swimbait repair
the soldering iron works best. you get a weld that is not 100%, but probably pretty close. you need a cheap soldering iron and a non-combustable surface to work on. um, a blue rag turns out not to be the best working surface......
(http://alantani.com/gallery/7/1_11_08_12_6_09_32_76001205.jpeg)
for demonstration purposes only, i am going to switch tails on these two swimbaits. i have the advantage of being able to cut them, rather than have a fish chew them off.
(http://alantani.com/gallery/7/1_11_08_12_6_09_41_7601585.jpeg)
first, tack the two surfaces together.
(http://alantani.com/gallery/7/1_11_08_12_6_09_49_76021656.jpeg)
now flip them over and heat both surfaces at once.
(http://alantani.com/gallery/7/1_11_08_12_6_09_57_76032162.jpeg)
squeeze the two pieces together and let everything cool. your repair is basically complete.
(http://alantani.com/gallery/7/1_11_08_12_6_10_06_76042404.jpeg)
it came out crooked, but no matter.
(http://alantani.com/gallery/7/1_11_08_12_6_10_14_76052008.jpeg)
we can smooth out the surfaces and push a little material around to fill in the connection.
(http://alantani.com/gallery/7/1_11_08_12_6_10_22_7606754.jpeg)
done. it took longer for me to find the soldering iron then it did to make the repairs.
(http://alantani.com/gallery/7/1_11_08_12_6_10_30_76071006.jpeg)
what about the strength of the repair? well, you can hang these by the tail and the weld will still hold. if you pull hard enough, i am certain it will break at that spot, but it probably will not matter when you are fishing. if a fish grabs just the tail and misses the hook, the swim bait would have separated anyway.
(http://alantani.com/gallery/7/1_11_08_12_6_10_38_7608933.jpeg)
what about tears in the body?
(http://alantani.com/gallery/7/1_11_08_12_6_10_47_7609574.jpeg)
the repairs are even easier. just jam the soldering iron into the tear to heat the surfaces and push them together before they cool.
(http://alantani.com/gallery/7/1_11_08_12_6_10_56_7610704.jpeg)
then fill in the voids in the same manner.
(http://alantani.com/gallery/7/1_11_08_12_6_11_04_76111821.jpeg)
obviously, my time is worth more than the cost of a new swim bait, but some people enjoy things like this. i know i certainly do!
http://www.menditglue.com/
LOL Much easier and better IMO... :-)
Wow Nessie! You beat me to it! ;D
The best thing I've found for fixing broken soft plastics is a product called Mend It. It's not a glue. It's some liquid that actually fuses the plastic back together, without those crunchy spots you get with using Crazy Glue. When done correctly the mended bait is just as strong as it was before. It's truly amazing stuff!
;)
you sir, deserved a medal..
thanks!