[Bugbear]

The fairing on my newly acquired Domi was cracked due to an altercation the previous owner had with a garage wall.

I wanted to tidy it up without spending a lot of money on matching paint and stuff so I decided to do a repair and paint it to match the existing black logos that are on the tank and fairing.
I removed the fairing panel today, 'V'd the cracks slightly on the inside then stitched them together with a hot soldering iron. This done I added super glue with 'kicker'** to seal them off. (Not the rubbish stuff you can buy anywhere but a special heavy duty one for plastics, abs etc.)
**kicker is an American product that when sprayed on superglue causes it to react in a super rapid and strong way. It actually smokes when applied:bom:.

A touch of filler on the outside to smooth it out and then I masked it up to emulate the 'torn-edge' style of the existing black logos on the fairing/tank.

I then sprayed the repair using a semi-gloss black.

Carefully removed the masking and when dry I cut back the black to a reasonable finish.

After a quick spirit-wipe I re-masked the black edges leaving a gap about the same as the clear edges of the existing stickers on the fairing. I then sprayed about three coats of clear lacquer and then removed the masking.

Its now hanging in the lounge (near the fire) to harden and I will cut and polish it tomorrow. (now done)

What do you think, OK, or a bit of a 'Batman' moment

 

[Bugbear]

103 views and no comments, talkative lot on here then

 

[craigrevo]

I think it looks really good! Have you done the same to the other side that wasn't cracked? If not then I think you should as it will look better with both sides the same.:thumbup:

 

[Bugbear]

I think it looks really good! Have you done the same to the other side that wasn't cracked? If not then I think you should as it will look better with both sides the same.:thumbup:

Thanks Craig,
I thought about doing that or do I wait until that side gets damaged :thumbleft:

 

[z-weiser]

i like it dude - looks cool!

also pretty much looks like a pro job!

Z

 

[craigrevo]

Thanks Craig,
I thought about doing that or do I wait until that side gets damaged :thumbleft:

Do it now it deserves it! It looks like a really nice bike and its a shame to have a bit of symmetry let it down.

 

[Jestair]

Think it looks better, nice job, goes with the rest of the paintwork.
Thinkin it would look good all along that edge? Makes it yours!
Mine also was broken when i bought the bike, lower down at engine height, also two of the pop in luggs were semi broken, so i repaired them as well, good stuff glass.
I scored it on the inside and glassed a sheet of matt over it, bit ham fisted , but its worked well!

 

[Zardoz]

Just a bump on an old thread...

Take a page from model airplane builders. In the hobby shop you can find different thickness' of cyanoacrylate (super glue) for different purposes. They also have kicker, which is essentially a baking soda solution to activate the glue. Cyano activates on water content of the object, not air or temperature. Thats why wood glues immediately while plastics take forever and need kicker.

Another good trick is to lay a thin strip of fiberglass cloth over the affected area and then glue it in place with cyano. This gives structural support and strengthens the joint against vibration.

Make sure your surface is clean before you start and rough up smooth surface with a bit of coarse sandpaper.

If you want to seal some thing with epoxy, for example wood, you can mix in 5 to 10% wood alcohol and make a soup and just paint it on.

Another bit of info is using two component epoxy for repairs. The same trick with fiberglass cloth applies to epoxy but you can use a thicker cloth. Lay down a layer of epoxy , a layer of cloth and then some more epoxy. And finally if you want your epoxy repair to look smooth take a big piece of Saran Wrap and spread it tight over the surface while its wet. Smooth it out and remember WYSIWYG, what you see is what you get. When its dry you can peel the Saran Wrap right off.

Good luck to all you builders and repairers. Your mileage may vary.

 

[willywombat64]

As mentioned ..apparently baking soda works just as well as most "kickers " and is ultra cheap. just pour it over the join .