Fix a cracked cover?

[andrew678122]

Hey everyone, happy forth!

The cover I got with my AR was in good shape but the sellers packing job took care of that. This is what I received:

Does anyone know how I can repair it?

Thanks!

[derspankster]

New ARXA DC.jpg

New AR XA dustcover

(63.1 KiB) Downloaded 139 times

Both of mine had cracks like that. Happens over time. The dustcovers are ultra cheap and ugly to boot. I broke down last year and bought a new one from an ebay seller. Very heavy duty and beautiful to boot. Love the etched logo too.

[andrew678122]

New ARXA DC.jpgBoth of mine had cracks like that. Happens over time. The dustcovers are ultra cheap and ugly to boot. I broke down last year and bought a new one from an ebay seller. Very heavy duty and beautiful to boot. Love the etched logo too.

That does look pretty nice Derspankster, the logo is a nice touch! Is that from the guy who lists a AR XA cover on eBay?

[derspankster]

Yes, he's in Michigan I think. I didn't know the logo was on it when I bought it. His picture didn't show it. I believe he's raised the price since I got mine. They are beautifully done and I couldn't believe how well packed it was.

[Alec124c41]

Do NOT use super glue. It makes a mess.
There are plastic solvents that will wick into the crack, and should make it disappear.

Cheers.
Alec

[andrew678122]

Do NOT use super glue. It makes a mess.
There are plastic solvents that will wick into the crack, and should make it disappear.

Cheers.
Alec

That's what I was thinking, if I could find a glue that would seep into it. I can gently pull on the piece slightly opening the crack, that action would pull the glue into the crack. I just don't want to end up with something that looks worse after I've fixed it.

[derspankster]

I suppose you might get acetone to work. I don't know about making a crack disappear though. Maybe.

[andrew678122]

I suppose you might get acetone to work. I don't know about making a crack disappear though. Maybe.

I agree, I don't think that's possible, but I'm going to try. I ordered some IPS 16 which is an acrylic plastic cement. The worst that can happen is that I'll totally mess it up and have to buy a new cover. The usual problem is that even if it can be repaired the repair is never as strong as the original plastic. I have seen some strong plastic repairs on aircraft canopies but they had a piece of plastic glued over the crack, strong but hardly pretty.

[cafe latte]

How about the stuff for cracked windscreens?
Chris

[derspankster]

I never really liked a dust cover on my AR XA because the stock one was so ugly, cracked or not. But, I did use them because they offered the table some protection from cleaning ladies and pets. Well, then they did keep dust out.

This aftermarket one I now use is another story. I really like it.

[JDJX]

Do NOT use super glue. It makes a mess.
There are plastic solvents that will wick into the crack, and should make it disappear.

Cheers.
Alec

That's what I was thinking, if I could find a glue that would seep into it. I can gently pull on the piece slightly opening the crack, that action would pull the glue into the crack. I just don't want to end up with something that looks worse after I've fixed it.

Yeah, get some (inexpensive) liquid plastic cement that is used to to build plastic models.
You can use a very fine paint brush to very carefully wick a tiny bit of cement into the crack..... without pulling it apart.
This is how I fixed the crack on my Pioneer 112D.
Nothing will make the crack disappear but, this will minimize it and keep it from spreading. :)

[Alec124c41]

I think the solvent used for this stuff is carbon trichloride, or chloroform.
Use a syringe.

Cheers,
Alec

[oztayls]

Drilling a small hole at the end of the crack will prevent it spreading further.

[andrew678122]

The problem with stop drilling a crack is then you have a hole. Fixing the AR XA cover is going to be a work in progress for a while. I have glued it together using the IPS 16 and it makes a fairly strong bond but not pretty join:

I'm retired with lots of spare time so I'm going to try:
1. Sanding the repair, filling in any areas that need it, and polishing it.
2. If #1 does not result in an acceptable job, I will use a Dremel and vee the crack and try glueing it again.
With #1 I'm concerned that I will be removing most of the 'bead' of glue and thus hastening the glue joint's demise, thus #2 is the backup plan.
I anticipate stopping when I reach some 'least-objectionable' point.

[oztayls]

To be honest, I think a tiny hole is less unsightly than the mess made by any glue. Short of a new cover, another idea might be to glue it, sand it smooth, mask off the sides and spray paint it black using a plastic friendly paint like Rustoleum. Just painting the 2 sides will make it appear like it was made that way :)

Unfortunately, there is no such thing as an invisible repair to clear plastic :(