[MF3D.FORUM:842] Re: Help!! I dropped my SPUD

[Paul Talbot <ptww@xxxxxxxxx>]

A heart broken Spudite wrote:

> I was at the annual Coney Island Mermaid Parade yesterday, somehow I let go
> of my large camera bag which included my spud in case.

I feel your pain!  Was the same camera that was the first
customer-supplied Sputnik to undergo the RMM fix up service??
You must be more careful with a camera with such collectible
value!  ;-)

> Can someone advice me what to do next.  How can
> I remedy this quick fix?  Was crazy glue the best bet?  Will my spud
> evaporate by next week?  Should I now use some black enamel to fill in the
> tiny gaps at the tip edge?  Is there anyone out there that can take care of
> this if all else fails?  I will process film Monday night.  Keeping my
> fingers crossed!!  To be continued..........

There was a thread on fixing Spud bakelite back in April of 1999.
Do you have those messages?  They are not in the archive yet because
they pre-date the list's move off frii.com.

Below are some of the notes from that thread (and others on the same
topic).  All credit for the information below should go to Elliott
Swanson.

> My call is that the Spuds are bakelite, not styrene as you find in model
> kits. Bakelite is brittle (weapon's grade plastic! :) but quite stable if
> you keep it away from a lot of direct heat. A test is to see if it will
> dissolve or soften with acetone or tolulene. Styrene melts with powerful
> organic solvents, baklelite may soften minutely, but not so's you'd
> notice. Which is why you always, repeat always, rebuild broken bakelite
> with cyanoacrylate cement (superglue) and accelerators not model making
> cement or epoxy. Fixing a bakelite red button viewer with epoxy dooms it
> to look like a piece of ugly junk forever.

* * *

> There is one situation where you might use an epoxy on a bakelite repair,
> and that's when you're working from the inside and you need to attach a
> piece of reinforcing metal. To fix corners of a damaged Red Button I once
> routed a channel and then used tiny (hobby shop stuff) brass angle stock
> to reinforce.  But you should never join butted pieces of bakelite, or
> chipped pieces you're trying to reattach, with epoxy. 
> 
> Also, re the above, hard setting epoxy is better than the rubbery 5 minute
> epoxies the hardware store sells. Optical supply stores and probably Fargo
> sells it.

* * *

> Bakelite is fairly east to repair, especially if no structural
> components are involved. Also Fargo enterprises now carries *black*
> superglue, but I haven't tested it yet. The process is basically to build
> up the area with medium viscoscity superglue and spray accelerator until
> the area is replaced, then shape it with a dremel/file, and polish. The
> intermediate polishing is done with beauty store 4 way files, and the
> final polish is with Mothers Mag Polish from an auto store. Also, I have
> taken old model C viewmaster viewers and sectioned off bakelite to use for
> restoring missing chunks. Sometimes, if the area is structural, you may
> have to reinforce from the back with metal. The key problem with
> cyanoacrylate (superglue) fixes is that there is little shear strength.

* * *

> A few closing thoughts... from a repair standpoint, I doubt there's any
> significant difference between New Jersey bakelite and Ukranian
> bakelite...
> 
> When dealing with a crack, flow a little low viscoscity cyanoacrylate into
> the crack and set it first.
> 
> You want to use care when bonding two pieces of broken bakelite back
> together with low viscoscity glue. It bonds instantly-- zero working time,
> so you'd better be right in terms of fit. Also, low viscoscity is hotter
> re accelerators, so you're more likely to get bubbling as it literally
> boils-- this can cause ugly white areas that have to be removed by
> grinding or polishing.
> 
> Medium is slower and less volatile, and thick is slower yet. When you hit
> it with an accelerator, the high viscoscity glues generally harden just
> like you've added a chunk of clear plastic. They all have their specific
> purpose. 
> 
> When fixing bakelite, feel free to make a big mess over the repair area,
> and just figure that you'll use your dremel and 4-way nailfiles to bring
> the surface back to smooth, followed by plastic polish (I use standard
> plastic polishing compound with a rag wheel on the dremel) and finally
> Mother's Mag polish on a rag, by hand, for the final finish.
> 
> Warning-- accelerating superglue can make it spatter, and you don't want
> it in your eyes-- wear goggles. As always, do any of these techniques at
> your own risk-- good luck!

* * * *

> A few other things re bakelite repair... 
> 
> You can buy superglues over a wide range of viscoscity at hobby shops, and
> also spray accelerators that immediately harden it into a rigid plastic
> that can be polished. For polishing I generally use fingernail files from
> the beauty supply store, the 4-grit combination type with foam backing and
> a rigid plastic center. Final polish is with Mothers Mag Polish from the
> auto store. The key problem with a superglue repair is little shear
> strength. So depending on where the damage is, you sometimes have to mill
> out the material and attach a reinforcing patch-- thin metal, also
> available from hobby shops. I've inserted thin angle stock in red button
> viewer corners (working on the inside). For reinforcing, you do use epoxy
> cement, because the work will be hidden, and you want the superior shear
> strength from an epoxy for a reinforcement. Among epoxies there is also a
> large range of glue. Some, designed for lens attachment, will get very
> hard. 5 minute epoxy will always remain somewhat rubbery. Each has it's
> place in a repair job... 
> 
> I'd be interested in hearing from anyone who has experimented with
> colorants in cyanoacrylates (I think Fargo may sell a black
> cyanoacrylate). Of course, for epoxies, there are lots of colorants
> available...

Paul Talbot