How to Fix Cracks in Plastic Using a Hot Stapler
Step by Step!
Today we'll be using a #HotStapler to fix a cracked John Deere hood, on a #GX335 riding lawn mower.
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This technique doesn't fuse the plastic together like #PlasticWelding would, instead, it uses metal staples to link the 2 pieces of plastic together.
To achieve penetration into the plastic, the tool uses electrical current to heat the Stainless Steel elements (this is why they're referred to as Hot Staples) which allows them to be pressed into the plastic.
By linking both pieces of plastic together, movement is eliminated. This increases the plastic's structural integrity, and prevents the crack from spreading further.
Combined with plastic welding, you could hypothetically achieve a fix that's stronger than the original plastic itself.
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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
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.
Repairing will come back in fashion when money will get tight. I was looking for a video to fix my fridge box. Thank you!
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.
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.
The twist idea is very useful. Thx.
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!
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!!!
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!
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.
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.
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!
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. 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.
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.
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.
Great video thanks for breaking down the process of plastic welding. I just ordered my hot stapler and ready to get down to business.
Just picked one up for a cracked truck mirror. Can't wait to get it all fixed up. Nice vid.
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 👍🏻🍻🇨🇦
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.
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.
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).
Very informative . I've got a job for this . Thanks buddy.
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.
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!
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 have been using one of these recently to repair plastic boxes. It works very well
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 my soldering gun with paper clips as the staples. Thanks for the upload
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
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
We make our own staples. You talked about a spiral and we made one. I use diff size paper clips and bend how I want. So FYI you can use paper clips. Sometimes you may have to sand the contact ends because some paper clips we found have a layer of something that will keep from making good contact. But for the most part you can use them as is. Hope this helps....
Thanks for all your tips and information. You're very helpful and knowledgeable.
Learn something everyday if you get up, dress up, and show up! Enjoyed your technique doing the 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.
Great video sir, very well put together and informative. Thank you
Thanks for the info, been curious about these staplers you confirmed what I thought about them 👍
I bought one of the welders, it fixed my broken JD hood, did a good job, Much better than having a busted hood,
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!
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.
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.☝🏿
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!
Cool thanks! This is exactly what I need for my cracked mower hood!
very good video. excellent explanation for all aspects of the use of the tool and the finishing off of the staples
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
Nice, I've thought about a DIY version of this with a heated paperclip. this makes it quick and easy.
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 sharing the plastic welding process.
That seems to work nicely when you know how to do it as you did. Thanks for the video!
Thanks for watching!
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
Another great tool demo. Very cool. Thanks again for sharing with us guy.
A spiral one would be epic. Good idea! Great idea!!
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!
Love how the light shines about 3-4 inches away from the work area.
Yea it's not really needed lol
Thank you for a fine presentation. Press on !!
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.
I came up with my own line of staples using up my scraps of .030 mig wire. They work great and are magnetic.
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.
Awesome video tutorial! Exactly what I needed to know!
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!
Very interesting! This is the first time I have seen one of these.
a good and thorough demonstration. thx
Well organized, your preparation well done and sthe script was well written. Very nice job. Thanks for sharing.
Great video. I understand every word. Thank you so much.
Nice I need to repair my bumper and was looking at this! Awesome!
Impeccably explained! 👏👏👏
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.
Thank you for this Very Well Done instructional video!
gotta have to get me one of this, thanks for the review! happy holiday!
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
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!
Nice tip to drill a hole at the end of the crack to stop its expansion👍
There have been a few times i could use it, been thinking about getting one. Thanks for the video. And demo
Thanks for watching!
This is such a great video! Thank you!
Awesome tool. Thank you!
Great video, very thorough, thank you.
Very informative. Thank you for uploading!
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.
Nice tool. I think I would reinforce both corners with carbon fiber cloth after the repair.
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.
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.
Excellent video, brilliant repair.
Looks great! thank you
Definitely gotta get one is these. Great video!
Very informative and helpful tips, thank you very much 👍
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!
For a final detailing, depending on the type of plastic, you can use a bit of acetone (or Thinner) and it will melt it, so you can smooth the surface, for the other side the staples are on. If you have another piece of the same plastic where you can extract pieces, you can make a slurry with acetone and make a more detailed finish which also reinforces the structure. As a last resort you can use a heat gun, but the results will be hard to control. Heat guns are useful for sun bleached plastics.
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.
Learn something everyday. Thanks.
Jake, this was another one of your great videos. Getting right in there close and focused with good lighting and explanation really helps us to understand what you’re demonstrating and explaining. Thanks for your dedicated attention to detail and clear explanations. I really appreciate the way you covered every possible safety concern. I’ll definitely add this tool to my future purchase list. 👍🔧🧰
Right on mate, for the price you will not be disappointed. I expect this tool will get a lot of running time in Jakes small engine repair business. Very few John Deere or Toro riding mowers come in that do not have some serious hood crack issues that the customer will want repaired.
Thanks for watching!
Great to know. Much appreciated.
I was not familiar with this technique! Very cool!
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!
Not bad! I usually use soldering iron and metal wire. Works the same good, but it is almost for free. I rarely do such work, so probably for me it is not essential to buy special tool. But in general it looks nice.
Thank you .this was soo helpful