18 Sep DIY / How To Weld Plastic

This plastic welding project was a little time consuming but pretty easy. The goal was to repair my son, Jesse’s plastic box stand so that it could be reassembled and used. The box stand was damaged while on the way to the hunting land by being blown out of the bed of his pickup truck by a hard wind from a passing tractor trailer. The box stand was strapped down but the wind was just too much for it.
I had only done a small amount of plastic welding but I thought that I could make the repairs. I had already purchased a wood burning tool from Hobby Lobby for around $20.00 after the 40% off coupon. I grabbed some plastic bottles out of the recycle bin and test welded a couple of pieces of the broken plastic to see which bottle worked the best. I found that a shampoo bottle that was thin and flexible worked the best so I cut several small strips of plastic out of it.
To weld or melt the plastic together I started sliding the wood burning tool along one side of the break and then along the other side, pushing the melted plastic toward the center of the break to join it together. Once I joined the plastic together, I went from side to side in order to smooth out the weld. I used the additional plastic from the bottle to melt and blend with the existing plastic which seemed to make a stronger joint. I also used some plastic pieces from a five gallon bucket to melt and weld a couple of the breaks in the box stand. Once all of the breaks were welded, we were able to assemble the box stand and transport it to the hunting land where it was attached to a ten foot tower and has held together just fine.

A couple things to keep in mind

Whether you’re using a plastic welder, soldering iron or a wood burner, they all get very hot so use caution. Don’t touch the hot plastic too soon because hot plastic will stick to and burn you.

All welding should be done outside or in a well ventilated area. I was in a large open area but I also kept a fan blowing over the area being welded to disperse any smoke or fumes.

It was also suggested to me that zip ties work great when you need to add plastic to your weld. I haven’t tried using zip ties yet but I think it’s a great idea and I will be trying it on my next plastic welding project.

I hope this information can help you with your plastic welding project.

Jeff Furr