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    Your favorite “quick-fix” fastening materials

    You have something that doesn’t move but it is supposed to? We know the fix for that: WD-40 . But what about the opposite? The joke says, duct tape. But personally, I hate that stuff with a passion. It never holds for a long time and always leaves a sticky residue afterwards.

    With that in mind, I would like to hear what you all use when you need to do a “quick-fix” on something. My favorite is by far solid steel wire and hot glue (note: you can vote on more than one item), though I do also like masking and mailing tape as well.

    I think there is probably something in every corner in my house that I have fixed with solid wire. Some items include (but are not limited to): my computer chair, my ghetto headset, the shower curtain in my rental place (I made both the hooks and the curtain rod from steel wire… yeah super , but good enough for 1 year before I moved out), the handle on the vacuum cleaner, the fridge in my first rental place (after a crazy roommate broke half of the shelves), one of the cabinet mechanisms in the kitchen, many PC heatsinks… and most recently, the hood latch handle on my car. So, in short, I use it A LOT. Basically, my dad got a spool of the stuff and it was sitting in the garage, unused for years. Then I used it to fix something (I don’t even remember the first thing I fixed with it), and the next thing you know, that spool was unwinding fast! Since then, I swear by steel wire. It is either 16 or 14 AWG, so quite strong.

    As for hot glue, I truly got introduced to it in high school engineering/CAD class. Once I figured a “proper” technique for applying it (which really is just applying the glue when it gets very hot and smoothing all edges where it catches on the material), it proved to be quite strong, especially on wood and acrylic glass (i.e. Plexiglas). The entire senior project (an RC car built from scratch, minus the electronics) for my high school engineering class was held by hot glue (save for a few necessary screws here and there). And even my headphone amplifier uses plenty of that stuff. All of the hot glue in it still holds strong. I also regularly use it to hold together opened power adapters and to strengthen the wire sleeves where the wires exit out of the adapters. Therefore, I always keep my hot glue gun handy and loaded.

    So what is or are your favorite fastening materials?
    52
    Duct tape, of course!
    0%
    6
    Zip ties – fast and easy
    0%
    10
    Hot glue… it is not just for kids, you know. :D
    0%
    9
    Solid wire – just look how good Dimitri's Lada is running! :lol:
    0%
    5
    Masking tape – the wife overstocked on painting supplies when we got the house.
    0%
    1
    Super glue… is super!
    0%
    5
    Electrical tape, because I am an electrician.
    0%
    7
    Mailing tape. It holds boxes together even when mailed with UPS!
    0%
    3
    Other (please clarify)
    0%
    6

    The poll is expired.


    #2
    Re: Your favorite “quick-fix” fastening materials

    I don't know... I use a lot of epoxy and get myself all packed with bisphenol-A ...

    Two recent non-obvious examples:

    1. My car's remote key fob cracked after years of use - the post that holds the two halves together and keeps the chain from slipping out cracked. I used epoxy and a short standoff to restore functionality of the cracked piece - and still able to open/close the remote to replace the battery. Not pretty but holding together very well.

    2. I have a 120V output plug that was cracked and shattered from a previous owner. I used epoxy to fill in the missing pieces and make the plug graspable again, without risk of electrocution. The epoxy is pretty solid, almost as good as new.
    Last edited by eccerr0r; 09-25-2015, 09:36 PM.

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      #3
      Re: Your favorite “quick-fix” fastening materials

      UHU
      look it up - it's like magic.

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        #4
        Re: Your favorite “quick-fix” fastening materials

        I avoid duct tape and electrical tape. They are both too messy. Packaging tape is good for what it's meant for. I like hot glue or epoxy, it depends on the project. Super glue is good for small things but it's not as super as it's made out to be. If you use to much it cures on the outside fast and seals off the inside of the glue layer and it won't cure because it needs the moisture in the air to cure.

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          #5
          Re: Your favorite “quick-fix” fastening materials

          Originally posted by stj View Post
          UHU
          look it up - it's like magic.
          They have a few different glues, are you meaning the GP adhesive?

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            #6
            Re: Your favorite “quick-fix” fastening materials

            hobby shop ca and kicker.add white sand to replace missing chunks.
            jb weld.
            even makes a decent thermal glue.

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              #7
              Re: Your favorite “quick-fix” fastening materials

              Originally posted by SteveNielsen View Post
              They have a few different glues, are you meaning the GP adhesive?
              yes, sorry - the general purpose one.
              it's the only one you generally see in shops anyway.

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                #8
                Re: Your favorite “quick-fix” fastening materials

                jb weld for the win.
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                  #9
                  Re: Your favorite “quick-fix” fastening materials

                  ^ That along with everything listed... and pop rivets. Also, a material used in the store display industry called "twin-stik" which is a really strong double-sided white foam tape. Twin-Stik fixes everything...
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                    #10
                    Re: Your favorite “quick-fix” fastening materials

                    Originally posted by ratdude747 View Post
                    ^ That along with everything listed... and pop rivets. Also, a material used in the store display industry called "twin-stik" which is a really strong double-sided white foam tape. Twin-Stik fixes everything...
                    3M double-sided automotive tape is also hard to beat on that front.
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                      #11
                      Re: Your favorite “quick-fix” fastening materials

                      ah yes, foam tape.
                      i used that once to fit a car numberplate without drilling holes in it - it never came off again even after a winter of snow!

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                        #12
                        Re: Your favorite “quick-fix” fastening materials

                        Originally posted by Topcat View Post
                        3M double-sided automotive tape is also hard to beat on that front.
                        meh, I've found name-brand twin-stik to be a lot better. cheap foam tape, not so much.

                        Here's the company that makes it (and other adhesives used in the store display industry)

                        http://www.essentraspecialtytapes.co...win-Stick-Tape

                        The rema stuff is intesting too.. the rema one is removable on one side but not on the other (you can probably imagine why that could be nice). The permanent stuff, well, doesn't easily come off. Even with effort and lots of solvent. Industrial grade.

                        (I only have it because of surplus from jobs I've done, it's good stuff).
                        Last edited by ratdude747; 09-26-2015, 05:38 PM.
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                          #13
                          Re: Your favorite “quick-fix” fastening materials

                          As an electrician, of course the zip ties and electrical tape are top picks.

                          I use super glue (or its equivalents) as 'skin patches' instead of bandages for small cuts. Stops the bleeding and doesn't come off when sweating.

                          My co-workers hate when I use steel tie wire instead of wire ties for securing MC cables together or to a steel structure. My inspectors never have a problem and neither does my boss. A 1-pound spool of tie wire is also great for suspending the cables above a drop ceiling. Gone are the days of throwing the MC across a drop ceiling and leaving it lay on the grid or tying it to the wires that hold the grid.
                          Stupidity should be a crime, especially for drivers. I have NO patience for them.

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                            #14
                            Re: Your favorite “quick-fix” fastening materials

                            Originally posted by ratdude747 View Post
                            cheap foam tape, not so much.
                            Let me know when that stuff gets cheap.... Theres also a thing called spacing... Seen 3M tape hold trim on vehicles for 30+ years, I stand by my comment.
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                              #15
                              Re: Your favorite “quick-fix” fastening materials

                              I have been getting quite handy lately with my hot air station and a pack of plastic welding rods from harbor freight... 225C melts ABS really nicely.

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                                #16
                                Re: Your favorite “quick-fix” fastening materials

                                Originally posted by Topcat View Post
                                jb weld for the win.
                                I have had good luck with JB Weld in some applications, but to do a really good job with it takes decent prep work (e.g. cleaning, degreasing, etc). And the cure time is many hours. I think that if there is enough steel, and the heat will not cause any big problems, then I prefer to actually weld it with stick or MIG.

                                Devcon Plastic Welder is awesome for gluing many plastics (including to metal). And the local hardware store stocks it.

                                Last week I put 6-mil poly on an old 127' x 40' wooden greenhouse frame with lath strips and medium crown staples shot by my Porter Cable MS200 stapler. When I hold down the trigger in bump fire mode it will shoot 2" long staples as fast as I can bump the nose into the workpiece.
                                Last edited by Uniballer; 09-26-2015, 09:35 PM.

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                                  #17
                                  Re: Your favorite “quick-fix” fastening materials

                                  Well, depends on what I'm fixing and how I want it to look of course
                                  But ZIP ties is a must.
                                  I also frequently save the small plastic encased wires you get when you buy cables etc.
                                  Great for fixing stuff up and not worrying about the steel wire damaging anything since it's encased in plastic/rubber
                                  And of course the eletrical tape, that's a must
                                  "The one who says it cannot be done should never interrupt the one who is doing it."

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                                    #18
                                    Re: Your favorite “quick-fix” fastening materials

                                    i just use electrical tape or scotch tape it depends on the kind of repair

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                                      #19
                                      Re: Your favorite “quick-fix” fastening materials

                                      Originally posted by kc8adu View Post
                                      hobby shop ca and kicker.add white sand to replace missing chunks.
                                      I also read that you can use baking soda instead of sand.

                                      Originally posted by kc8adu View Post
                                      jb weld.
                                      even makes a decent thermal glue.
                                      I've been meaning to buy me a tube ever since TC mentioned it... but I keep forgetting when I am at Home Depot.

                                      Now when it comes to glue, Elmer's wood glue is actually quite alright for general purpose use too, especially paper. My paper-re-conned Realistic NOVA speakers were all done with wood glue - both where the paper speaker cone joins the paper suspension I made, and where the paper suspension is held on the metal basket.
                                      I've also used Elmer's wood glue as a "potting" material on some coils in place of varnish.

                                      But personally, if I have to resort to a glue that takes more than a few hours to cure, then it is no longer considered a "quick-fix".

                                      On that note, I really like using PVC cement/glue on plastics that I am trying to "properly" fix (i.e. not necessarily "quick-fix"). The thing is, it doesn't work on all types of plastics equally. In fact, I've been meaning to experiment with it to see what exactly it works on. All I know is that it does dissolve certain types of plastics, thus creating a really strong joint - often times even stronger than the original material. If I had to guess, it's probably ABS and Polystyrene (PS), since those dissolve in Acetone and MEK, and I think PVC cement does contain both of those.

                                      Originally posted by clearchris
                                      I have been getting quite handy lately with my hot air station and a pack of plastic welding rods from harbor freight... 225C melts ABS really nicely.
                                      Or you could use Acetone or Methyl Ethyl Ketone (aka MEK). Both dissolve ABS.

                                      Originally posted by Per Hansson
                                      I also frequently save the small plastic encased wires you get when you buy cables etc.
                                      Great for fixing stuff up and not worrying about the steel wire damaging anything since it's encased in plastic/rubber
                                      Same here. I have a jar full of them. Great for various temporary or semi-temporary fixes.
                                      Last edited by momaka; 09-27-2015, 09:30 PM.

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                                        #20
                                        Re: Your favorite “quick-fix” fastening materials

                                        Originally posted by Topcat View Post
                                        Let me know when that stuff gets cheap.... Theres also a thing called spacing... Seen 3M tape hold trim on vehicles for 30+ years, I stand by my comment.
                                        I wasn't speaking of 3m tape. It's OK for trim (I've had better luck with 3m emblem cement) but for everything else left over twin stik is better.
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