobs with it. It has been well worth the 20 bucks I spent. As you showed the crack is visible on the outside if you look close. I also used the triangle tip on my heating iron to smooth over the repairs.
Cool thanks! This is exactly what I need for my cracked mower hood!
Well organized, your preparation well done and sthe script was well written. Very nice job. Thanks for sharing.
Good video, well explained, well demonstrated. Looks like a tool I could use from time to time. I laughed when you pointed out that you can't pick up those clippings with a magnet.
What a mess lol I figured that part out after they flew everywhere. Thanks for watching!
Great video. I wish I had this gadget to repair the plastic fender's on my three wheeler back in the day. Good work.
For $37 you can't beat it, thanks for watching!
Very interesting! This is the first time I have seen one of these.
Thanks for all your tips and information. You're very helpful and knowledgeable.
I'm going to be honest. After watching a bunch of these videos, I decided to take my paper stapler and staple the plastic tab that broke off a truck's kick panel and then melt a zip tie along the crack and over the staples. Then I took my wood engraver and flattened the plastic out smooth. It worked great, but I would like one of these tools.
Learn something everyday. Thanks.
Another great tool demo. Very cool. Thanks again for sharing with us guy.
Wish I had known about this a looong time ago! You don't discuss minimum thickness of the plastic, so I guess I'll figger it out on my own. Thanks!
Thanks for the review. 2 things I would add: 1) when you sink the staples, at the end, twist them a bit. 2) After using the flap-disk, apply G-FLEX EPOXY (from West Marine) to cover the crack and strengthen the joints.
Well done! Great review. I wish there was something like this years ago.
The Binford 5000
Nice tip to drill a hole at the end of the crack to stop its expansion👍
a good and thorough demonstration. thx
Excellent videos! Love your detailed explanations and directions. You have a new fan!!! Thanks to Bruce Pender for giving, you a shout out.
Thanks for the kind words Donna! When did Bruce give me the shout-out? I'll have to head over and leave him a comment. Thanks for watching!
@@EliminatorPerformance I’m not sure. I watch him a lot too so I don’t recall exactly when. If I find it I will reply.
Bruce does great videos and is an all around great person. I have actually called him and we talked for about an hour.
A spiral one would be epic. Good idea! Great idea!!
Mine just showed up last night. I’m actually looking forward to using it on my bumper cover today 👍
I've been using it more and more lately, quite a good tool for how little it costs. When you sink the hot staple into the bumper, give it a little twist, then let off the trigger and allow it to cool. Not shown in the video but a trick I learned from others commenting, prevents the staple from backing out.
Very cool. Looks like it's a great tool for the job.
Yes it works awesome, thanks for watching!
Great video thanks for breaking down the process of plastic welding. I just ordered my hot stapler and ready to get down to business.
Yes those plastic hoods are also expensive to replace from a dealer too, definitely worth it nice fix. Oh and NEVER load your tractors backwards on the trailer either because the wind will rip those hoods clear off! I worked for a john deere dealership for 5 years, trust me just pull them on and back them off
I have a strap that I put over the hood when loading them backwards. Never had a hood come off yet
That seems to work nicely when you know how to do it as you did. Thanks for the video!
Thanks for watching!
Thanks. We were looking for a link to the plastic soldering tool in the description and couldn't find it. Surprisingly, we found the link in the message box under you youtube ID. 😊
We followed the link, and saw that there are quite a few brands with various temperature levels from 50 to 180 and the soldering accessories. They all seem to be in the price range you mentioned, with a few others priced a bit higher.☝🏿
Excellent tool I'm really impressed with that, great review👌👍
Thanks bumpkin! It works so well that I look forward to using it in the future. I'm sure I can advertise this as a service and the tool will pay for itself.
If you cup your other hand, and keep it over the staple end as you snip it, generally it will shoot up and bounce off your hand loose energy and stay somewhat close to the work area opposed to flying across the room. The blunt end should be what hits your cupped hand opposed to the clipped end, but you can wear a glove on that hand for extra protection. Looks like a nice tool! Or maybe using a piece of duct tape, and pick them up like dog/cat hairs like a lint brush. Nice informative video!
You video is very well done. I too have one of these welders. Your using it on a John Deere hood piqued my interest. That is precisely why I bought mine. I would like to point out something about trimming the staples. If you look closely you'll see a slight score mark at the base of the staple. If you remove the welder while the plastic is set but still hot you will be able to break the pins off below the surface. This is handy when following up with plastic rod and not needing to grind stubs down.
Awesome I'll have to try that out, thanks for watching and for the tip!
I was not familiar with this technique! Very cool!
I use any scrap wire, or the best thing to use is screen. Stainless screen about .25 of a inch wide. Also get a roll of the duct tape that is made of metal on 1 side. The name escapes me but used on heating and cooling pipes and cracks. That works as a heat sink so the heat don't screw up the part. U can bend wire of any size to fit urr purpose. I like the screen and a weller soldering iron that has a tip with a small foot with a point like a trowel. That puts a big amount of heat and will get the screen started into plastic then I go over with a regular flat screwdriver type tip if I need to get that screen or wire deeper. I've used on quad fenders, bumpers for automotive, kids toys etc.
A old plastic bucket makes some great filler for most plastics. Get to know what kind of plastic your working with. Not all are same. And u can do who's without a mask IF u have a fan blowing over the work. A spray bottle with water is good to cool down the welding quickly especially with thin pieces. Don't waste time and money on glue for plastic. Plastic will flex, bend etc. This method is hands down the best way to fix plastic. I've never used a kit like this but it seems nice to have those clips instead of bending wire or cutting screen. Always go slow and u can make great looking repairs in no time. It's especially gr8 for those dam clips or ears on door panels that always seem to break, after all others come out fine. And we know how much plastic is in our autos these days. I have also found the steel screens that come in faucets work so well for small cracks. That's the type of screen u need. U can twist and rip and it won't budge. I have repaired a bumper on a work truck and have tried to break repair. It will break in a new spot before repair fails. For hard to fix projects also resin and fiberglass can be a life saver too. Especially for posts that get broken. Like door panels. Dam old plastic door panels.
Nice I need to repair my bumper and was looking at this! Awesome!
Thank you for this Very Well Done instructional video!
Buddy is teaching us while he learns lol, I love this stuff. The cutters the hand underneath lol.
1st time use, reviewing and showing it off. It's a great tool, and I learned some tips from the comments. Thanks for watching!
very good video. excellent explanation for all aspects of the use of the tool and the finishing off of the staples
Your Very, Very Informative HANDS ON , On "How to Fix Cracks in Plastic Using a Hot Stapler"..Is By Far The Most BEST DIY Video...Anywhere On The Internet Today. Fantastic Review, & How To!!-..Great Work/Job!!..Many, Many Thanks For Uploading!!
It's unbelievable how well this little tool works, and for about $35 it's already more than paid for itself and I've been able to fix many things that would have otherwise been thrown in the garbage. Thanks for the kind words, and thanks for watching!
Amazing job, it looks just like a new one.
Very informative . I've got a job for this . Thanks buddy.
Bought one of these tools because I am tired of plastic parts needing to be replaced. Did a test run on an about 18 inch crack on a garbage bin lid, and it worked great. Mine came with a flat spade tool to smooth out the plastic and kind of cover the staples. I did find that since the staples are a hard stainless, that wire cutters with carbide cutting edges works best for me to trim these off. And don't drop these staples on a cement floor, as you may not be able to see them, and no help from the magnets. Had to just sweep a large area to find them.
All good points for consideration.
I've seen the staples where the ends of those pins break off with just your fingers because its scored to do so. Saves time.
These weren't so we had to snip
Thank you for a fine presentation. Press on !!
Nice tool. I think I would reinforce both corners with carbon fiber cloth after the repair.
There have been a few times i could use it, been thinking about getting one. Thanks for the video. And demo
Thanks for watching!
Thanks for the info, been curious about these staplers you confirmed what I thought about them 👍
AMAZING !!!
Very informative and helpful tips, thank you very much 👍
What an amazing detailed video it helped heaps thanks alot
Great Instructional Video
Very well explained.
looks useable... nice ,cheers guys 👍
Thanks Rafal!
Thanks man I just ordered this today to fix a crack on my Wifey's Jeep bumper, Great video!!!
You can “capture” those cut-off ends by putting a built-up bead if Silicone Rubber RTV (room temp vulcanization) from common hardware store tubes applied to the BACK side of the nippers blades. That way the two sides of the rubber “pinch” the wire being cut, and stops it from a free-range exit to the floor, or, you know, your eyeball.
Something I may look into, how weird I just see this comment now and watched a video on this the other night
Or just lay a rag over the cutter end as you snip them so they don't fly off.