Argosy lower front valance repairs

[bkahler]

Just finished in the shop for the evening. The cans of MEK that I have are definitely MEK. Using a cotton swab I brushed some on one of the cracks of the valance and it definitely melted the plastic. I just ordered more ABS pellets, this time I hope they are the right ones

I thought about using some of the scrap ABS that I have laying around and it's pretty grungy and painted so I've opted to wait for the new stuff to come in before making repairs.

Several areas of the valance have been warped or deformed, is there a recommended method of reshaping the warped areas? I'm thinking heat gun but thought I would ask before attempting it.



Brad

[Smartstream]

Originally Posted by bkahler

Interesting stuff. The molding foam in the video is listed as 3 lb density, the above is 2 lb. I wonder how much difference that makes. I've sent a note off to the Industrial Polymers asking about price. It will be interesting to see what they have to say.

Brad

That is the stuff. The density has to do with how dense it is when cured for insulation and flotation purposes. It's used a lot on boats for flotation and sandwich core deck construction. Marine supply outfits have it in different size kits.

[Gregsch]

Careful with the heat gun Brad. I found that a little heat would soften the old ABS and make it somewhat pliable but, too much heat made it want to return to its original shape. ie. a flat piece of material. when it gets that soft you need a mold to make the soft plastic to conform to.

[jm2]

Brad,

you just need a really big one of these!

https://www.etsy.com/listing/2363052...FdIWHwodRqcDxQ

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lCvgvWiZNe8

[bkahler]

Originally Posted by Smartstream

That is the stuff. The density has to do with how dense it is when cured for insulation and flotation purposes. It's used a lot on boats for flotation and sandwich core deck construction. Marine supply outfits have it in different size kits.

Dan, thanks for the info. Industrial Polymers replied to my query and their pricing is about $15 cheaper than Amazon's listing.

Brad

[bkahler]

Originally Posted by Gregsch

Careful with the heat gun Brad. I found that a little heat would soften the old ABS and make it somewhat pliable but, too much heat made it want to return to its original shape. ie. a flat piece of material. when it gets that soft you need a mold to make the soft plastic to conform to.

Greg, sounds like a balancing act when using heat. I'll play with a heat gun on some scrap ABS and see where the point of no return is. Fortunately there are only a couple of areas that need re-shaping and worst case is a fiberglass mold would need to be tweaked in that area.

Thanks,

Brad

[bkahler]

Originally Posted by jm2

Brad,

you just need a really big one of these!

https://www.etsy.com/listing/2363052...FdIWHwodRqcDxQ

Joseph,

I can't imagine what made you think of the Mattel Vac U Form kit! Did you happen to have one as a kid?!

I wouldn't be surprised if a process similar to the Mattel toy was used to fabricate these valances.

Brad

[Gregsch]

Brad ,
Sorry I did not send you the info on the pellets before. Here is what I used;
ABS RESIN REGRIND PLASTIC FOR INJECTION MOLDING- 10lb. box. pellets
( 200964797368 )

[bkahler]

Originally Posted by Gregsch

Brad ,
Sorry I did not send you the info on the pellets before. Here is what I used;
ABS RESIN REGRIND PLASTIC FOR INJECTION MOLDING- 10lb. box. pellets
( 200964797368 )

Thanks Greg. If the stuff I just ordered doesn't work I'll order the same stuff you used.

I'm hoping it arrives today or tomorrow as I'm going to have plenty of time on Sunday to work on things.

Brad

[jm2]

Originally Posted by bkahler

Joseph,

I can't imagine what made you think of the Mattel Vac U Form kit! Did you happen to have one as a kid?!

I wouldn't be surprised if a process similar to the Mattel toy was used to fabricate these valances.

Brad

Brad,

just one of those disconnected thoughts while driving along the other day. didn't have one of these, I had two...

[bkahler]

Originally Posted by jm2

Brad,

just one of those disconnected thoughts while driving along the other day. didn't have one of these, I had two...

Somehow I'm not surprised by that revelation

Toys like that could never be made today due to all the liability issues and thats so sad.

[bkahler]

The new ABS pellets arrived Saturday and I've confirmed that the new pellets do melt when mixed with MEK

So hopefully over the next few evenings I can get some repair work done on the valance.

[martin300662]

Good luck!

[bkahler]

I'm happy to announce that the valance repair using ABS slurry seems to be working. The last couple of evenings I've been doing repairs on small cracks and rivet holes figuring I ought to start small and work up to the big problems

There are several really bad tears in the valance so I'm going to need to figure out the best way to clamp things into position so I can add the slurry mix.

Pictures this weekend.

Brad

[bkahler]

I put more ABS slurry on some of the bottom cracks tonight. It's kinda of a slow process in that I can only repair a few cracks at a time. I have to try and line up a crack, clamp it and then apply some slurry mix to it. I can't do too many at a time for fear of getting cracks out of alignment while they are drying.

I'm mainly working on the bottom half on the inside. The repairs certainly seem to be stiff enough and should hold up while the fiberglass work is being done. Once all of the cracks have been stiffened sufficiently from the bottom I'll flip it over and start working on the exposed side.



This is the repair I'm working towards. It's going to take several attempts to get this whole area repaired.


It's amazing how thin the plastic is in some areas especially in curved spots. I assume that's due to the manufacturing process trying to stretch a flat sheet over a compound curve.

[bkahler]

Work is progressing on repairing the cracks in the valance. I've now flipped it over and have started repairing the two large tears on the top side.

I've pretty much come to the conclusion that my friend won't have the time to try to make a fiberglass mold. The house repairs are a LOT more extensive than was ever anticipated.

Out of about 156' of sill plate and header we've replaced 138' of sill and 125' of header. 100% of the sill was rotten/termite ridden and the bulk of the header was bad as well. At the same time we've had to scab new floor joists to every existing joist. The main problem with the floor joists is the 2x8 floor joists are spanning 14'. Way too long of a span for a 2x8.

The last 18' of sill and header are going to be a bear because they are behind a poured concrete deck



Martin, it looks like I'll be talking to you about figuring out where to have a mold made once I have the valance repaired.

Brad

[mayco]

14' on a 2x8, trampoline. A wee bouncy in the center. Blocking in between joists may help a little. Piers and a beam would help a lot. No fun either way.

[bkahler]

Mike, the original joists and sill plates were 1-3/4" thick by 7-3/4" tall which makes them somewhat stronger than modern 1-1/2" x 7-1/4" lumber that you get today. But even the original larger lumber was way undersized for a 14' span. You're right, it was like walking on a trampoline!

One of the fixes along with scabbing new floor joists to the old was to put a concrete block with a 4x4 post and wood shims under each joist in the center of it's span. On the back half of the house where the joist repairs are complete and all the joist support posts are in place it's like walking on a concrete floor. A HUGE change from what it was when we first walked into the house after he purchased it.

[martin300662]

Originally Posted by bkahler

Martin, it looks like I'll be talking to you about figuring out where to have a mold made once I have the valance repaired.

Brad

No worries Brad, equally if you can get yours close enough for you to use then don't risk ruining it to get a mold made. I can always come up with a 'plan B'.

[bkahler]

Martin,

I think going for a mold is the best approach. If making a mold from mine ruins it we're still ahead as there would now be a way to make replacements should we suffer damage of any kind. I do like the idea of a 3 piece mold as it would sure be simpler to handle and install.

I'm hoping to have the major repairs done to the valance by the end of the Thanksgiving weekend. Part of that weekend will be spent working on the house but I'm planning on a few days of personal time as well