[lownote]

I recently did some repainting and lighting on a couple old Bachmann J&S coaches. They came out pretty well

But I want to close up the space between the cars.

If I cut the coupler tang, what's the best way to glue it back together? I just tried it and managed to shorten one by about half an inch. Just cut out section of the tang with a razor saw. I glued it back together using laquer thinner with styrene reinforcement. It's setting right now, but I'm not sure it will be strong enough


Any suggestions on adhesives? Or maybe I could body mount an aristo coupler?

 

[paintjockey]

I never had good luck glueing B-mann truck parts, one thing that worked fairly well for me though was a two part epoxy. I ended up using a piece of flat brass with screws for strength. I finally went all body mount, but lots of folks don't want to go that way.

 

[Gary Armitstead]

Mike,

The J&S cars really look great with the new paint job. AND I agree with paintjockey about using epoxy for the glue. I had to finally replace the trucks on my Connie because I could not get them to stay gled and that was with a two part epoxy also.

 

[Dean Whipple]

I use a product called 'Weldon #16' it is available from Tap Plastics...and I have successfully glued Bachmann's Connie trucks as well as a lot of other hard to glue plastics...apply the glue and clamp overnight.

http://www.tapplastics.com/shop/product.php?pid=132

 

[Pete Thornton]

I'm not sure it will be strong enough

I'm pretty sure it won't! (a) Think of the yank on the long train behind that joint when you start the loco with an (un-prototypical) jerk, and (b) they are made of 'engineering plastic' (nylon type) as the axles run in the side frame bearings, and that stuff is notoriously difficult to glue.

a piece of flat brass with screws


That's more like it. Drill a hole thru your joint and bolt it together - even better, use two, so the tang doesn't wander from side to side.

To keep them at the same height as before, cut out 1/2" and then bolt a thin piece of brass strip across the joint between the two halves.

 

[lownote]

Thanks everyone. The laquer thinner didn't hold--I gave it a very aggressive tug and it came right off. So I tried Devcon "plastic weld" epoxy, which in my experience is pretty tough stuff. It's still setting. If it fails, then either a mechanical joint or maybe I'll try body mounting aristo couplers.

Also can someone tell me why I put this thread in "buildings? What was I thinking?

 

[Madstang]

When I have to glue something together that has a good chance of getting a little pressure...I use the styrene reinforcement as you did..BUT I also use JB quick weld..with ample amopunts..not spareingly...let set dry for 24-48 hours..and it seems to work pretty well.

If I think I need EXTRA hold I will sandwich the piece with 2 pieces of styrene..THEN add the ample amount of JB Quick weld...dries it 10-20- minutes..yea right...still wait the 24-48 hours before using it.

Again this works very well.

Bubba

 

[Tom Leaton]

my Bachmann S[ectrum 2-6-0 has a similar problem. The tender truck has a coupler mount which has has cracked off. The plastic looks shiny and relatively brittle. I don't want to remove the truck for drilling the mending bar: there are electrical leads.

Thanks for the reminders about glues. I don't know if I can get Weldon 16 over the counter at H. Depot; but think they have J B Weld. There was once some talk about using PVC pipe glue, too and maybe I'll experiment w/that.

cheers & Merry Christmas

 

[lownote]

I ended up using devcon plastic weld and it worked for about five hours of running today. So far so good

 

[Stan Cedarleaf]

Posted By Dean Whipple on 12/24/2008 9:45 AM
I use a product called 'Weldon #16' it is available from Tap Plastics...and I have successfully glued Bachmann's Connie trucks as well as a lot of other hard to glue plastics...apply the glue and clamp overnight.

http://www.tapplastics.com/shop/product.php?pid=132




Ditto to Dean's post. I've been very successful with Weldon #16. It works very well on broken Bachmann trucks. I've repaired many of them with #16 over the past 8 years and many of them are still in service after the fix.