How to repair and reinforce large ABS plastic items using ABS slurry.

In this video, I show you how I repaired and reinforced a large item made out of ABS plastic by painting on several layers of liquid ABS plastic 'slurry'. I repaired several large cracks and strengthened weak areas in the ABS plastic roof of our hardshell roof top tent, and I'm really happy with the results. The rooftop tent no longer leaks and we should get plenty more use out of it. The total cost of the repair was around $65 AUD. You could also use this method to repair other items such as ABS plumbing pipes and ABS motorbike panels.
I purchased ABS sheet from eBay here:
www.ebay.com.au/itm/253777595...
If this video has helped you and you'd like to show your appreciation you can buy me a coffee at www.buymeacoffee.com/LoveOfVideo as a thank you, it really helps me to make videos like this and supports the channel. Thank you!
REPAIR STATUS UPDATE 16OCT20: We've had the tent on and off the car a few times since completing the repairs about 6 months ago, with the longest time the tent has stayed on the car being about a month. So far so good with zero leaks and the repairs are holding up well. From what I've seen I'm pretty happy the repairs will last a long time.
Full review of this Roof Top Tent (Bundutec Moremi/Extreme Lite) here:
• Bundutec Moremi (Extre...
I did a lot of research prior to performing these repairs, and a lot of people suggest fiberglass, but apparently fibreglass doesn't adhere to ABS very well so I was reluctant to use it. I figured that by making a thick ABS slurry and painting on several layers, allowing drying time between layers, it would add thickness and strength to the original plastic, not to mention seal up the existing cracks. The ABS slurry also has really good adhesion to the original plastic.
To make this ABS slurry, I used a ratio of 50 grams of ABS plastic to 125ml acetone and mixed them together in a sealed glass jar and left for 24 hours. To get the right amount of ABS pieces I used a 600x45x2mm ABS sheet and cut/broke it into small pieces, which equaled roughly 50 grams. I bought the 2mm ABS sheet off ebay for around $25AUD delivered, or they are generally available at most hobby stores.
02:15 ABS slurry being applied
Any questions please post in the comments. Cheers!

[@RHEAOFFICIALLYHERE]

Can't thank you enough for posting this. I had to repair a 2 foot crack in the floor of my Citroen Mehari (worlds first plastic car) I used your recipe substituting red Lego's for black ABS - the color was an exact match, nice glossy finish and rock hard after 24 hours - hard to believe how simple it was to repair. All I need to do is install a sheet metal panel on the underside for additional support as its a high stress area. Otherwise the repair is unnoticeable, I even filled a large hole where a large portion of ABS was missing (used gorilla tape as a backing) - if you need a specific color - use Lego's as they are made of ABS plastic

[@michaelwarren9208]

I have repaired both ABS and PVC plastic using the appropriate solvents such as you have. I have always used a mesh of some sort in these repairs including fly screen and believe that it is very beneficial to the overall strength of such repairs. Where parts are subject to ongoing stress, I have even used this method on both sides of the crack/splits. after the repair is totally set (24 hours) you can fine-sand the visible side and finish it as is done in body shops on auto bumpers. If done properly, the repair is almost invisible. Good job on your video.

[@lot7mckellar]

I used fiberglass cloth and it worked perfect with my slurry. The slurry saturated just fine.

[@ByCINAR]

What material did you use? Acetone any plastic? How long does it take to slurry?

[@paweiss]

I used this method to repair a yakima roof box; it came out fantastic! I also mixed some up thin to get into the cracks and for places where I didn't want to build it up too much, like where the lid and base have to mate. And I used some thicker sheets of ABS, heat formed them to match the curve, and used them to reinforce where the support had ripped through the ABS. It's super strong and watertight now. Thanks for the tips!

[@fortheloveofvideo6306]

Great to hear the repairs worked well. I really like the heat forming of the ABS sheet to match the curves, that's a handy tip I'll keep in mind for future ABS repairs 👍👌

[@sulfurlad]

Nice. I'm about to do the same with a thule roof box I got that someone had backed into a low parking garage. It made a perfect hole in the back, with a single large piece coming loose, and it just puzzles perfectly into the hole. Instead of what you did with the strips of abs for strength, I'm using mending plates and machine screws to put it back together before re-sealing it all with the slurry.

[@mst5632]

Really nice repair. I disagree that the screen didn’t add much strength though. There is a reason concrete is poured with rebar or metal mesh embedded. The screen will act to resist lateral sheer forces & resist breakage with point loading. You could also apply your first ABS slurry coat, then cover with fiberglass matting, second and third coats as you did. This would work the same as the screen but would be easier to mold around bends/corners/valleys/etc. The highest strength concrete (6000 psi) is 4000 psi concrete with fiberglass fibers added. Again, great video & thank you for sharing. This one is a keeper for sure!

[@AH-gs8ey]

Used this process to repair my Thule and it worked great; however I used fiberglass cloth instead of window screen and used ABS Pipe Cement, available from the hardware store, instead of trying to make a slurry. The ABS Pipe Cement contains ABS plastic that's been disolved in MEK and acetone. If you use the fiberglass cloth, spread a layer of the pipe cement over the repair area, lay the fiberglass cloth in the wet pipe cement then cover it with more pipe cement.

[@markosswald7041]

ABS pipe cement brand??

[@TurbotaFindOut]

Home Depot had this stuff on sale. I work for a company that sells a certain brand of hot tub. When we do warranty work, where I need to cut into the bottom of the spa (ABS - thicker then the roof tent shell ill be fixing) , we use ABS medium body cement and Fibatape (drywall stuff). Pair of gloves, a paper cup, and a paintbrush. Pour the abs glue in there, slap some on, layer of tape, and then just cover the tape with the glue. When its ~70'f outside each layer dries in like 5-10 minutes. And it dries really hard too. I had one upside down in the back of the truck and the glue that came out and dried felt hard, like pipe. Had to hit it with a hammer to break it out, and some is still back there

[@next1mpact]

Just wanted to share my experience of the learning the ABS slurry trick from this video. I made some ABS slurry with broken pieces of ABS pipe and acetone. I painted over a cracked ABS elbow fitting of my sink drainage and built up a coat about 2-3mm thick over few days. Soaked the brush in acetone so that it could be reused until the last coat was done. That was a perfect solution to me. The painted ABS slurry dried up with a strong coat of ABS over the crack and the whole elbow, and stopped the leak. I would say it would last as long as the ABS pipes connected to it. This saved me a lot of work of creating enough space and repair afterward for replacing the ABS eblow. Thanks very much this video inspired me for my successful repair.

[@fortheloveofvideo6306]

Really great to hear that nextimpact. I make videos like this to help people so I'm very happy you found it useful 👍😄

[@caseyw.8325]

Can the slurry be stored and used later? More than just 2 or 3 days... like months.

[@next1mpact]

@@caseyw.8325 I had been using the slurry over a week. Just keep the lip tight and add a bit ancetone if the slurry dry-up a bit.

[@caseyw.8325]

@@next1mpact Thanks... slurry is started, mi ed 50 Gms of black Legos and 125 mls of Acetone a few hours ago! Soo excited

[@fortheloveofvideo6306]

@@caseyw.8325 I've got a jar of slurry in the shed that I made 3 weeks ago and it's still the same consistancy more or less. I find glass jars work well for storage, as there's no chance of the acetone disolving the glass and they seal really well. Good luck with it all 👍

[@DidierBan]

Ok I just finished to watch a bunch of videos about welding plastic and yours is my best option. Thanks for the video .

[@fortheloveofvideo6306]

Happy to help 👍

[@johntarzan5287]

Hahaha same here! Great video!

[@creepyloner1979]

i'd start with a very thin mix that'll wick into the finer cracks then build up thickness with a thicker mix. also be careful not to apply too much at once or you'll soften and deform the item you're repairing. if you want a more visually appealing finish you can sand it and apply a final coat or two with a paint sprayer.

[@cathycleveland5151]

My husband is fixing a cracked drain pipe for the clothes washer underneath our mobile as we speak. He’s a retired auto body repair tech. This was a easy solution. We found the support strap broke and guess the vibrations must have helped cracked the pipe. It’s 21 years old. Fantastic fix!

[@wombatau]

Reinforcement can be made from fibreglass, carbon fibre, kevlar, hemp, old cotton sheet, whatever is strong (no polyester clothing though). It is to add flexural and tensile strength so that you don’t need as much resin or slurry. Fibreglass is a pain in the arse to work with, especially around statically charged plastic, but it can be laid down with almost any adhesive, hot melted plastic or whatever.

[@LTCDRRAZOR]

Similar concepts can be used for filling in and strengthening 3D prints, just use the same material as the print is made from, same color and the repair can be blended in till it disappears. It also works for filling in layer lines befor sanding.

[@thiodorchalkias8906]

Nice video thanks for sharing!!!! You should made two holes at the ends of broken surface in order to stop furter extension of break before any other actions.... Have good time every time!!! Best regards from Hellas (Greece)!!!

[@senatorjosephmccarthy2720]

After cleaning the contact area, you should have sanded using 60 grit, then cleaned again. And yes, the aluminum screen did add some tensile strength. Thank you for showing.

[@bbiwyou]

Very informative. I've always believed all plastics to be absolutely irreparable. This video will be of great use.

[@MaacAbra]

What a brilliant idea! Thank you very much for sharing these great instructions!

[@easystar123]

Brilliant video, many thanks for sharing. I crashed my rc model aeroplane and damaged the rudder on impact. The plane is made from white abs plastic and and the rudder got cracked in a few places. Im going to use your method of repair as it looks like a great job. Kind regards.

[@MoparHollics]

Nicely done bud I never knew you can make a slurry out of abs and use it like Bondo to put plastic back together I appreciate the video this will come in handy for future projects 👍

[@devonmartinbasson]

same. blew my mind.

[@dubled2765]

Great job...very well thought out and documented! and a money saver too..fantastic!

[@FirstLast-yj4ri]

Excellent video and procedure!

[@belovedbrother]

Bro is out here saving lives!!

[@SP-pr8bt]

Ironically I have the exact same RTT with the exact same problem and I just wanted to find the best way to repair the cracks in the ABS top. Fantastic video mate 👍

[@fvrrljr]

*awesome repair*

[@blackrockbrewing5141]

You are a genius my friend. Thank-you for the fantastic idea!

[@tthams73]

This is an awesome solution!!

[@alfiefranklin7831]

Excellent man, great video with a great solution to a problem 👍

[@AutoMotivate]

Awesome!! Ill be using this method to strengthen my cracking dash.

[@Le_Comte_de_Monte_Felin]

I have personally used black ABS plumbing cement/glue to repair abs boats & other large items. I use it with fiberglass cloth and have also embedded washers etc in the glue/cloth layers when a fastener hole needed reinforcement. I do as much of this from the back/unseen side as possible and have repaired broken automotive trim saving a trip to the salvage yard for a pricey obsolete part. The fiberglass cloth works extraordinarily well, just use a bondo paddle to squeegie it into the cloth and let dry between layers. (The fumes are horrendous... and don't smoke!)

[@shawnhanna9446]

Thanks very much mate for the vid. Excellent. I'm using the slurry to help reinforce my rear splitter on my race car. Awesome!

[@sonnymaile9325]

That's a great idea! Thank you for that

[@BM-lh5sn]

Tried on undercover tonneau cover that was cracked on the underneath side and worked perfectly. Thanks for your video

[@waiting4aliens]

Brilliant. Thank you.

[@johncorstens499]

Finally some one has come up with a practical solution for ABS repairs

[@boba4083]

Really well done. Thank you for sharing.

[@neilhay2155]

thanks for sharing, very well done and informative. bonding the mesh in would add a lot of strength too.

[@MarkHarders-ss4zk]

Excellent tip, and very useful!

[@ScottCush]

You just made my day so much more interesting.

[@bryanancy]

Thanks for sharing. Your measurements for the slurry were perfect. All I had was ABS plumbing pipe. It worked perfect, just a long time to melt. I used pieces of plastic screen door screen to reinforce and it really helped. Thanks

[@randykruger]

Brilliant idea. great video.

[@JB_Auto]

That's what I was looking for, thanks for the video.

[@tacticalant3841]

Well done! Im in the US and have the same exact roof top tent. I bought it used and have no idea what brand it is, ive never seen another like it until this video. Its holding up well, but great to know the fix.

[@johncamplin3557]

Great video thanks for that. I have a roof spoiler I have just removed and found the underside has damaged so I will give this method a go and then bond the spoiler back on with VHB adhesive as all mounting points with the studs have deteriorated. 😀

[@Fn_It_Up_Garage]

Holly crap! How have I never known this! I modified a front pumper to fit an intercooler with fiberglass, and sure enough, it's not holding up. Now I know what to do! Thank you OP for making this video and KZbin for recommending it!

[@fortheloveofvideo6306]

Glad I could help!

[@tomhyland861]

Brilliant Video..! Used this repair inside a Sears Xcargo 20 roof box. Took the O P suggestion of no mesh and multiple layers. Incredible strong adhesion to box. 4 coats seemed durable on 4"x5" area using a 2" plastic putty knife. Repair is sealed and flexible like original box. Tested 3 hard scrap plastics in a mason jar, only one melted. Chose that one. Added more.

[@mChav34]

this is really helpful. Thanks for the video.

[@moneypitvan6378]

Somewhat life changing. Incredible solution. I'm using this on ABS sheets to reinforce it and it seems good so far after the first coat. I think it's actually melting into the sheets a tiny bit which seems like it should be a great thing.

[@JohnSmith-un9fy]

I think that the screen was a great idea. Nice work. Thanks for the tip.

[@tomr2982]

I'd guess plasterboard/drywall jointing tape would work well too - strong/cheap/easily found

[@charlestonminiclub2545]

Great instruction and idea! Thank you!!

[@admk69]

Good Work Bro.

[@jonnyhonda]

Nice one. Never knew you could do that with abs

[@patbriere3237]

I fixed my ABS motorcycle fairings using your recipe and i had some amazing results. Thanks a lot for your video.

[@fortheloveofvideo6306]

Really glad you found it useful.

[@brianbennett5887]

Excellent !

[@donbon4204]

this is a good method as is plastic welding with copper wire for strength depends on the nature of the job

[@TheDrDover]

This is the solution I am looking for. Great video. I have been given a Yakima Skybox that is cracked up. This slurry along with some sheets of ABS should do the trick and I will end up with a nearly free roof box. Thanks!

[@lancer525]

Damn, this is genius!!

[@SquarebodyTruckCamper]

Well put together video. Informative and to the point. Thanks!

[@fortheloveofvideo6306]

Glad you liked it 👍

[@llamacide73]

Awesome instruction!!

[@mrfixitusa6165]

Thank you very much for posting this astonished I'm kind of a shame to myself that I've never thought of anything like this. I have repaired restored fixed more different type of things that I can count and I've used multiple methods to reinforce repair plastics of multiple kinds, with a plethora of different materials, but for some for a reason this idea never crossed my mind.... But it's in there now! This is genius, repair the plastic with the plastic! and unlike using heat, its not really changing the structure of the existing plastic.

[@neilbeeching2539]

Awesome video, thanks! I'll try it on my motorcycle fairings.

[@neilbeeching2539]

I used the same ratio to mix up some slurry and applied it along with some carbon fiber cloth to fix some cracks in my ABS motorcycle plastics. It worked incredibly well and I think they're now stronger than original. It was hard to get the longer crack to bond, so after a few layers on the backside, I traced the crack with a super fine dremmel cutoff disc from the front to open it up, & filled it with slurry. Saved me over $800 in new plastics. Thanks again.

[@ThisIsToolman]

The slurry is a really good idea. I also like the idea of melting the plastic with acetone in order to embed the wire screen. You did add strength, maybe unnecessarily.

[@Spodokamono]

This is very helpful. What a top video. 👍👍👍

[@caseyrevoir]

Super cool. Try drilling each end of the crack to stop the Propagation before repair. (like a 9/64" bit). A thick layer of RTV works well too. Not all RTV is the same, Permetex Right Stuff 1 minute gasket maker (black) is my go to glue/band aid for almost everything. It is vulcanized to the surface verses glued, and flexes without popping off. (example PERMETEX # 25229) The stuff is rated to hold 250 degree F coolant across an unsupported 1/4" gap at like 30 psi. I cover the outside seem of my plastic radiator end caps and never had those repaired seems re-fail. 3/16" thick application. It also re-vulcanizes to itself so you don't have to remove the old properly attached RTV remains if repairing the repair.

[@liljohnp132]

I brag on "The Right Stuff" all the time. It can also be put into "service" right away. Best gasket maker out there.

[@VolkanTaninmis]

Sir, this video saved me 300 bucks. Thanks for sharing this information with application. Best regards and greetings from Turkey.

[@fortheloveofvideo6306]

Very happy it helped 👍🙂

[@papamartin7607]

Great video

[@marry9894]

Thank you, very helpful 🙏🏽

[@Steven-vi2we]

This looks great I'm gonna try using this to reinforce a plastic inlet manifold on an engine for running boost!

[@fortheloveofvideo6306]

Glad you liked it 👍. That's another application for this method I hadn't really thought of. Let us know how it turns out.

[@extra10101]

Great video.

[@mgdurandolo]

Of course! Dissolve ABS in a solvent and use as a filler/reinforcer. Why didn't I think of that?? Thanks for posting this, it solves a lot of my ongoing repair problems and will save $$ over buying plastic fillers.

[@VllKlNG]

This video just solved my little crack in my electric skateboard ABS enclosure. Brilliant - saved me lots of time and money.

[@fortheloveofvideo6306]

Glad it helped 👍. I've also used it to repair a crack in an eBike battery enclosure/case made of ABS and it worked a charm as well.

[@VllKlNG]

@@fortheloveofvideo6306 great tip to share with my ebike friends!

[@flack3]

Nice! Never seen this before! Thx

[@nathanielbolden5053]

Man I wish I knew about this when I was trying to repair the cracked dash in my 03 yukon but now I have a new awesome weapon to add to my arsenal!...thanks a million bro!...

[@fortheloveofvideo6306]

Always good to have more useful things in the arsenal. Hope it comes in handy in the future 👍

[@nathanielbolden5053]

@@fortheloveofvideo6306 rite on man!...30 plus years mechanic and always trying to learn new things!...you never know everything!...

[@nathanielbolden5053]

@Big Chief Drink a Brew, from Yankton! thanks bro!

[@jimm2442]

Great video! Thank you

[@jbizzle7497]

Great job & video.

[@cyrilpeterlee1]

Knew about acetone and thermocol aka polyesterene,never knew it could melt abs too. Thanks for sharing, you earned a sub

[@fortheloveofvideo6306]

Thanks for the sub!

[@mottavator]

Thank you! I had come up with the same combination of screen and ABS Slurry before seeing your video. But your video did confirm that this method will work well for ABS repair.I have been building a popup roof for my van using 2 full-size ABS pick-up truck canopies (roughly 8' x 6' x 27"). I also used Methol Ethyl Ketone (MEK) to bond large pieces together and used the slurry as a filler.

[@fortheloveofvideo6306]

Happy to help! Hope your popup roof turns out well 👍

[@andyav9165]

Fantastic vid, very well done 👍

[@MachuBaxter]

Great video. I think this technique could.also be used to repair cracks in ABS luggage 💡🧠

[@danblekeberg2470]

Thank you !

[@DrGreenThumb135]

Try mixing in some milled glass fiber, it should make it even stronger! I use it mixed into epoxy and it works great!

[@igotatan1]

Brilliant.

[@vgnfab]

That's way cool! And Acetone is very accessible unlike some other chemical another video mentioned.

[@donbon4204]

mek methyl ethyl ketone or plumbers priming fluid which the later is available

[@tomputty1165]

I usually just go nuts with a drill on some scrap ABS and use the shavings instead of the larger chunks as that dissolves much quicker. Of course, that can be tedious for larger volumes.

[@Antagraber]

Thanks for the video. Some other suggest also use of acetone with ABS. While seeing you applying the aluminium fire screen layer, I wonder how it could work adding glass fibre or carbon fibre laminates as layers.

[@koollee]

Maan.. This video got me nervously excited !! I Thank You Soo Much Sir .. For sharing. Highly appreciated !! Will give u a Like on this video for sure.

[@murphysquint3436]

Repaired an ABS boat with ABS glue and plastic sheet rock joint screen. Worked great same as your slurry.

[@RobStillwell]

how has the repair held up? I have an abs boat I need to repair myself - any tips welcomed :)

[@TV-gh7ug]

Nice

[@pierresmith6999]

Awesome, fixed a pool Skimmer with it!

[@RYAN-ms1mr]

Really good video thanks for sharing I found it helpful for the same type of thing

[@fortheloveofvideo6306]

Glad it helped Ryan 👍

[@jondavidmcnabb]

Excellent work! I like how you documented everything and showed the before and after. For folks that complain about visual stuff. It could always be sanded and painted.

[@kevinbaker2470]

Doesn't really harden enough to sand. Apply as smooth as possible and use a thick primer

[@Jason75913]

Awesome!

[@alphaomega750]

awesome!

[@seanmou-keefe6967]

Thanks for this video. I’m rebuilding my 1988 Suzuki GSXR-750 after stripping the paint (8 layers) off the fairings I found that there were some pretty substantial separation of the plastic that needed to be fixed. I also found that they were after market fairings made out of ABS, which many products won’t stick too. I just went out and bought some acetone and ABS and am looking forward to slathering it on tomorrow.

[@jpurcha]

Need to repair a cowling on a Ninja 500. How did this work for you?

[@miguelrivas2605]

Excellent! I was planning to send my cracked automotive part to get 3D scanned, remanufactured, then prepped, painted, and finally shipped back to me where I'd install it. Would have been weeks, if not months, plus very expensive! Instead, I will fill the stripped mounting bolt hole and repair a crack before repainting the part myself. Since it remains 'ABS' material, I can sand it down and prep it nicely for primer + paint. Thanks!

[@fortheloveofvideo6306]

Glad the video helped, hope the repairs work out well!

[@mrdeer5585]

Thank you sir

[@alanmauriciomoralesascenci2132]

nice and useful, thanks a lot

[@jabberwockytdi8901]

If you make the slurry a little thinner you can add glass cloth to reinforce.

[@ooyginyardel4835]

Great job but I somewhat disagree about the flyscreen. I’d think it helps quite a bit because it adds tensile cohesion.

[@ulamss5]

fly screen was definitely the right choice here. personally i would have used a more watery consistency.

[@olivierdufour1966]

Bravo et merci

[@HS-007]

👍 great info 👍 👌

[@herberar]

I have been repairing plastics for nearly 30 years. Your idea of using the mesh is the way to go to distribute the loads and stress better . It is a shame that it is almost impossible to buy acetone in my country. It is regulated because it used in the process of making illegal drugs . Cheers!

[@cyrilpeterlee1]

Have you tried beauty salon suppliers, salons use acetone to remove nail polish😊

[@kiret1505]

@@cyrilpeterlee1