			New Products	Shopping Cart	Store Directory
1-800-633-3047			International Distributors	Contact Us	Testimonials	About Us

MENU

Catalog & Store

How-To...

Step-by-Step

Documents

Newsletters

ATV's & Motorcycles

Bumper Recyclers

Videos

Training

Bumper Repair Boot Camp

Everything Else

Private Label

Plastic Pointers - Volume 1 Number 4

click here to view the Adobe Acrobat version of Plastic Pointers

Textured Bumpers: Don't Be Afraid, They Can Be Fixed!

Without a doubt, one of the biggest challenges in the field of automotive plastic repair is textured bumpers. Most of us (at least those of us sophisticated enough to be reading Plastic Pointers!) don't have much problem welding the tear and smoothing the damage out with a flexible epoxy filler, but when faced with that textured finish we're a lot more tempted to reach for the phone and order a new OEM cover for the car.

To be sure, textured bumpers are more common on less expensive models, meaning that OEM and aftermarket covers are also cheaper. This can lean the decision toward replacement rather than repair.

Another factor to consider is the location and extent of the damage. It helps if the damage is low on the bumper or in an isolated area like a trim strip. A good example of an easy-to-repair area is the textured lower lip of many Honda front covers.

Conversely, it is more difficult to blend the texture over a broad, exposed area. If the damage is on top of the bumper, smack in the middle, you'd probably be better off calling the warehouse for a replacement.

Whatever you decide, if you're faced with a cover you've got to repair, don't despair. It's easier than you think to get a good looking finish on a textured bumper using Urethane Supply Company's 3800 Flex-Tex flexible texture coating. The more practice you get doing it, the more challenging jobs you'll be able to tackle the next time around.

Getting It To Stick

The first major challenge with textured bumpers is getting your paint to stick. Adhesion is a problem because most textured bumpers are made of polypropylene and blends like TPO. Due to the low surface energy these materials possess, they naturally repel any coating that is placed on them.

Sanding the surface is also a good way to improve adhesion, but you don't want to remove all of the original texture by sanding. So what do you do?

First, before starting the repair, clean the entire bumper very well with soap and water and a medium scuff pad. This will lightly abrade the surface yet leave the texture intact. After this, use 1000 Super Clean plastic cleaner to remove any other contaminants that may cause you problems later.

Make the necessary repairs to the bumper using the airless plastic welder and flexible epoxy filler. At this stage, you can't avoid sanding off the texture in the repair area. To make blending easier, try sanding the texture off in a larger area around the repair with 180 or 220 grit, especially if you can sand to a natural break point in the part.

Texture It

Now that you're ready to retexture, the only rule you need to know is to spray on 1050 Plastic Magic to any raw plastic areas before applying any coating (Flex-Tex or primer) on top of it. Plastic Magic is one of the few coatings that can stick to polypropylene, and when dried leaves a coating that the primer can in turn stick to.

After spraying on Plastic Magic, mask off any areas you don't want to apply Flex-Tex to. Spray the Flex-Tex with several light coats to achieve the finished texture that most closely resembles the original in size. Adjust the air pressure and spray pattern to vary the size of the texture. Using Flex-Tex in an HVLP gun at low pressure tends to give a larger texture; higher pressure gives a smaller texture.

If possible, blend the Flex-Tex into the original texture at a break point or curve in the part to make it less apparent. If you can't find a convenient place to blend, it may be better to retexture the entire panel rather than attempt to blend an open surface. After the Flex-Tex dries, sand it lightly with a medium or fine scuff pad to knock off the loose particles.

Compare the texture to the original. Spraying a guide coat of 3300 Black Bumper Finish over the entire area will help in viewing the consistency of the texture and blend. If the original texture is flatter and more uniform, sand the Flex-Tex with 320 or 400 grit paper to smooth the surface. Don't forget, if you sand off too much, you can always go back and spray on some more.

Finish It

After you are satisfied with the appearance of the texture and the blend, it's time to paint the bumper. Don't spray it with a heavy primer surfacer or you'll fill in and obscure the original texture.

It's best to use a thin flexible primer like Urethane Supply Company's 3300 Black Bumper Finish. This will restore the natural black satin finish of most bumpers and provide a good primer coat for application of a color topcoat if necessary.

Now that you've learned how to retexture plastics, it's time to put your new skills into action. Start small and you'll be able to tackle more challenging jobs as your skills progress.

Neon Bumpers Revisited

We have received several questions on repairing the Dodge and Plymouth Neon bumper covers that are molded in color. As we discussed in our first issue of Plastic Pointers, these covers are made of DuPont's Bexloy W, comprised mainly of a plastic called Ethylene Methacrylic Acid, or EMA.

EMA is easily repaired using the 5003R8 Uni-Weld Ribbon universal welding rod. The bumper can be refinished using the procedures outlined here for textured bumpers in general.

The biggest challenge is in matching the paint to the original. The natural appearance of the bumper does not match the gloss of the paint, so painting with the same base/clear system you will be using on the sheetmetal will give a finish that is glossier than the original.

Using a single-stage urethane with a flattener to refinish the bumpers will give you an appearance closer to the original.

Using Bumper Glaze Catalyzed Spot Putty

If you've ever been confronted with a job where a spot putty is not enough but a two-part epoxy seems like overkill, we've got the product for you!

Introducing 1045-G Bumper Glaze, a flexible catalyzed spot putty for filling in sandscratches, pinholes, and minor imperfections in flexible plastic parts. Bumper Glaze spreads like butter and sands like chalk to a fine featheredge on properly prepared substrates.

Bumper Glaze is a flexibilized polyester filler that cures chemically from within the product as opposed to standard spot putties which air dry. Because they air dry, spot putties have a tendency to shrink as their solvents evaporate. Bumper Glaze resists shrinkage and can be applied more generously due to its chemical cure.

Using Bumper Glaze

As always, it is important to clean the surface prior to making any repair with soap and water and 1000 Super Clean plastic cleaner. Since you're probably using the Bumper Glaze as a finishing putty, you've already cleaned the surface at an earlier stage.

The important thing to remember here is to coat any raw plastic areas with 1060FP Filler Prep before applying Bumper Glaze. Although this is only necessary on olefin plastics like polypropylene, it won't hurt you to use it in every case if you can't identify the plastic. Simply brush Filler Prep onto the surface with the supplied dauber, then allow to flash dry.

Mix Bumper Glaze with the supplied cream hardener as you would with a standard polyester body filler. A good ratio is about a 3/4" ribbon of hardener to a 2" ribbon of Bumper Glaze. Mix thoroughly with a body spreader until no streaks are apparent.

Bumper Glaze is sandable after 15 to 20 minutes at room temperature. After it cures, sand with 220 or 320 grit paper. Apply a flexible, sandable primer surfacer like Urethane Supply Company's 3000 Light Gray Flexible Primer Surfacer to finish the repair.

80 Watt Welding Element Provides Higher Temperature

It's human nature to want more. Even though we've upgraded the welding element of our airless plastic welder over the years from 42 watts to 55 watts, some of you are still not satisfied with the heat output of the unit.

We are therefore happy to announce the availability of our brand new 80 watt element, Part No. 6005HT. This replacement element easily attaches to any of Urethane Supply Company's airless plastic welders including the 5003HT Mini-Weld Model 3, the 5004HT Uni-Welder, and the 6301SK Uni-Weld Repair Kit.

The 80 watt element reaches a peak temperature of 900 deg. F, or about 80 degrees hotter than the 55 watt element.

The 80 watt element also has the power to maintain a higher temperature under full load. During a test in which a hot welder is placed and held on a cold steel plate, the 80 watt element maintained a temperature 200 degrees higher than that of the 55 watt unit.

The higher temperature makes for easier welding of high-softening-point plastics like polycarbonate and nylon. It also means that you can achieve the same temperature at a lower current setting, resulting in greater durability. Order a new 6005HT 80 Watt Welding Element for your welder today!

New Mini-Weld Model IV Welder Replaces Model III

Long the standard of the industry, the Mini-Weld Model III Airless Plastic Welder is moving aside to make room for the latest addition to our product line, the new Model IV.

What's the difference between the two? The big change is the new 80 watt welding element. The new element offers a higher temperature which makes for easier welding on high softening point plastics like polycarbonate and nylon.

To help you make better repairs to problem plastics like TPO and polypropylene, we're also including 15 feet of our revolutionary Uni-Weld Ribbon universal welding rod. If you've never tried it before, you'll be amazed at how easy it is to repair any type of flexible bumper cover. With Uni-Weld Ribbon, there's no need to identify the type of plastic -- just use the same simple method on any type.

Of course, like the Model III, the welder comes with a complete selection of seven types of standard welding rod. Using these, you can make strong repairs to urethane bumper covers, underhood, and interior plastics.

Best of all, the Model IV comes with our new instructional video that shows you and the technicians in the shop how to make any type of automotive plastic repair.

All of this at a suggested retail price of only NO LONGER AVAILABLE! There's not another product in the industry that offers so much value.

Suggested Products