Plastic welding question.

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I want to know where do I hook the ground. Ha. I am sure lots of you have been ask to weld plastic and was wondering if anyone here has found a way to weld it with heat. Iam wanting to make some stuff out of the white material truck bed liners are made of.  I see there are heat guns out there but didnt know if any worked.Any suggestions? Thanks Harold
Reply:I have fixed a few gas RC car fuel tanks with paint-can lids and a soldering iron.  It just melts right on hehe.  Works really well, too!  Have a Jeep Cherokee?  Click Here!
Reply:They make heat guns with a concentrated tip specifically for welding plastics.  You will need to find out exactly what material you're working with and find suitable filler for it.  Be warned, it's tricky, and VERY easy to burn the plastic with.
Reply:I have seen plastic welders at Harbor Freight but have never used one myself. I watched a guy come to my father's auto body shop and repair a plastic dashboard which was cracked! It worked but it took this guy sometime and what he used looked like a professional tool unlike the one I have seen at Harbor Freight. Perhaps a Google search of plastic welders would turn up something. Good Luck.Co-Own CNC shop:Miller :1251 plasma cutter, MaxStar 700 TIG/Stick, & XMT 456 Multiprocess Welder.&  2 Hypertherm HPR260's Plasma CutterSorry I had a bad stroke but now I am back.
Reply:I have one and it takes some practice http://www.automotivetools4less.com/...8b2280ee25365eI.B.E.W Electrician and Damn Proud of It !!!! .Virtus Junxit Mors Non Separabit http://www.shrinershospitalsforchildren.org/
Reply:They make heat guns with a concentrated tip specifically for welding plastics
Reply:Sparky that plastic welder looks similiar to what thhat guy had.  I like the looks of that unit as it seems to have everything including a dvd to teach the user how to operate. Attached ImagesCo-Own CNC shop:Miller :1251 plasma cutter, MaxStar 700 TIG/Stick, & XMT 456 Multiprocess Welder.&  2 Hypertherm HPR260's Plasma CutterSorry I had a bad stroke but now I am back.
Reply:Originally Posted by specterSparky that plastic welder looks similiar to what thhat guy had.  I like the looks of that unit as it seems to have everything including a dvd to teach the user how to operate.
Reply:I use one at work with some frequency.I wanted to do repairs to motorcycle plastic as a side business but I wanted to get a feel for it before working on other people's bikes, so I asked the boss to get one for me.He got me a good one.http://www1.mscdirect.com/CGI/NNSRIT...82456&PMT4NO=0The number 1 rule in plastic welding is weld like materials to like materials. The recycle symbol is generally used to determine the type of plastic .  The numbers 1 through 6 in the symbol will tell you what the type of plastic is. The number 7 will tell you that the plastic is a composed of two or more types of plastic.That poses some problems with the welding that I do. Most of the plastic that I weld is composed of two or more materials. The welds will always be weaker than the parent material.In the absence of a recycle symbol, there is a procedure, a burn test, used to determine the type of plastic that you are welding. You burn a piece of the plastic and observe the flame color, whether there is soot, the odor and certain other characteristics to make a guess about the plastic type.Most of the plastic that I weld is ABS/Polycarbonate blend. The composite is 93% ABS and I've found a reasonable degree of success using ABS welding rods.The assemblies that I repair most often seem to have an additional 1-1.5 year life, which nearly doubles their servicible life. The repair time averages about 5 per hour. The assemblies cost (at last check) $53.The boss is satisfied with the return on his investment and I'm gaining stick time. Plastic stick time but stick time none the less.The following pictures show a few hours of play time.  I do these in the weld shop. A good exhaust hood comes in handy.I prep the welds with a die grinder, v-ing the cracks and use a 4 1/2" grinder to grind the welds flat. I also pretty the welds with a file and a scraper if I'm bored and need something to do.
Reply:I have one of the cheap hot air plastic welders from harbor freight. It does work but but like anything else it takes practice and you should try to match your filler rod to your base material as best as you can. I have welded 4 wheeler fenders with it in the past as well as kids toys.JasonLincoln Idealarc 250 stick/tigThermal Dynamics Cutmaster 52Miller Bobcat 250Torchmate CNC tableThermal Arc Hefty 2Ironworkers Local 720