I can't believe how far Ethans fabrication skills have come from the early days of this channel. The work commitment to getting on these projects and the thousands of hours he's put in is truly commendable. Would love to see him unleashed on a full size rig as a scratch build. Maybe a rock buggy or something. Hats off to him and the rest of the crew!
Thanks man! It really is crazy how much I’ve improved in just a couple years. Doing it every day helps a lot, and I just can’t get excited unless I’m improving!
@@GrindHardPlumbingCo Buddy when you guys first started the show, you had some great ideas with decent execution. Now you're one of the best fabricators on UA-cam with phenomenal execution. Bravo. We're all impressed.
@@GrindHardPlumbingCo ... Back in the early 2000's A friend o mind of mine Lost His Mind Free Basing Plastic at Little Tykes 12 hrs a day ... He was supervisor and lead weldrer in the department ...in fixing bad interjection mold flaws... this was 20 yrs ago the welder we get now are what the shop used back in the day... ventilation is key. Pls be safe ya'll are natural engineers... Love your content ....Many blessings , SMR
I agree with everyone commending Ethan's fab skills improvement, but at the same time, Edwin's killing it in the production/editing dept as well (and whoever else is involved in the process). The music and edit on this one were really really good! Overall excellent work on all fronts guys! Keep it up!
@@GrindHardPlumbingCo for the people that are new it's a bit difficult to know who the different people are, could u do a video introducing all these peeps
watching ethen struggle with trying to heat weld plastic reminded me of shop class in high school. we used a chemical solevent to weld plastic together. this is coming from an arm chair mechanic so not sure how viable it is, but seemed to work pretty well back then.
Highly recommend you look into a hot stapler. It will make all your panels a ton more rigid and you can just do it from the inside. Then on the outside just spend your time making it look better.
@@GrindHardPlumbingCo I Weld plastics for a living. I can come give some guidance and it would make it a breeze for you guys. Let me know if that's something you'd be interested in.
I am one of those rc guys and shoe goo will not be strong enough Drywall mesh is good but you need plastic weld by jb weld Or good old fashion epoxy maybe.
I blew up the motor on a trx700xx and now i really want to chop it and build a powerwheel out of it! This Van could be built so many different ways too! I love watching your guys projects evolve. I'm going to need to start posting my builds you guys have helped inspire. PTSD has just made me so unsocial, but i saw you guys and just started building. Projects like these have saved me. Love your builds boys, cheers from Omak WA!
I was thinking, you could use magnets glued to the floppy parts of the body to stick it to the frame to cut down on chattery rattles (industry term). This is turning out to be one of your best power wheels so far, except the colonel but that thing is in its own league.
Oatey's PVC primer and glue work pretty good for "welding" plastic. They make multiple colors of cement including clear, which is what I've used to repair Dodge dashes and such.
I was thinking that too, as long as the plastic is solvent weldable. HDPE can't be solvent welded I don't think. Not sure about PP. ABS and PVC obviously can be as this is the plastic used in DWV pipe. I think the PVC cement is specifically formulated for PVC, but it may work for other plastics as well. What type of plastic is used for the dashes?
I used to plastic weld 12v batteries 50 years ago. You take a 30 w soldering iron and an old light dimmer to set the temperature to the plastic. I used the plastic and I did not have to do any touch up because the plastic was almost melded and I used the iron to smooth the weld. I used the screwdriver bit instead the pencil bit.
a better way than heat to "weld" plastic is to use a solvent, acetone works for ABS. if you take some ABS and dissolve it in the acetone and make a slurry then you can goop that on and you can get really strong bonds. works pretty much the same with other plastics, you just have to make sure you are using the right solvent for the type of plastic you are working with
@@GrindHardPlumbingCo Take a look at the recently released Prusa XL if you want manufacturers support. Or a Creality CR-10 if you want a huge user base for support.
@@GrindHardPlumbingCo also also wire mesh + melting it into the plastic is best! Done that with abs plastic bumpers before. Quick heat with torch and stamp it in!
@@GrindHardPlumbingCo There are a huge amount of options out there nowadays. Not only in terms of 3D printers, but printing technologies in itself. I work in the prototyping department of one of the major toolmakers globally and we use the "SLS" (Very oversimplified, this is plastic based in all shapes, colors, materials imaginable) and "SLM" (Same as SLS but with metal based materials instead of plastics. From steel, copper, ceramics to titanium etc. thus it's even stronger than SLS) technology all the time, because it's fast and one of the sturdiest 3D printing technologies out there. BUT what is the drawback? Well these machines are really, really expensive, require clean environments, have a ton of variables and also the base materials are not that cheap. So I'd suggest if there is a case where you need a crazy part, which is strong and can't be manufactured by Ethan, you should just order it. There are plenty of contract manufacturers for SLS and SLM parts. What I can recommend is either SLA or FDM printing. FDM is the one which most people have seen nowadays, SLA is the one where a part is growing out of a liquid and has a smooth surface but is more brittle than FDM. However, in both technologies there are huge differences between price ranges, brands, models, sub technologies you name it. It is actually a nightmare in my opinion. I'm really not a 3D printer expert, so if I where you, I'd visit a competent expert and hear what he has to say. The only two printer models I've ever used myself is one which is like 40k (in the company lol) and the Ultimaker s5. The latter is really good, but I have no other experiences to compare it against. It only costs like 3k I think. I hope this helps a bit if you even read it all the way trough :) Love your vids alot btw, keep it up
For plastic welding, I use an old wood burning iron with a flat tip. Zip ties make great "filling rod" for welding plastic. If I need a stronger plastic welding, I embed either office staples or thin wire pieces in the weld.
Should look up plastic welding tutorial vids on UA-cam there's some very experienced guys that share a lot of info. One technique is to slowly melt metal mesh into plastic material with a soldering iron with flat hot surface on backside of panels going over the seem with couple inches of mesh on both panels. Instead of epoxy the mesh can be physically bonded by having plastic melt into it. Of course only works with thermoplastics.
The algorithm to solve a Rubik’s cube consists of 8 or 9 steps depending on your preference. I taught myself in 10th grade geometry class and I can still to this day solve it in less than a minute. It took me about 2 weeks to learn. Also, y’all are absolutely killing it on the videos. I love the fabrication skills that you are starting to master Ethan. Great camera work and overall great channel I’ve been a sub for a while.
Been following you guys for a year now and subscribed. Currently going through a rough time and your videos are so much fun they make my life better. Keep it Premium and I'll be watching every week !
You guys should get a plastic stitch welder. It's like a soldering iron that heats up little zig zag shaped metal "stitches" that you make into the backside of the plastic your trying to bond. They're super handy and easy and way stronger than trying to glue or epoxy butt joints
Hey Grind hard I have a tip for plastics. Get some masonry tape. And reinforce with ABS paste. Made with acetone and shavings. Use masking tape, or something on the outside. This makes the seam smooth and flush. Assuming it is made with abs plastic.
i "weld" plastic with a soldering iron with a fat tip at around 300-330C depending on the plastic, works great, surface can be sanded easily as well or doesn't even need to if you do it from behind.
I repaired a melted ski boot that fell onto a bare heater with an old seasons pass and some splint mesh with wads of epoxy... My buddy used them for ten years with a big patch on the toe. Totally strong and durable. (rest in peace Danny, I got a bit emotional remembering this, Danny passed away in a car accident a few weeks ago)
Fine stainless steel screen material works amazing. You press it down into the molten plastic and use the surrounding plastic that squeezed out when pressing the screen down, to backfill the patched area. Works well for ATV plastics too! 👨🏭
@@scotttod6954 i don't bother with the filler sticks in the kit either they are garbage. It took me a few failed attempts to figure that out as well. 💩
@@bbracing3925 ya I just buy stainless screen from ebay by the roll. If I need filler I will use whatever is laying around. Garbage bags , zip ties or matching material. I rather not use filler at all. Push screen in with tip of hot soldering iron from backside working your way along. Sometimes I will use torch to heat screen up and then lay it down if I can do large sections at a time. Ends up stronger than original material never have had it fail yet.
Thank you been waiting for new vid ,you guys r the best thing on UA-cam. Love the enthusiasm. I'm to old and fragile to do this sort of thing anymore, thi is next best thing for me
Little tip for reinforcing areas like that where you've plastic welded it, use some metal window screen or small square chicken wire and melt it into the plastic from the backside. I usually just use those flat spade type tips on my soldering iron. Works like a treat for me 🤘
Fox evol shocks need to be mounted with the evol chamber upwards for proper function. There is a small amount of oil in the air chamber that is used to lubricate the inner air chamber seal head. With the shock mounted upside down the fluid sits in the cross over balance chamber valve giving it a funny feel as well as not lubing the seal head.
Guy every episode you impress me more and more, not only with you amazing fab skills but the cinematography and artistic creativity with the shots and editing. I genuinely aspire to be able to make content even a quarter as good as what you guys do. Thank you for putting so much effort in and just keeping the channel awesome keep it up guys 👍👍
3m makes a two part epoxy glue that I use to attach replacement automotive body panels and it's AMAZING!!! it works on everything. I've used it to fix cracked bumper covers, grills, and all kinds of different plastic components. I actually even used to to reattach a plastic radiator neck temporarily until the new one came in and it actually held under heat and pressure of the radiator for two weeks and was still holding strong when I took it out. its 100 bucks a tube but a little bit goes a long way!
Not much sticks to Polyethylene. That's why it's usually welded. You can improve adhesion by flame treating the surface. The other way I'd suggest is ordinary silicone caulk sticks well enough that it could easily hold those panels onto a sheet steel backer. Could even get the seams to blend well with Pink caulk and consistent gaps. Finally tooth-paste reportedly works great as a finish polish for plastic parts.
That job plastic weld works really good fixed up the plastic on my dirt bike where the bolt goes with that and even laid it down after and hasn’t broke your set up should hold way good
after watching this series, i keep picturing a 1/3rd scale metal body vw bus on a chassis like this... would be insane build since i'd really like to see the guys make their own body
18:30 Maybe add a step to the left or right, just above the tailgate / barn doors. Maybe the gas rank goes behind the seat & you could incorporate a step into it.
Could you guys plate the sides of the body with something light? Kinda like how the jeep guys put the body protection panels on the back part. Maybe some thin aluminum or something?
The Grind Hard videos have always been great don't get me wrong but, the quality and videography is getting better since you brought your friend on to the team. Great choice. My son (He is 10) and I really enjoy the videos. Keep up the grab work. you inspire both of us to take on more projects. It also inspires us to try more detailed fab work too. His go-kart has come a long way thanks to you guys. I just wanna say thank you keep up the great work and builds. Because of you guys my son and I spend so much time together building stuff and bonding. I can tell you as a father there is nothing better than bonding with your son. My daughter ( she is 7 ) has recently started to get involved and wants to learn to weld and cut metal too. Thanks again!!!! I really appreciate you guys!!!
@@GrindHardPlumbingCo he told me he wants to build a police car now too. He said he wants a track like you guys have too. Thank you guys again and never stop what you are doing especially since you love it and it makes you happy!!
You got to get the plastic welder that has little mettle clip things that heat up with the tool and melt into the plastic to hold it together. It's awesome.
Just remembered another tip. I've seen guys 'plastic weld' using a soldering iorn with a flat tip and zip ties to repair cracks in motorbike fairings. Basically they just melt the zip tie into the crack on the fairing on the inside with the soldering iron. And if you're worried about the mylon of the zip tie showing through the crack, you can get pink zip ties. 😂 The guy I saw using this idea said it's plenty strong, but I don't really know how good it works. It does sound like the general principle of plastic welding though.
Get one of the plastic repair deals that plants a wire zigzag piece into the plastic with heat from the back side. Then you plastic weld the seam to make it look decent. The clips make it strong !!
Use your glues pieces as a template, cut out new panels from sheet pvc and rivet some wide body kit/flares off something for the wheel well definition. Finish and paint.
Relatable struggle on that sheet metal fabrication, I always end up gouging out deeper and deeper score lines with the grinder to weld up later until it may as well of just been made in many pieces to start with
The plastic welder I have works mint, its different than what you have, mine came with different colors and you insert a color and it melts it into the plastic together
Next time you're plastic welding seems together like that try binding paper clips back-and-forth to melt over and sort of a flattened coil shape it'll give you rigidity between the 2 seams
I fix plastic parts with a $25 hot stapler kit from amazon, a quick wipe down with alcohol then sheetrock mesh tape over the inside seam and shoe goo over that. Makes a stronger part than it was when new.
If the epoxy doesn't work out you can rivet sheetmetal behind the panels to attach them together, countersink the rivets a bit and cover in flexible bumper body filler.
May sound strange but baking soda & super glue make a surprisingly strong plastic material that should hold with no problems. if you give that a try it can make your life simpler in many situations its so strong that you can tap and thread that material and probably lift the whole camper on that thread. Keep up the great work
Try welding the body plastics with acetone, paint on acetone to each peice of plastic it will melt them, clamp them together and let them dry, just don't use too much or it will melt through.
G-Flex epoxy works amazing for welding plastic. I cracked the fuel tank on my dirtbike and no other epoxies would hold, but g-flex has held through it all.
In reference to your plastic body work. I worked in a Ford dealership for several years. A lot of our interior trim pieces were paint to match. I'm not sure if the plastic body is the same type of plastic as the interior of cars but Ford motor company had a primer you put on and then the paint. The paint looked just the same as any of the trim pieces that were molded with the color impregnated into the plastic. Maybe worth looking into.
It's not the best for long bends like your bumper, but the bender attachment for the piranha works effortlessly for short bends and you can do long bends is sections. I think it will bend up to 1/2 plate as I remember.
I use 3/4 “ long pieces of mig wire and sink them into the plastic using a good soldering gun. Then press on it with a piece of metal to smash the plastic back down before it cools.
I like the dyneema rope as its not only safer, easier to handle and lighter, its also very easy to splice back together in the field with nothing but a pocket knife and some duct/electrical tape (heat shrink for a more permanent fix)
I’m not a pro plastic welder but I way prefer the the hot iron style welder because you have better control over what plastic melts and where it forms. It’s just takes practice. I start by tacking pieces together. Then melt deep into the part to make sure I seam the full thickness. Then melt and fill extra matching material on top. Then dremmel and sand smooth.
@@GrindHardPlumbingCo it’s so cool to get replies from you guys!! it is a great skill to have. I once fixed a half gouged splash guard from an old King Quad by welding on part of an old mud flap. Buying that part new was like 60 bucks…screw that
Possible future plastic welding alternative -> If the body is soluble in acetone you could glue something on the back to keep the parts aligned and use the dissolved body as a filler that will melt into the original parts making the join chemically so it wont shatter like can happen using a different material for it and be the perfect color match. Try melting some of the body scraps in acetone and if it does melt then look up ABS slurry/sprue goo for more info process and try it on some other scraps before applying it to the body just to be sure.
Get one of the plastic staple welders vary strong bond and there like 30$ and then use your plastic welder to fill the gaps then blend so it will be strong and look good
A good alternatives for others for plastic welding is a cheap fiberglass repair kit on the underside would absolutely work (probably better than JB weld plastic epoxies in my experience.)
Fiberglass repair will also be way stronger than any plastic repair. If you wanted to go nuts you could get in contact with a carbon fiber channel and have them make you a Kevlar body (Kevlar for flexibility and reliability)
Yo . I have that same brake and if you modify it a little you can bend that no problem . there's one pins on the sides that flex . . . . alot . take those out and run 12mm bolts thru also weld a 3/4 angle on the inside of the part that clamps down . . if that makes sense and yr done
Great work. Plastic welding isn't easy but sanding and painting are. I bet in a pinch there will be a fingernail polish that will match. There are some very good paint for plastics so that should be fine.
Top notch video per usual! Love the build. I saw one other comment, but I think if you got a hot stapler you wouldn't be disappointed. I bought mine to fix my rzr plastics, I recommend it to anyone with offroad toys, it works amazingly!
what's going on guys? Two weeks no video? The suspense to see barbie camper rip is killing me! I'm sure all of us! Never stop fabricating Ethan!!! We are a dieing group of talented individuals and I'm so happy that you have the opportunity to show your skills to the world!
To get 20% off your first box, click here bspk.me/ghpc20 and enter GHPC20 at checkout!
You guys should put a light bar, working tail lights and head lights
And plastic windshield so mud or dibre can't get in
It needs a rear ladder on it just like the real campers used to have also would work perfect as an ez entry point .
Yo you guys should motor swap a gsxr 1000 engine
What is tattooed on eathans fingers?
I can't believe how far Ethans fabrication skills have come from the early days of this channel. The work commitment to getting on these projects and the thousands of hours he's put in is truly commendable.
Would love to see him unleashed on a full size rig as a scratch build. Maybe a rock buggy or something.
Hats off to him and the rest of the crew!
Thanks man! It really is crazy how much I’ve improved in just a couple years. Doing it every day helps a lot, and I just can’t get excited unless I’m improving!
@@GrindHardPlumbingCo Buddy when you guys first started the show, you had some great ideas with decent execution. Now you're one of the best fabricators on UA-cam with phenomenal execution. Bravo. We're all impressed.
@@GrindHardPlumbingCo
3:00 the next step after plastic welding will be the wood welding. 😂
@@GrindHardPlumbingCo ... Back in the early 2000's A friend o mind of mine Lost His Mind Free Basing Plastic at Little Tykes 12 hrs a day ... He was supervisor and lead weldrer in the department ...in fixing bad interjection mold flaws...
this was 20 yrs ago the welder we get now are what the shop used back in the day... ventilation is key. Pls be safe ya'll are natural engineers... Love your content ....Many blessings , SMR
The cinematography was relaxing and beautiful at times, music added to the chill vibe. Fun build👍 Oh yeah beef up that rear end!
Thanks man! Glad you enjoyed it!!
Agreed amazing filming from Steven!!
I agree with everyone commending Ethan's fab skills improvement, but at the same time, Edwin's killing it in the production/editing dept as well (and whoever else is involved in the process). The music and edit on this one were really really good! Overall excellent work on all fronts guys! Keep it up!
Thank you!! We all appreciate it!!
@@GrindHardPlumbingCo for the people that are new it's a bit difficult to know who the different people are, could u do a video introducing all these peeps
@@ScandiSledder8000 he already did
@@Stopelectriccars whats it called???
@@ScandiSledder8000 look back a couple of videos ago
Hay might be a great time to put removable hitch on the front as well .. So you can wench forward and backwards just a thought.
watching ethen struggle with trying to heat weld plastic reminded me of shop class in high school. we used a chemical solevent to weld plastic together. this is coming from an arm chair mechanic so not sure how viable it is, but seemed to work pretty well back then.
you should put a metal backing plate and rivet the panels on, then touch up the rivet head with pink paint, i thing it would look cool
You should definitely build a wheelie bar that fits into the receiver hitch. lol!
Highly recommend you look into a hot stapler. It will make all your panels a ton more rigid and you can just do it from the inside. Then on the outside just spend your time making it look better.
For the body patching I know the RC guys use drywall mesh and shoo-goo to patch/reinforce their lexan plastic bodies. Could be worth a try?
I’ve seen a few comments about that. Might have to try it.
Fiber glass might work too
I have repaired plastic grills and bumpers using fiberglass and epoxy before. I used stuff for repairing boat hulls.
@@GrindHardPlumbingCo I Weld plastics for a living. I can come give some guidance and it would make it a breeze for you guys. Let me know if that's something you'd be interested in.
I am one of those rc guys and shoe goo will not be strong enough
Drywall mesh is good but you need plastic weld by jb weld
Or good old fashion epoxy maybe.
What color should we paint the cage?
Metalflake gold.
Gloss black with a sparkle
We might need to make a poll of this...
Neon green
Baby blue
You should melt strips of steel mesh into your plastic welds. It will melt right in and will be stronger than the rest of the body.
I blew up the motor on a trx700xx and now i really want to chop it and build a powerwheel out of it! This Van could be built so many different ways too! I love watching your guys projects evolve. I'm going to need to start posting my builds you guys have helped inspire. PTSD has just made me so unsocial, but i saw you guys and just started building. Projects like these have saved me. Love your builds boys, cheers from Omak WA!
Shout out to whoever edits all these montages… reveals, music, pan shots; everything’s synced so well. It’s definitely an art form not a hobby.
I was thinking, you could use magnets glued to the floppy parts of the body to stick it to the frame to cut down on chattery rattles (industry term). This is turning out to be one of your best power wheels so far, except the colonel but that thing is in its own league.
Oatey's PVC primer and glue work pretty good for "welding" plastic. They make multiple colors of cement including clear, which is what I've used to repair Dodge dashes and such.
I was thinking that too, as long as the plastic is solvent weldable. HDPE can't be solvent welded I don't think. Not sure about PP. ABS and PVC obviously can be as this is the plastic used in DWV pipe. I think the PVC cement is specifically formulated for PVC, but it may work for other plastics as well.
What type of plastic is used for the dashes?
I used to plastic weld 12v batteries 50 years ago. You take a 30 w soldering iron and an old light dimmer to set the temperature to the plastic. I used the plastic and I did not have to do any touch up because the plastic was almost melded and I used the iron to smooth the weld. I used the screwdriver bit instead the pencil bit.
a better way than heat to "weld" plastic is to use a solvent, acetone works for ABS. if you take some ABS and dissolve it in the acetone and make a slurry then you can goop that on and you can get really strong bonds. works pretty much the same with other plastics, you just have to make sure you are using the right solvent for the type of plastic you are working with
you guys should really look into getting a 3d printer so you can print out your custom additions to the plastic body with out having to weld as much
This is a great idea! Any recommendations?
@@GrindHardPlumbingCo lulzbot is pretty great
@@GrindHardPlumbingCo Take a look at the recently released Prusa XL if you want manufacturers support. Or a Creality CR-10 if you want a huge user base for support.
@@GrindHardPlumbingCo also also wire mesh + melting it into the plastic is best! Done that with abs plastic bumpers before. Quick heat with torch and stamp it in!
@@GrindHardPlumbingCo There are a huge amount of options out there nowadays. Not only in terms of 3D printers, but printing technologies in itself.
I work in the prototyping department of one of the major toolmakers globally and we use the "SLS" (Very oversimplified, this is plastic based in all shapes, colors, materials imaginable) and "SLM" (Same as SLS but with metal based materials instead of plastics. From steel, copper, ceramics to titanium etc. thus it's even stronger than SLS) technology all the time, because it's fast and one of the sturdiest 3D printing technologies out there.
BUT what is the drawback? Well these machines are really, really expensive, require clean environments, have a ton of variables and also the base materials are not that cheap. So I'd suggest if there is a case where you need a crazy part, which is strong and can't be manufactured by Ethan, you should just order it. There are plenty of contract manufacturers for SLS and SLM parts.
What I can recommend is either SLA or FDM printing. FDM is the one which most people have seen nowadays, SLA is the one where a part is growing out of a liquid and has a smooth surface but is more brittle than FDM. However, in both technologies there are huge differences between price ranges, brands, models, sub technologies you name it. It is actually a nightmare in my opinion.
I'm really not a 3D printer expert, so if I where you, I'd visit a competent expert and hear what he has to say. The only two printer models I've ever used myself is one which is like 40k (in the company lol) and the Ultimaker s5. The latter is really good, but I have no other experiences to compare it against. It only costs like 3k I think.
I hope this helps a bit if you even read it all the way trough :)
Love your vids alot btw, keep it up
For plastic welding, I use an old wood burning iron with a flat tip. Zip ties make great "filling rod" for welding plastic. If I need a stronger plastic welding, I embed either office staples or thin wire pieces in the weld.
That’s a good idea! Just ordered a hot stapler to try that.
Should look up plastic welding tutorial vids on UA-cam there's some very experienced guys that share a lot of info. One technique is to slowly melt metal mesh into plastic material with a soldering iron with flat hot surface on backside of panels going over the seem with couple inches of mesh on both panels. Instead of epoxy the mesh can be physically bonded by having plastic melt into it. Of course only works with thermoplastics.
Have you guys ever looked into the plastic stapler that uses heat? Eastwood sells it. Awesome build so far.
i use a butter knife and a torch to cut plastic and i also have a butter knife bent off set for mooshing stainless screen into each at the joints
that's some fine crafting, man!
I love the warm and cozy feel of the tiny shop but I also can’t wait until the big shop gets finished
Thanks man! We agree!
The algorithm to solve a Rubik’s cube consists of 8 or 9 steps depending on your preference. I taught myself in 10th grade geometry class and I can still to this day solve it in less than a minute. It took me about 2 weeks to learn.
Also, y’all are absolutely killing it on the videos. I love the fabrication skills that you are starting to master Ethan. Great camera work and overall great channel I’ve been a sub for a while.
Been following you guys for a year now and subscribed. Currently going through a rough time and your videos are so much fun they make my life better. Keep it Premium and I'll be watching every week !
You guys should get a plastic stitch welder. It's like a soldering iron that heats up little zig zag shaped metal "stitches" that you make into the backside of the plastic your trying to bond. They're super handy and easy and way stronger than trying to glue or epoxy butt joints
Hey Grind hard I have a tip for plastics. Get some masonry tape. And reinforce with ABS paste. Made with acetone and shavings. Use masking tape, or something on the outside. This makes the seam smooth and flush. Assuming it is made with abs plastic.
You guys should make mini pull behind campers for over landing with them
Guys you amazing!!! Super mechanic👍
Thanks!
i "weld" plastic with a soldering iron with a fat tip at around 300-330C depending on the plastic, works great, surface can be sanded easily as well or doesn't even need to if you do it from behind.
I repaired a melted ski boot that fell onto a bare heater with an old seasons pass and some splint mesh with wads of epoxy... My buddy used them for ten years with a big patch on the toe. Totally strong and durable. (rest in peace Danny, I got a bit emotional remembering this, Danny passed away in a car accident a few weeks ago)
that's awesome!
Fine stainless steel screen material works amazing. You press it down into the molten plastic and use the surrounding plastic that squeezed out when pressing the screen down, to backfill the patched area. Works well for ATV plastics too! 👨🏭
Can confirm. I sucked at plastic welding until I learned the stainless mesh trick.
@@scotttod6954 i don't bother with the filler sticks in the kit either they are garbage. It took me a few failed attempts to figure that out as well. 💩
@@bbracing3925 ya I just buy stainless screen from ebay by the roll. If I need filler I will use whatever is laying around. Garbage bags , zip ties or matching material. I rather not use filler at all. Push screen in with tip of hot soldering iron from backside working your way along. Sometimes I will use torch to heat screen up and then lay it down if I can do large sections at a time. Ends up stronger than original material never have had it fail yet.
Look into the staple style of plastic welding, as long as you can get good parallel cuts that match up it’s a breeze
Thank you been waiting for new vid ,you guys r the best thing on UA-cam. Love the enthusiasm. I'm to old and fragile to do this sort of thing anymore, thi is next best thing for me
Thank you! This means so much!
Little tip for reinforcing areas like that where you've plastic welded it, use some metal window screen or small square chicken wire and melt it into the plastic from the backside. I usually just use those flat spade type tips on my soldering iron. Works like a treat for me 🤘
Also, 30 seconds after posted that comment I got to the part where you epoxied the screen to the backside lol
Fox evol shocks need to be mounted with the evol chamber upwards for proper function. There is a small amount of oil in the air chamber that is used to lubricate the inner air chamber seal head. With the shock mounted upside down the fluid sits in the cross over balance chamber valve giving it a funny feel as well as not lubing the seal head.
Guy every episode you impress me more and more, not only with you amazing fab skills but the cinematography and artistic creativity with the shots and editing. I genuinely aspire to be able to make content even a quarter as good as what you guys do. Thank you for putting so much effort in and just keeping the channel awesome keep it up guys 👍👍
3m makes a two part epoxy glue that I use to attach replacement automotive body panels and it's AMAZING!!! it works on everything. I've used it to fix cracked bumper covers, grills, and all kinds of different plastic components. I actually even used to to reattach a plastic radiator neck temporarily until the new one came in and it actually held under heat and pressure of the radiator for two weeks and was still holding strong when I took it out. its 100 bucks a tube but a little bit goes a long way!
Not much sticks to Polyethylene. That's why it's usually welded. You can improve adhesion by flame treating the surface. The other way I'd suggest is ordinary silicone caulk sticks well enough that it could easily hold those panels onto a sheet steel backer. Could even get the seams to blend well with Pink caulk and consistent gaps. Finally tooth-paste reportedly works great as a finish polish for plastic parts.
This dude and his on point measurements tell how professionalllll he has came over the years
Haha! Thanks man!
That job plastic weld works really good fixed up the plastic on my dirt bike where the bolt goes with that and even laid it down after and hasn’t broke your set up should hold way good
after watching this series, i keep picturing a 1/3rd scale metal body vw bus on a chassis like this... would be insane build since i'd really like to see the guys make their own body
18:30 Maybe add a step to the left or right, just above the tailgate / barn doors. Maybe the gas rank goes behind the seat & you could incorporate a step into it.
You guys should make a wheelie wheel that fits in the receiver hitch
I was thinking exactly the same thing
Would love to see you guys build a dually/semi truck two seater power wheels then build a trailer to tow the Barbie jeep and Colonel senders!!!
that'd be fun!
The plastic welder I use at work melts a metal wire into the plastic and you give it a slight twist to make it bond. Then lay the epoxy to look nice
Could you guys plate the sides of the body with something light? Kinda like how the jeep guys put the body protection panels on the back part. Maybe some thin aluminum or something?
The Grind Hard videos have always been great don't get me wrong but, the quality and videography is getting better since you brought your friend on to the team. Great choice. My son (He is 10) and I really enjoy the videos. Keep up the grab work. you inspire both of us to take on more projects. It also inspires us to try more detailed fab work too. His go-kart has come a long way thanks to you guys. I just wanna say thank you keep up the great work and builds. Because of you guys my son and I spend so much time together building stuff and bonding. I can tell you as a father there is nothing better than bonding with your son. My daughter ( she is 7 ) has recently started to get involved and wants to learn to weld and cut metal too. Thanks again!!!! I really appreciate you guys!!!
Thank you!! It’s comments like this that keep us inspired and excited about what we do! Love to hear about kids getting into building things!
@@GrindHardPlumbingCo he told me he wants to build a police car now too. He said he wants a track like you guys have too. Thank you guys again and never stop what you are doing especially since you love it and it makes you happy!!
You got to get the plastic welder that has little mettle clip things that heat up with the tool and melt into the plastic to hold it together. It's awesome.
Just remembered another tip. I've seen guys 'plastic weld' using a soldering iorn with a flat tip and zip ties to repair cracks in motorbike fairings.
Basically they just melt the zip tie into the crack on the fairing on the inside with the soldering iron.
And if you're worried about the mylon of the zip tie showing through the crack, you can get pink zip ties. 😂
The guy I saw using this idea said it's plenty strong, but I don't really know how good it works. It does sound like the general principle of plastic welding though.
Get one of the plastic repair deals that plants a wire zigzag piece into the plastic with heat from the back side. Then you plastic weld the seam to make it look decent. The clips make it strong !!
I get the biggest kicks out of ethans perfectionism, anything less than ideal grinds his gears haha love your work and mentality, my ocd approves 😂👍
Use your glues pieces as a template, cut out new panels from sheet pvc and rivet some wide body kit/flares off something for the wheel well definition. Finish and paint.
Relatable struggle on that sheet metal fabrication, I always end up gouging out deeper and deeper score lines with the grinder to weld up later until it may as well of just been made in many pieces to start with
yeah good folds are $$$$
Maybe you folks should make one... A giant press brake machine in your new giant shop ;+)
I have found that 5second fix the uv glue works best for plastic and is strong and heat resistant
Use the hot staple plastic welding for panels. Works amazing.
Replaced winch line and was happy with weight savings, then builds a 60lb bumper. Love these builds! Keep it up guys!
Bumper probably weighs less than 20lbs. But that’s the point: get rid of weight where you can, so adding weight for other stuff is less of a problem!
The plastic welder I have works mint, its different than what you have, mine came with different colors and you insert a color and it melts it into the plastic together
Have a graphics wrap made up to cover and strengthen the plastic weld area, should be able to match the pink fairly close.
Piece of metal behind the plastic with some liquid nails to attach the plastic works great
Next time you're plastic welding seems together like that try binding paper clips back-and-forth to melt over and sort of a flattened coil shape it'll give you rigidity between the 2 seams
3:00 the absolute concentration in this man.
trying!
I fix plastic parts with a $25 hot stapler kit from amazon, a quick wipe down with alcohol then sheetrock mesh tape over the inside seam and shoe goo over that. Makes a stronger part than it was when new.
I wish I’d known about the hot stapler thing before this… I just ordered one.
If the epoxy doesn't work out you can rivet sheetmetal behind the panels to attach them together, countersink the rivets a bit and cover in flexible bumper body filler.
That is a lot closer to a cane knife altered machete used to cut sugar cane awesome adaption
May sound strange but baking soda & super glue make a surprisingly strong plastic material that should hold with no problems. if you give that a try it can make your life simpler in many situations its so strong that you can tap and thread that material and probably lift the whole camper on that thread.
Keep up the great work
I love that you guys can make a video that shows us how to do things but still making the videos short a fun
Try welding the body plastics with acetone, paint on acetone to each peice of plastic it will melt them, clamp them together and let them dry, just don't use too much or it will melt through.
G-Flex epoxy works amazing for welding plastic. I cracked the fuel tank on my dirtbike and no other epoxies would hold, but g-flex has held through it all.
In reference to your plastic body work. I worked in a Ford dealership for several years. A lot of our interior trim pieces were paint to match. I'm not sure if the plastic body is the same type of plastic as the interior of cars but Ford motor company had a primer you put on and then the paint. The paint looked just the same as any of the trim pieces that were molded with the color impregnated into the plastic. Maybe worth looking into.
I think a twin scroll turbo would be pretty funny on that cause there's an exhaust port for each cylinder
That would be awesome!
It's not the best for long bends like your bumper, but the bender attachment for the piranha works effortlessly for short bends and you can do long bends is sections. I think it will bend up to 1/2 plate as I remember.
I use 3/4 “ long pieces of mig wire and sink them into the plastic using a good soldering gun. Then press on it with a piece of metal to smash the plastic back down before it cools.
I like the dyneema rope as its not only safer, easier to handle and lighter, its also very easy to splice back together in the field with nothing but a pocket knife and some duct/electrical tape (heat shrink for a more permanent fix)
Aluminum screen cut to fit the inside the body line melt it into the plastic and bondo over it or epoxy very strong seam.
I’m loving the production quality of this video
I’m not a pro plastic welder but I way prefer the the hot iron style welder because you have better control over what plastic melts and where it forms. It’s just takes practice. I start by tacking pieces together. Then melt deep into the part to make sure I seam the full thickness. Then melt and fill extra matching material on top. Then dremmel and sand smooth.
I’ve tried both, and I would agree with you. Both ways suck, but the hot air is definitely worse.
@@GrindHardPlumbingCo it’s so cool to get replies from you guys!! it is a great skill to have. I once fixed a half gouged splash guard from an old King Quad by welding on part of an old mud flap. Buying that part new was like 60 bucks…screw that
I’d reeeally love to see you guys do a build with an antique pedal car. My boys and I absolutely love your videos. Keep up the great work!
The camera work! The build! It's all so cool😎
Possible future plastic welding alternative -> If the body is soluble in acetone you could glue something on the back to keep the parts aligned and use the dissolved body as a filler that will melt into the original parts making the join chemically so it wont shatter like can happen using a different material for it and be the perfect color match.
Try melting some of the body scraps in acetone and if it does melt then look up ABS slurry/sprue goo for more info process and try it on some other scraps before applying it to the body just to be sure.
Super glue and fibreglass turns into rock, I've repaired plastics using this method works well for areas you can't see 🤙🏻
Get one of the plastic staple welders vary strong bond and there like 30$ and then use your plastic welder to fill the gaps then blend so it will be strong and look good
litteraly went up like 100,000 subscibers in the past week or so!!! keep it coming guys!! also love the new GHPC work shirts.
A good alternatives for others for plastic welding is a cheap fiberglass repair kit on the underside would absolutely work (probably better than JB weld plastic epoxies in my experience.)
Fiberglass repair will also be way stronger than any plastic repair. If you wanted to go nuts you could get in contact with a carbon fiber channel and have them make you a Kevlar body (Kevlar for flexibility and reliability)
To stiffen the sides you could make like the rub rails / quarter armor made for the Jeep Cherokees and other jeeps
Yo . I have that same brake and if you modify it a little you can bend that no problem . there's one pins on the sides that flex . . . . alot . take those out and run 12mm bolts thru also weld a 3/4 angle on the inside of the part that clamps down . . if that makes sense and yr done
Go with a two tone to cover the body mods. Pink on top with white on bottom might come out sick.
If u want a good strong plastic weld. The good ol hot paper clip/ wire technique has seriously never let me down.
"Weld it, then measure it" is a tried and true technique used by the greatest master fabricators.
Haha! I’m glad you approve!
Great work. Plastic welding isn't easy but sanding and painting are. I bet in a pinch there will be a fingernail polish that will match. There are some very good paint for plastics so that should be fine.
you can get some plastic that come in same way as epoxy.
the express version hardens in 2 minutes.
great to work with.
That freeze frame that was also like a 3D picture with the smoke was pretty amazing shiz
Top notch video per usual! Love the build. I saw one other comment, but I think if you got a hot stapler you wouldn't be disappointed. I bought mine to fix my rzr plastics, I recommend it to anyone with offroad toys, it works amazingly!
Your problem solving and creativity are top notch.
👍👍❤️
Thanks man! I appreciate it!
Pretty cool but you should make a receiver hitch wheelie bar with a wheel or hell a piece of titanium for more sparks! Hell yeah man!
what's going on guys? Two weeks no video? The suspense to see barbie camper rip is killing me! I'm sure all of us! Never stop fabricating Ethan!!! We are a dieing group of talented individuals and I'm so happy that you have the opportunity to show your skills to the world!
wow Stephen what an ass... Edwin got COVID and has been trying to get it done... wow
.... I had no idea... wow.. I hope he's okay....
Panel bond a 3 inch wide stripe from behind and then weld the front just to make it look good...
Love the builds
Never hesitate to splice in more nature shots too, you guys live in a very gorgeous place!
They make a great plastic welding kit with squiggly little wire doodads that in boss into the plastic works great for bumpers