Yet another old newbie.

[Clachair]

>>So my question is how expensive is the welding equipment, and what do you use.
The equipment wasn't expensive. I got a DIY kit from Urethane Supply Company, their website is here:-
https://www.urethanesupply.com/
I got the Model 5 Airless Plastic Welder model 5500HT, but I see they now have only the 5600HT and I don't know what the difference is.
You don't need a course unless you've done never any welding or soldering before; my kit came with a book and instructional video. It also had different types of rod, more than enough for small repairs, but I've had a lot of success recycling coffee and detergent containers using the flat spoon tip.
One word of caution. The fumes are toxic and will give you a blinding headache, so I always do any welding outside, with a fan blowing past the work. This also helps with temperature control of the work.
Good Luck
John

 

[OldWrench]

John thank you for the response. That really is reasonable for the kit. I can see if a guy wants to get into repairing broken plastic that would pay for itself real quick.

 

[Clachair]

Hi OldWrench,
When I bought the welding kit it was less than a third of the price of the rebuilt fairing I had previously purchased, but I see they've increased the $$ since then.
BTW - been reading your really useful tips in the painting section.
Once I get the plastic in the right shape and smoothed out I intend to follow McGovern61's example and try my Lowes sprayer. Could you recommend a paint, since I know nothing about paint? The last one I tried was Chrysler dark green. It looked good, but the professional who did the job for me (after shop hours) said to wait a month before the clear-coat, but unfortunately the deer had other ideas before that happened.
Why Chrysler dark green? - Well, that's what the guy had left over from his previous job. The price seemed extremely attractive.

 

[OldWrench]

A nice paint that is easy to handle is PPC. They have a variety of paint products. I can not imagine why you were told to wait a month for clear coat. Most paints will tell you to shoot your clear coat within 24 hours of putting down the base coat.

Another option is acrylic enamel, and of course you use a hardner with it. That is a single stage paint but less forgiving than two stage. Color of course is your choice but reds will be your most expensive paints. What you want to watch is the recommended tip to used. For instance I use a different tip for shooting primers and acrylics than I do for two stage paints. Each manufacturer will recommend tips for the various guns. Now if you can’t get assorted tips for your gun then you will need to experiment with pressure and flow rate to get the pattern you want.

If you know a good painter that will shoot if for you once you have done all the hard work sometimes that is a better way to go. However there is a lot of satisfaction in doing it yourself and learning the techniques.

I went ahead and ordered the 80 watt welder kit so that is something else to play with. Well good luck on your project.

 

[Clachair]

Thanks for the advice - now printed and stored somewhere. I hope I can find it when I need it!
Good luck with the welder - DO watch the video, then you'll be raring to go! Play with some scrap parts a couple of times, and you'll soon see how easy it is. In fact, I can't understand why these kits seem to be so unheard of. And DO use a fan to blow the fumes away!
Let us know how you get on.
Good Luck!
John