Tips And Tricks For Anything Out Of ABS Plastic | Garage Talk

Want to make a custom gauge cluster? maybe some aero parts for your race car? Try ABS! It's cheap, it's easy to work with, and anyone can do it. Here's some tips for you to be successful working with this material on your project!

[@TIRESIDE]

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[@TIRESIDE]

Look around for a local plastic supplier to get these large sheets at a much better price than you will by having them shipped online.

[@JS41678]

If you don't want to use pop rivets to fasten it all together, you can make an ABS glue out of ABS shavings and acetone to glue it all together.

[@mingiasi]

so you melt the shavings and once the acetone evaporates it solidifies?

[@JS41678]

@@mingiasi correct, the acetone will melt the shavings into a glue-like consistency then you wipe a little acetone on the edge of the workpiece(s) along with the abs glue you just made and it should stick and hold them together without any issue. The hardest part is finding the right ratio of abs shavings to acetone to make the glue. Search youtube for abs glue and I think you'll find some how-to videos.

[@espada9973]

I've been using a soldering iron to melt the joint pieces and solder them so it is all just a piece of ABS in the end. A little sanding and spray paint can make it look prettier too!

[@TheM750]

or just use black ABS pipe cement.

[@pauljoyquilter359]

My favourite method - what I call my CAD - Cardboard Aided Design… nice work by the way.

[@chrisbyers4726]

Yep I help myself to USPS free shipping supplies on their web store. Their priority mail boxes for making templates and to mask off large pieces I’m painting. Then their 228 shipping labels cut up in smaller pieces for labeling baggies of bolts/hardware when building a customers car. Thank you USPS.

[@paulnorberg3869]

From an old trim carpenter and finish fabricator, that’s some Nice clean work.

[@scrubnick]

Your video was very well done. It was short enough that I watched immediately and contained very useful information. Your gauge cluster setup looks excellent. Thanks for the motivation.

[@CYMotorsport]

As someone finishing a full 1:1 monocoque for sim racing, this stuff has proven to be the most effective, pragmatic approach. Cool to see the process feels just about the same for building simulators as it is with actual cars.

[@davidmizak4642]

It's fascinating material you offer to your audience. Thank you very much for contributing. A heartfelt thanks!

[@SamC379]

Very professional looking I'm glad I found your channel

[@RaptorGary]

Nice job and very well explained. Thank you for your time!

[@GothKid1996]

Your first description on this stuff is EXCACTLY what I needed to know. Thank you!

[@josephgrasso6834]

great video, using ABS as a backer board for a cabinet that holds a refrigerator in my semi truck. The original particle board used by the manufacturer got wet over time and warped. I like how easily it bends with just a little heat, and the best part is, the stuff doesn't absorb water.

[@AW_DIY_garage]

Thanks man. You just earned a subscriber. Great short and to the point.

[@dupre7416]

Cool video. I'm going to use this technique to fabricate a control panel for my RV's solar electrical system. 👍

[@rb.867]

Looks great! Great job!

[@docjeffry]

I was wondering if this was possible. Thank you, so much!

[@aaronchua1991]

clear and sweet info! Just found the page and subscribed.

[@blueanthias]

Great job, well done. 👍

[@GOrdonGREENleaf]

Great video. I have been looking for a long while for some way I coulc fix the dash on my old truck. This might be my answer.

[@yatwanhayward411]

Dude that was awesome work

[@4e4ehehe]

Good one.. cool lesson

[@jaydochaywalker8099]

Good video mate! 👍🏼

[@ferlinmaynard3882]

If you ever need to cut plexiglass a Dremel with their carbide cutting tip and the adjustable carving attachment so that the durable sets flush is great. Haven't cracked a piece yet using it

[@frankjames4743]

Very informative. Thank you so much. peace

[@joshuarundell2003]

Good content man! Keep it up!

[@KenDoit]

i wish you get more subscribers, you make really good contents! keep it up!

[@Onhaey]

Awesome video, straight to the point. Now I just need to find a local supplier

[@jamestankersley6901]

Great job.

[@juderoy1473]

Great video!!!

[@azizaviation]

great video. thanks

[@KP-qh8je]

Awesome video

[@gtautomotive22]

Wow. Thanks i got try it.

[@ravinagarkar]

Awesome video and I read all your replies. Learnt quite a bit!! Any idea which display is that? It looks amazing.

[@DougOfTroy]

Keep it up guys don’t give up 🎉🎉🎉

[@ghettogrower5734]

Thank you.. help me figure out how im going to use APS to custom some panels for my sur-ron LBX

[@jasondiddle4226]

Hey, I’m trying to customize a stock seat pan. It is a black plastics. I need to add some plastic to it to get the desired shape to the fender that I want. Then cover it with my leather. What do you suggest to use. I thought about using heat and plastic weld the same type of plastic and metal mesh to keep its shape so it matches and I can use staple gun with the leather. I have not tried this yet. There is fiberglass, but I don’t know how well fiberglass and this type of plastic play together. The other option is shaping a piece of wood to the desired shape. It will be easy to shape and I will be able to staple the leather to it. However, even though it will be hidden and covered by leather, I will know that it is there. I have pictures. I’m open to any suggestions because I don’t want to mess this up. I only have one. I was curious if I used the slurry and heat and glued on thicker pieces of plastic if it would hold and work???

[@samuelfrodge4988]

You should pull the dash and flock the entire thing. Cover up any gaps between abs and stock dash parts.

[@wayout71]

THANK YOU

[@micw3992]

Hello what is the best glue to use for abs that is exposed externally on the car?

[@LTVoyager]

I’d glue the L brackets on with ABS cement. Quick, easy and strong.

[@chiphill4856]

Nicely done. If you have a small router table, a 1/8 roundover might look good.

[@de_41]

Been wondering if I could cut ABS with my table saw safely. Thanks

[@owood5243]

You should be able to use acetone to join the ends together will be a cleaner look instead of rivets. Could also make abs slurry for filling in seams or repair. Looks good.

[@eskiecandie]

how do you use acetone? Is there a acetone based glue or do you mean liquid acetone? Thanks so much!

[@owood5243]

@@eskiecandie It would be much quicker to watch others do it on youtube than have me try to explain abs slurry and abs glue.

[@fortheloveofvideo6306]

​@@eskiecandie acetone can be really useful for working with ABS. Here's a link showing how I made ABS slurry to repair a large item made of ABS kzbin.info/www/bejne/l2WvoICAfMubsMk . Heaps of other ABS and acetone videos on youtube too.

[@jaydochaywalker8099]

I agree the rivets/metal nut bolts look a bit crude. However, since I don't anything about plastic fabrication/molding, will acetone provide strong adhesion? I also heard of plastic welding. In fact I saw a video where a chap repairs his super bike fairing using a soldering iron and scrap abs pieces. The final result was brilliant.

[@carllennen3520]

@@jaydochaywalker8099 Using Acetone creates a permanent repair. The Acetone melts the ABS, and turns it into a paste/slurry. You paint the paste onto the piece youre workling on, and the Acetone evaporates, leaving just the ABS behind. You can make a mold, and create whole new plastic parts if you want to, using acetone. Any ABS will work. Take old pipes, or toys made of ABS, cut it into pieces, and melt them down with the Acetone. Pour the slurry into the mold, and you have a completely new part. I used this to fix a huge crack in my shower pan in my RV. Saved me $400, and the crack is now stronger than the main body of the pan.

[@DriftyJoe]

Great video. What music is that?

[@AndTodaysProjectIs]

I'm having a hard time using a wood blade on my jigsaw on quarter inch ABS. it wants to melt back into the hole that it just cut. or do I just need a more aggressive tooth blade?

[@therhino9661]

another great video. On a side note, I want to make some side panels to cover the suspension area in my engine bay. (Thinking of using 1/8 thickness sheets). Have you ever used ABS sheets in an engine bay, that will not come into contact with the engine itself? But with the heat under the hood, especially with a 5.7 V8 Hemi engine in it, IF ABS sheets is a No-Go, can you recommend another sheet product I can use., please? Thanks again as always

[@TIRESIDE]

Abs may not be able to withstand the heat, maybe polycarbonate?

[@therhino9661]

@@TIRESIDE Thank you for the heads up. Very much appreciated.

[@xushenxin]

Where did you buy the plastic sheet?

[@DannySilva-xq2mx]

What material do you think Nissan used to do their exterior aero in 1989-2000 ish?

[@chrisl9067]

Don't park it in the sun in Texas at least without a sun shade for the windshield. If you can melt it and bend it that stuff will get hot on the dash in some places.

[@jeepingneatus]

Super cool video. How hot do you have to get it? I live in Arizona and wonder if the summer Temps might deform the ABS. Thanks for sharing.

[@ParhelionGame]

ABS glass transition temperature (the temp at which it becomes softer and no longer ductile, but not melt) is quite high at about 221F (105 C). So unless you put it in a spot where water will also boil, you’ll be fine.

[@jeepingneatus]

@@ParhelionGame awesome. Thanks for the reply.

[@user-mo4kw6wq2z]

Any links to buy the abs sheets?

[@aldo9564]

If you wanted to straighten a crease/bend in a molded ABS part (valance), how would You do it ? Heat alone ? Will it distort ? Thanks

[@TIRESIDE]

I would say apply even head to both sides of the bent area and use something flat to press on it to help flatten it!

[@aldo9564]

@@TIRESIDE Appreciated.

[@kreg_92]

Hey buddy, great video, love your DIY attitude, any chance you can tell me how many mm thick the ABS you've been using is? I'm making some door cards and thinking 3mm but not sure how it'll be for bending. Cheers

[@TIRESIDE]

I use 3/16” so 5mm

[@kreg_92]

Quick reply! You've earned a new subscriber 🤗

[@jonmccauley6490]

@@TIRESIDE Do you think ABS will bend around a box corner, to make 3 sides? Essentially one side would need to "shrink".

[@leeferguson2140]

Love this….. Most lads today can even change a wheel

[@matthewmolina642]

Looks good. What jigsaw blade did you use? All the ones I've used eventually get hot and then melt the plastic

[@TIRESIDE]

I’ve found that the coarser wood blades work best because they actually cut. The metal blades or the bi-metal blades are too fine and just melt.

[@matthewmolina642]

@@TIRESIDE good to know I will have to try that out

[@aw11roman]

Hey, awesome video. Quick question - where did you get the multi gauge display screen for your cluster? I'd be keen on the exact same setup for my project car. Any info would be appreciated. Thanks heaps

[@TIRESIDE]

That’s a completely custom gauge setup running off an arduino.

[@aw11roman]

@@TIRESIDE Thanks for that. It looks great. If you could find the time to make a video outlining how this was built I'd be exceptionally grateful

[@kevinclark443]

@@TIRESIDE is it using a Bluetooth OBD II to transmit or something more complex? I’ve thought about similar using a Pi. Great work

[@hueyrotorhead]

At what temperature did you heat it up to? I am trying to get a ABS hood scoop to lay down flat to me hood however using my heat gun didn't produce any results

[@TIRESIDE]

The form temperature of ABS is 300-310 degrees Fahrenheit. And if you’re forming a whole sheet, that temperature need to be evenly distributed across the entire piece.

[@KJ7JHN]

whats the model number of your heat gun?

[@drivingvideosmainlyfromfin147]

I wonder if its possible to make aero tail like tail of aeroplane of ABS plastic? I wonder if i could use mold, like dreamliner/tail shape mond, coult be great if it works. My idea is to fix aerotail into hatch´s towbar mounted cargo track. I already think i know how to support it: fix tail to cargo track with many aluminium rods

[@marthamryglod291]

Look at corrugated plastic sheet for the majority of the tail. It comes in various strengths and thicknesses but is much lighter than abs. I used corrugated for a belly pan under the car. Was worth 4mpg avg.

[@jaym5938]

Where does one find/buy a 'popper' fastener? Thank you!

[@ChevyTech68]

You can buy a rivet gun from any auto parts store

[@Takeitlightly6]

Where online do they sell these abs plastic sheets? Someone put me in touch with those sellers.

[@warrenpeas]

is that 1/8 inch?

[@brycedavis3933]

What supplier did you go through for the ABS material? And what size was that sheet?

[@TIRESIDE]

We buy them in 4x8 sheets. We have a plastic supplier near us called Port Plastics, they have other locations around the country.

[@vladislavkoval2018]

Or you can use 502 cyanoacrylate glue, search for maximum pure glue, it differs from one manufacturer to another. Also use polyethylene gloves, 2 pairs on each hand, it doesn't stick to this glue and protects hands from burns (abs reacts with this glue and heats). You can use fiberglass tape for drywall on inner side of plastic to fix cracks and make it much stronger. I dont recommend to use soldering iron, it doesn't make good bond in cracks, better use cyanoacrylate/acetone glue

[@jodysmith3662]

Link to website to buy please

[@richardjeun]

It’s like those videos where a cat crawls by and more than half the video is about the cat.

[@frankfurther3828]

I need to make a large chest and a lid with this.

[@jamesmolenaar6750]

How did it hold up? Are you still using it?

[@TIRESIDE]

Yup, works great!

[@thanhv7410]

what thickness do you recommend?

[@TIRESIDE]

3/16” is what we use

[@TW39]

Is that abs 2mm thick

[@FrugalPCOG]

great video, but why would you leave that sticker on your glove box cover? tacky.

[@JcBautista01]

What tool is best to cut ABS plastic 1/8 thick in rounded shapes?

[@butterflyj685]

My husband uses a band saw to cut his 1/8" thick rounded ABS plastic.

[@JcBautista01]

@@butterflyj685 thanks, does he have any particular brand and model? I would like to use the same if he is getting good results.

[@butterflyj685]

@@JcBautista01 He uses the Harbor Freight "Century" brand vertical band saw with the standard blade that came with it. He said although he has to carefully nudge it, he can do small degrees of a curvature. We don't use it to cut any pieces larger than 10" to 12" wide because that's what we are able to get and most cuts are done on the concave side. We also use the Ryobi drill press to drill our holes. Originally we used a 100watt fiber laser at various setting to cut and it melted. We tried a dremial tool with various types of bits and it too melted, then we researched using a CO2 laser but found out just like the fiber laser, it would melt depending on the wattage and also will cause the release of toxic fumes and long term exposure to styrene would be harmful when injested which would not be good option for us considering my husband has a damaged diaphragm and has minimal usage of one of his lungs. He said, ultimately you can cut with whatever you are comfortable with exposing your lungs to. No matter what you use, even when sanding the burrs of each piece, please protect your lungs from the toxic fumes or any dust particles from ABS plastics. Good luck!

[@HyperspeedMedia]

What store did you buy it from?

[@TIRESIDE]

I got it from port plastics in Tigard Oregon

[@HyperspeedMedia]

@@TIRESIDEokay thanks

[@GETTY-gr7gf]

ABS SHEET WILL FOLD WITH HEAT.

[@svetozarzoric1017]

Can you please copy the link of the product (abs),or just write where it can be bought,I cannot find it... Thanks in advance

[@TIRESIDE]

I got it from port plastics in Tigard, or

[@mfultz403]

I have tried the jig saw and it melts it back together

[@TIRESIDE]

Use coarser wood blades rather than metal blades!

[@mfultz403]

Thanks it worked great

[@genericdude6551]

When I went to cut my 1/4 inch ABS it smoked and melted. Useless to cut it.

[@richardweyland116]

Good editing, but so fast I couldn't see what you were doing.

[@khill1101]

I just priced out a 4'x8' sheet of 3/16" ABS.... $119 for 1 sheet... WTH. Literally can't do anything without spending $300 plus. I just want to do cheap projects and designs.

[@georgevprochazka5316]

Nice, but on a car dash, one shouldn't have such sharp protruding corners. Could be dangerous for the passenger. Just saying...

[@aimlessdrive8723]

get a cheap 3d printer and print sheets of this for a tenth of the cost. thats what i do for making body kits and spoilers

[@aimlessdrive8723]

you can also do carbon fiber but you need some upgrades. also remember to work in a well ventilated area with exhaust fan

[@eastwood111]

I enjoyed the video and absolutely hate that generic theme song. Most people that are trying to actually learn don’t need to be amused by silly music

[@envisionCamusa]

Very true