I need to repair a LM MKI Seat

[canuck750]

I have had a repo LM MKI seat in storage for a couple years, I unwrapped the bubble wrap cover today only to find the side of the seat torn. I have moved the seat several times and in some move I must have ripped the side of the seat. No tape I have will stick to the surface of the seat.

Does anyone have any experience with gluing the foam together? I wonder if there is a solvent that will melt it back together.

[Matteo]

Go to a dive shop and get neoprene glue used for wetsuit repair. No need to melt anything.

[canuck750]

Go to a dive shop and get neoprene glue used for wetsuit repair. No need to melt anything.

Thanks!

[Groover]

Another option is this.

https://www.walmart.com/ip/Pliobond-Low-VOC-Multi-Purpose-Adhesive/43985944

Great stuff.

[Rolf Halvorsen]

I think this is ABS plastic.
Get to a plumber an get some ABS glue - which is liquified ABS in Acetone. This glue will "melt the 2 parts together without heat. The Acetone will evaporate and leave you with 100% ABS.
Try this on a small area first to check that it is ABS plastic.

Rolf

[RinkRat II]

 I agree with Rolf, a lot of the plastic parts used by Guzzi were made by Acerbis and will probably have their marking on them. May have a Mold Mark with date codes etc...
       


ebay image host

 Hopefully has an identifier on it.
     
      Paul B

[Tusayan]

Guzzi's moulded rubber seats were originally produced by a company called Gaman, which also made seats for other manufacturers.  Who makes the replicas today, I don't know.

[canuck750]

I think this is ABS plastic.
Get to a plumber an get some ABS glue - which is liquified ABS in Acetone. This glue will "melt the 2 parts together without heat. The Acetone will evaporate and leave you with 100% ABS.
Try this on a small area first to check that it is ABS plastic.

Rolf

Thanks Rolf,  I will test a small corner

[sidecarnutz]

I agree with the urethane cement idea. Upholstery shops is it. DAP Automotive upholstery cement. I could send you a jar, but it is considered hazmat and will ground ship only. Check a local auto or marine upholstery shop. Bring a jar. Realize that it wholesales for $100 for a 5 gallon can, so don't get mad if they want a few bucks for some.

Great stuff for foam and leather and many other uses.

[Antietam Classic Cycle]

Thanks Rolf,  I will test a small corner

ABS is a rigid plastic, not a flexible foam, so I doubt any glue for ABS will work.

Matteo's and Groover's suggestions are good ones. Pliobond does work well. Another two to consider:
Seal-All: http://eclecticproducts.com/seal-all.html and
Shoe Goo: http://eclecticproducts.com/products/shoe-goo/shoe-goo.html

I've used both on various materials with excellent results.

[PeteS]

I would vote for neoprene cement. Wish I knew of it when my '76 seat went south. Shoe Goo works when its exposed to air like adding to a worn sole but it if not exposed to air it never really cures.

Pete

[canuck750]

I would vote for neoprene cement. Wish I knew of it when my '76 seat went south. Shoe Goo works when its exposed to air like adding to a worn sole but it if not exposed to air it never really cures.

Pete

I could not find neoprene adhesive locally but I ordered some through Ebay, I will let you know how it works, got my fingers crossed!

[bigbikerrick]

That seat is not abs, its a type of  molded urethane foam. Polyvance is the company that has the proper 2 part product to repair that seat. It is the same as used for flexible car bumper, or molded foam dashboard repair. polyvance used to be called urethane supply company, and sell professional grade products for plastic repair/refinishing. I have used their products for years ,and highly recommend them. That repair will have to be re enforced from behind with a piece of plastic mesh, or flexible woven fiberglass cloth as used for aviation/boat repair, embedded in the repair medium.
check out their website, lots of great info there.
Rick.

https://www.polyvance.com/

BTW; i am pretty sure that seat is very similar to what guzzi molded the old tonti dashes out of, and I have  succesfully repaired those from behind with the 2 part bumper repair stuff.

[canuck750]

That seat is not abs, its a type of  molded urethane foam. Polyvance is the company that has the proper 2 part product to repair that seat. It is the same as used for flexible car bumper, or molded foam dashboard repair. polyvance used to be called urethane supply company, and sell professional grade products for plastic repair/refinishing. I have used their products for years ,and highly recommend them. That repair will have to be re enforced from behind with a piece of plastic mesh, or flexible woven fiberglass cloth as used for aviation/boat repair, embedded in the repair medium.
check out their website, lots of great info there.
Rick.

https://www.polyvance.com/

BTW; i am pretty sure that seat is very similar to what guzzi molded the old tonti dashes out of, and I have  succesfully repaired those from behind with the 2 part bumper repair stuff.

Thanks Rick!

I checked out the website, great video on repairing a urethane foam core dash from a 240Z, may be similar to the LM I seat. I bought a pack of the welding rods for urethane foam repair and some mesh reinforcing, I should be able to reinforce / weld the back of the seat where the flap is covered by the seat base.

[redrider90]

I have access to many glues in my orthotics lab. I found nothing that would glue that kind of plastic to itself and I have some highly specialized glues.
I eventually used heat but very very carefully as the surrounding material will easily deform. I did not use heat directly.  It's been many years that I did it but I heated metal piece to melt the pieces together. The stuff melts like butter so you have to be careful.  I then took a fiber glass material impregnated with polypropylene (0.30") heated it in the oven and formed it to the inside of the seat. I then glued it with a common contact cement used in the shoe industry to glue EVA and rubber to mid and outsoles of shoes.  20 years later the it is still holding. The 2 different plastics held to each other.

[bigbikerrick]

Canuck, I think you will be doing the repair correctly, with what you have purchased. I bought their "mini welder 100" or whatever they call their starter kit,many years ago, when they were called urethane supply Co. The kit is basically a heavy duty variable heat soldering iron with a brass "shoe" for plastic welding, and feeding the rod through the little hole in the shoe. It comes with an assortment of  different rods, some mesh, and a book on identifying plastic types.  They sell a fiberflex rod that is supposed to work on almost any plastic, or a plastic you cant identify .it comes in flat strips, about 1/2" wide, and has some type of fibers in it. I have repaired all sorts of things with it. I just finished an extensive repair on my sons Grizzly hunting atv plastics.
Good luck with your repair,  and please post some pics. 
Rick.

[bigbikerrick]

I have access to many glues in my orthotics lab. I found nothing that would glue that kind of plastic to itself and I have some highly specialized glues.
I eventually used heat but very very carefully as the surrounding material will easily deform. I did not use heat directly.  It's been many years that I did it but I heated metal piece to melt the pieces together. The stuff melts like butter so you have to be careful.  I then took a fiber glass material impregnated with polypropylene (0.30") heated it in the oven and formed it to the inside of the seat. I then glued it with a common contact cement used in the shoe industry to glue EVA and rubber to mid and outsoles of shoes.  20 years later the it is still holding. The 2 different plastics held to each other.

 Redrider,Is that the seat  base on your Mille ?

[canuck750]

Canuck, I think you will be doing the repair correctly, with what you have purchased. I bought their "mini welder 100" or whatever they call their starter kit,many years ago, when they were called urethane supply Co. The kit is basically a heavy duty variable heat soldering iron with a brass "shoe" for plastic welding, and feeding the rod through the little hole in the shoe. It comes with an assortment of  different rods, some mesh, and a book on identifying plastic types.  They sell a fiberflex rod that is supposed to work on almost any plastic, or a plastic you cant identify .it comes in flat strips, about 1/2" wide, and has some type of fibers in it. I have repaired all sorts of things with it. I just finished an extensive repair on my sons Grizzly hunting atv plastics.
Good luck with your repair,  and please post some pics. 
Rick.

Great to hear, I did buy the starter kit as I can think of all kinds of things I would like to be able to repair, like the cracked instrument bezel on my Le Mans build.

I have viewed some of their other videos. Some very detailed repairs made to look fairly easy. I have bookmarked this company as a go to source for all sorts of plastic repair.

Thanks again

Jim

[redrider90]

Redrider,Is that the seat  base on your Mille ?

Yes