Welding Polyethylene

Step 1 - Align the Damage

Before you do anything, clean the plastic with soap and water and let it dry. Then use Super Prep Plastic Cleaner to remove any further contamination.

Use aluminum tape or duct tape to hold the pieces together temporarily while you do your weld. Tape it on the front side and do your first weld on the backside.

Step 2 - Melt in V-Groove

Using your hot welder tip, melt in a v-groove along the crack about halfway through the plastic. You can do this by angling the welder down and melting it in with the tip. We also have a v-grooving tool or you can use a Dremel bit to create the v-groove.

Step 3 - Melt in the Welding Rod

Using the Polyethylene welding rod, melt the rod into the v-groove using the hot welder tip. Fill the v-groove with melted plastic rod about one inch at a time. Before the melted rod cools down, remove the rod from the welder tip and go back over the area and thoroughly melt the rod and base material together.

Keep working the rod and base material together until the rod begins to take on the color of the surrounding material. Continue welding one inch of the crack at a time until you are finished. After the weld cools, peel the tape off the other side, and repeat the process.

Step 4 - Melt in Reinforcing Mesh

This is an optional step in case of a tear to the edge of the plastic. To reinforce the stress area right at the edge, cut a small piece of 2045W Stainless Steel Reinforcing Wire Mesh and melt it directly into the plastic on the backside. The mesh acts like rebar in concrete to spread the load out into the base material. Reinforced this way, the repair can actually be stronger than the original material! Remember, the Reinforcing Mesh is an optional component and does not come standard with the ATV Fender Welder. Be sure to order some if you want to reinforce your repair like this.