Grantkat »
I did a thread on repairing my glovebox kick panel. here is a follow on where I created my own ABS Slurry to repair a pillar trim:
Please note the following:
- You cannot use spare trim parts to create the slurry if they are stamped PC + ABS. That means is a mix of polycarbonate and ABS and wont dissolve in MEK or Acetone.
- You should do this in a ventilated area, these chemicals are harmful. Use at your own risk.
I had a broken pillar trim and wanted to repair it, instead of dropping $175.00 on a new one. for this task I bought a 32 oz can of Methyl Ethyl Ketone (MEK) $14.95 and a spool of beige colored ABS #D printer filament. Note you can also use Acetone, which is easier to come by and can be found in any hardware or big box store, in the paint section. It should be located where you find mineral sprits in those stores. The color is not exact but doesn’t need to be, it just needs to be close because the filament somewhat transparent when applied so it tends to blend in.
I cleaned out a glass jar with a metal lid. This is important, you need metal or glass as these solvents dissolve alot of plastics or other materials. Any pickle jar. Mason jar etc will work. I used a salsa jar. I cut the abs filament into small pieces and put them in the jar then added MEK and put the lid on. At first they stuck together in a clump which i broke up by mixing it and breaking it up with a wooden skewer (the kid you make shish kabobs with). I mixed them up and broke them up about once any hour for a few hours then let it sit over night. Make sure you keep the lid on when not mixing. The next moring i had a slurry, about the consistency of pudding.
My recipe was 20 grams of abs pieces and 50 ml of MEK.
50 Ml of MEK is equivalent to 10 teaspoons of MEK.
Here is the broken part to repair followed by the repair itself.
Note in this case I also used some flat nails from a nail gun as stretchers across the breaks to fortify them. It worked extremely well.
I built up the patches from the back along with the nails to give it some strength.
Here is the end result from the front. Not perfect but over all I am happy with the result.
