Best glue for small drone reinforcement & repair

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Eurochild

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#290786 4-Dec-2021 15:10

I'm trying to fix a broken arm/strut on a Blade Nano and have also seen videos suggesting reinforcing the other small drone I've just got.
Looking at stuff on YouTube etc they often use Welders glue for repair and strengthening. We don't have the same brand in NZ, does anyone know a good product for the purpose?
Super glue wasn't much good and my first try with Araldite didn't work (though I'll have another crack).

Btw are there any dedicated drone/fpv forums lurking around that have NZ specific content?
Searching here found a few questions but not too much activity.

Cheers
Craig

Bung

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#2824284 4-Dec-2021 16:21

UHU por glue comes up in some Welders glue replacement discussions. It is for gluing expanded polystyrene to various things.

DonH

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#2824287 4-Dec-2021 16:24

This stuff:

https://www.mightyape.co.nz/product/tamiya-cement-for-abs-40ml/20933071?gclid=Cj0KCQiAnaeNBhCUARIsABEee8XK7k2UchaDaJMXxTtogKfHkfn01Q5WdZNKlM6UctjxROLg_W5t8vwaAt-8EALw_wcB

Clean the superglue and araldite off thoroughly first.

People hear what they see. - Doris Day

neb

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#2824488 4-Dec-2021 22:09

Eurochild: Super glue wasn't much good

For everything but a few rather narrowly-scoped situations, you don't want to use cyanoacrylate glue, it's best for bonding relatively wide flat surfaces that fit tightly together but not much else - if you remember the setup for the "every drop holds a ton" demo, that's the perfect artificial situation in which cyanoacrylate glue shines. It can't fill gaps like almost any other glue can, and has low ductility so is prone to fracturing/shattering on impact or even stress. For fixing a broken strut as you mention you definitely don't want to use it.

sparkz25

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#2824526 4-Dec-2021 23:29

I have used this stuff before, https://www.jaycar.co.nz/bondic-liquid-plastic-welding-kit-with-case-and-uv-led-light-for-hardening/p/NA1530

I have repaired a few things with this and I was surprised at how well it works, it even holds my broken Oakleys together.

Previously I was using super glue and that worked for a bit but nowhere as long as this stuff, mind you I have used stainless pins in some parts of my Oakleys to help reinforce them.

As long as you layer it and use the UV light on each layer it should hold up pretty good.

I have even used a grinder with a flap disk on it to smooth out the lumpy bits and it held up really well!

neb

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#2824529 4-Dec-2021 23:34

sparkz25:
I have used this stuff before, https://www.jaycar.co.nz/bondic-liquid-plastic-welding-kit-with-case-and-uv-led-light-for-hardening/p/NA1530

UV-cured adhesive is great stuff but the Bondic-branded product is outrageously expensive, you can get the same stuff much cheaper from Aliexpress or similar.

Eurochild

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#2828936 8-Dec-2021 19:54

Thanks for the replies!

I might take a first pass with the Tamiya, it’s cheap and they have it at HobbyStation so I can drop in and sanity check there.

And keep the others as the next cab on the rank. Next to figure out how to clean off all the gunk I’ve already tried with!

No takers on the second part of that question about Fpv forums in NZ.

Cheers

Craig

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qwertee

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#2829082 9-Dec-2021 08:04

Please post after you have done the repairs . Curious to know what worked for you

1101

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#2831879 14-Dec-2021 09:35

Nano QX ?
Just buy a new frame & be done with it . Its not going to glue up easily, you'd need to re-enforce it if gluing .

For ducted quads , you can glue the struts that hold the ducts .
E7000 or Goop is similar (but thicker) to Welders glue . Available on trademe or Mitre10
You could even use hot glue .
Gluing may not be a permanent fix on micro/nano quad frames

Gluing up quads isnt what Id recommend unless the issue was minor (ie 1 or 2 duct struts broken) .
A broken arm , then you really need a new frame .

Eurochild

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#2832299 14-Dec-2021 17:57

@1101 good points but on a practical note I don't know that anyone in country stocks these so for starters you're waiting a while? But yes I'd agree there may be a bit of irrational impulse to repair happening here. Will have a look at glueing the Moblite7 duct struts perhaps, it seems recommended.

nb I have no real experience with this so if anyone has any polite tips on how to do it better let me know, just sharing as @qwertee asked and others on the thread may be interested.

Anyway, I went into HobbyStation in East Tamaki and after chatting about it with them they recommended Tamiya Multipurpose Cement (#87188)

https://hobbystation.co.nz/tamiya-87188-multipurpose-cement-clear-for-cementing-clear-painted-parts/

Their thinking (from recollection) was that it had a bit more body for filling in the cracks, and was generally stronger than the other Tamiya cement mentioned above. Also I mentioned that I was ok with something being a bit brittle and I was after some rigidity.

They also suggested including something for the blue to bond around, fibreglass style. I'd tried that with the Araldite, using dental floss (read a recommendation about that somewhere) but that fell apart after a short while.

Also discussed what to do to avoid the clamp sticking with the glue, concluded just to use masking tape around the join and sand it off. I'm not too fussed about the cosmetics.

So, I followed that method. Fortunately the old glue flaked off with a bit of encouragement from a craft knife. Scuffed the plastic surface with sandpaper.

Used some plumbers hemp that I had to wrap some strands around the break, added the glue, masking tape over the top then clamped.

Issues - the 87188 tube isn't great for application, it's just a blunt nozzle, so for small jobs like this you need something else to apply it, like a toothpick etc.

I'm not sure how to fully get the masking tape off, but I don't really care. However this makes it hard to inspect the result.

Even after clamping it straight, the strut came out slightly twisted. However my main concern is that it stays outward enough that the prop doesn't strike it (which had been happening under the previous repairs following subsequent bumps).

As for the result. It's a bit hard to say completely because I don't want to test it to destruction. I've done a little flying but haven't had any hard crashes.

However just from feel and a bit of tweaking I'd say it feels pretty good, definitely more robust than the other glues I tried. So I'd say, tentatively, positive signs from this method and this glue.

Probably it would be an idea to try some more controlled experiments e.g. on a plastic spoon etc. But then I wouldn't be sure about the type of plastic anyway.

qwertee

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#2832466 14-Dec-2021 20:26

Thanks for sharing. Hope that your fix lasts