Plastic Repair

The problem is matching the finish.

You probably will need to paint it anyway.

Whether your chosen-from-the-above will stick to it, is a toss up and depends what plastic it is.

I'd 3D print a new base. And sand fill and paint it. But that's me. They JB weld or isopon first on a small patch

If it sticks use it

Ta. Here's a link to some photos:

I was hoping to get quite a runny epoxy, maybe

Ta. Here's a link to some photos:

I was hoping to get quite a runny epoxy, maybe

Looks like bakelite.

Do you have the broken-off part. If so an epoxy resin will work to stick the two parts together.

Otherwise try an hardening putty but then matching the colour will be the main challenge.

Nah, the broken off piece is missing. I can put this part of the base towards the back, so it won't really be noticed. I just don't like it not being "complete".

If you have the missing piece epoxy will probably stick it back on.

The black coloured epoxy you link may be suitable. Otherwise if you can find some similar material, file it to create dust and where copious amounts can be used in the epoxy as a filler material.

Warming up the epoxy in a mixing tub which is in a bowl of boiling water can make the epoxy flow better but with a shorter working time. Note however very running epoxy will find and run out of any small crack you have in the walls to contain it.

Epoxy doesn't tend to stick to the material that plastic milk bottles (or some yoghourt pots) are manufactured from but experiment first by mixing up some epoxy, putting it on the plastic, letting it cure fully and then easing it from the plastic. The advantage of using a 2 litre or 4 pint milk container is that you can cut a large section of flat material from it to use as the "shoring walls". You will still need something to support your milk container walls. A thick sticky tape may work but ideally you want something to seal the cracks between the milk bottle walls and the original base. Epoxy will find a way out. Using plastic this way will leave a surface as smooth as the plastic container that you use. Some milk containers have a rougher type surface.

Grumps snipped-for-privacy@here.com wrote in news:vieq3d$1lv5l$ snipped-for-privacy@dont-email.me:

V clear pics, thx.

As David suggests, this looks like Bakelite and the rough edges should give an excellent bond to the repair.

The black adhesive/filler you have posted looks fine and the shoring or bunding of the fill sounds like a good idea too. You're looking for something that is rigid enough to follow the curve of the piece but not dip into the hollow of the gap. Plastic drinks bottles and milk cartons poss a bit too flimsy, checking here a clear lidl/aldi orange juice container seems to be a bit better in terms of rigidity to cut strips from for the bund. Cut a little bigger than the gap to make sure it follows the flow of the piece and tape with pvc (insulation) tape for a tight fit, only just stretched.

My guess is that the other part of the clock will mate tightly within that housing so you will need to bund the adhesive on the inside too.

Make sure you get the bunding right before committing to the adhesive pour and poke in with a cocktail stick to ensure a full fill and to remove air bubbles.

Wait long after the quoted cure time (24hrs) before removing and doing any necessary shaping. I suspect the epoxy may leave a very glossy finsh and you may get a match to the Bakelite by final sanding with 600 grade wet & dry then applying a layer of wax. Mask off the adjoining bakelite to avoid damaging that surface before sanding.

If the area was larger I'd suggest adding some reinforcement to the inside but I don't think you'll need it.

Good luck!

Thanks. Have ordered some of that J-B Weld and will keep you updated (with photos if I remember).

It's very weird. Looks like its quite brittle I think that a loaded epoxy putty will stick to that. No ideas what sort of plastic it is Can you get black milliput?

Yes you can!

I think that will stick well, file and sand well and should polish up to a good finish

Nah. Use a thick slow setting putty and do the best you can with a spatula or putty knife, and then sand it with finer and finer grades beorre buffing with T cut. If you need to add more you can

You'll never match the black colour, so it will always show up as a repair, unless you paint the whole clock. Does that bother you at all?

Restorers sometimes use a completely different colour, so it's easy to tell what is original and what is modern, and the repair becomes part of the patina of the piece.

Yeah. Restorers are so precious and use words like 'homage'.

And persist in things like stripped pine - the 19th century MDF...

Looks like Bakelite aka phenolic resin, a "thermoset".

Check with a burn test:

Thomas Prufer

As others have suggested, it looks like Bakelite. There are some videos on YouTube showing techniques to repair Bakelite- especially old radio cases.