fagnaml Report post Posted January 2, 2019 This rather unusual request doesn't fit the "Class A" forum so I'll ask my question here. On the front of my Damon motorhome, specifically on the generator access door, is the "Astoria" model name plate which s ~30" long by 3" wide. It is a chrome plated plastic name plate that was secured by to the door by three "elevator" bolts that were (key word "were") secured to the name plate by what looks like "hot glue" (yellowish looking adhesive). Over time, the elevator bolts "broke free" from the original adhesive. This past weekend I re-attached the elevator bolts using Loctite brand epoxy. I let the epoxy fully cure before attempting to secure the name plate to the generator access door. As soon as I started 'snugging down" on the bolts, they "popped loose" from the name plate meaning I either over-tightened the nut OR epoxy was not a good choice as an adhesive. What suggestions does the forum have for "gluing" the elevator bolts to the back side of my Damon name plate? Thanks for the help!! For reference, here is an image of an "elevator" bolt --> https://www.amazon.com/Hard-Find-Fastener-014973239626-Elevator/dp/B00L1L67YA/ref=asc_df_B00L1L67YA/?tag=bingshoppinga-20&linkCode=df0&hvadid={creative}&hvpos={adposition}&hvnetw=o&hvrand={random}&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=e&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl={devicemodel}&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=&hvtargid=pla-4584207577138851&psc=1 Also for reference, the first page of the attached sales brochure for my Damon Astoria shows the Astoria name plate on the generator access door. 2007_Damon_Astoria_Motorhome.pdf Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
jleamont Report post Posted January 2, 2019 Mike, rsbilledwards would be the expert on this topic. He ran a body shop for years. I have a friend that runs a body shop now, I will reach out to him and ask if he has any suggestions as well. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
frank.bergamo Report post Posted January 3, 2019 JB Weld for the materials you are mating. Scuff up the back side of the bolt and the area you are gluing it to. Hope this helps. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
richard5933 Report post Posted January 3, 2019 Some plastics don't take epoxy well. Scuffing them up will help, as mentioned earlier. Also would suggest trying to find a product specifically designated to be compatible with the materials being bonded (steel/plastic). There are many type of plastic, so hopefully the one you're working with has a marking stamped into it which will help you identify it. Also might be good to thoroughly clean the area to be bonded with something like acetone to remove any grease/wax/etc. I just looked at the photo you posted (PDF) and see how big that name plate it. Bigger than I imagined based on the description, and I'm actually surprised that they only used three bolts, and more surprised that they used adhesive to connect the bolts to the plastic. But, maybe they were hoping to get a mechanical bond due to the heat of the hot glue causing a slight 'heat weld' to the plastic name plate. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
wildebill308 Report post Posted January 3, 2019 If you absolutely want the elevator bolts to stay clean everything and clean it again with acetone then glue it on with this glue. https://www.skygeek.com/click-bond-cb200-40-acrylic-structural-adhesive-40-ml.html?utm_source=googlebase&utm_medium=shoppingengine&utm_content=click-bond-cb200-40-acrylic-structural-adhesive-40-ml&utm_campaign=froogle&gclid=Cj0KCQiA37HhBRC8ARIsAPWoO0z1vc4qu0_LshowMoKksex8oLai4K_VZAIkxeZkWDcaR2vKK8xiHd0aAvTqEALw_wcB It probably won't be practical to buy the gun and mixing tubes for a one time use. You should be able to mix it by hand. Do it quickly as you don't have much work life. Bill Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
elkhartjim Report post Posted January 3, 2019 Have you considered using double sided tape and eliminating the bolts? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
manholt Report post Posted January 3, 2019 Jim S, That's over simplification to engineers! Me too..LMAO ! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
nitehawk Report post Posted January 3, 2019 Just Shoe Goo the plate to the coach. Use some duct tape to hold the plate in place until the Shoe Goo cures. Give it a couple days just to be sure. You can get Shoe Goo or its equivalent at a hardware store or in the shoe department at Walmart and heat does not affect it.. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
manholt Report post Posted January 3, 2019 I have never heard of "Shoe Goo"! Shoe Dept? The Drip/Dry people, use it to hold their sandals together? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
jleamont Report post Posted January 3, 2019 Mike, here is an automotive body side molding tape. If it were me id attempt to reattach with the factory hardware and add this for a 2nd line of defense. Can you photo the back side of the emblem? https://www.3m.com/3M/en_US/company-us/all-3m-products/~/3M-Super-Strength-Molding-Tape/?N=5002385+3293241071&rt=rud Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
elkhartjim Report post Posted January 3, 2019 That is the product we used to replace emblems and its the product the OEM emblems come with, Joe. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
dbenoit Report post Posted January 3, 2019 Off Topic: Story about bolts and glue....I was working on a machine one time and the head of a bolt just came off with hardly any pressure. Seems that the bolt was broken and someone just glued the head of the bolt on...lol. PIA to drill and tap that one out. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
fagnaml Report post Posted January 3, 2019 Thanks for all of the prompt replies! I initially considered JB Weld but wasn't sure about using it for metal to plastic bonding (I've used JB Weld very successfully for metal to metal bonding) hence why I initially opted for the Loctite brand epoxy. JB Weld has many adhesives to chose from including a "plastic weld" product which "reads" as the most appropriate adhesive for bonding metal bolts to a plastic name plate (??) --> https://www.jbweld.com/collections/epoxy-adhesives The double-sided automotive tape is a good idea if only their was a large name plate to generator access door contact area. The name plate has an ~3/8" tall x 1/8" wide "edge" around the entire plate meaning a very slim 1/8" wide surface that could be used for the tape. This "edge" prevents contact between the back of the name plate and the door hence why Damon used elevator bolts to attach the name plate to the door. From the forum I need your thoughts on which JB Weld adhesive to use -- the original JB Weld or the JB Plastic weld. Also, I need thoughts on how best to remove the Loctite epoxy from the back of the name plate to create a good surface for the JB Weld. I'm thinking a small wire wheel brush (https://www.amazon.com/Forney-72733-Crimped-2-Inch-012-Inch/dp/B000TGC3WI/ref=sr_1_5?ie=UTF8&qid=1546537001&sr=8-5&keywords=wire+wheel+for+drill) or grinding bit (https://www.amazon.com/Diamond-Coated-Cylinder-Mounted-Grinding/dp/B015PK36D2/ref=sr_1_8?ie=UTF8&qid=1546537077&sr=8-8&keywords=grinding+bits+for+drill) in the end of my cordless drill (unfortunately I don't own a Drimel). As always, I greatly appreciate your help! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
fagnaml Report post Posted January 3, 2019 Forgot to add that my Motorhome 101 class never finishes..... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
manholt Report post Posted January 3, 2019 Mike, your not alone in class! I only know 4, that have gone way beyond 101. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
wildebill308 Report post Posted January 3, 2019 You can get these on Amazon, you will need a mandrell if you don't have one. DocaDisc 30PC - 2 inch Roloc Sanding Disc Mixed Pack // Surface Conditioning Discs // Roloc Disc/Air Grinder Disc for Surface prep, Paint Stripping, Grinding & Finishing (Course/Medium / Fine) Realistically neither of the things you linked to are a good choice for this project. Bill Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
jleamont Report post Posted January 4, 2019 Mike, spoke to my friend and this is what you want to use; https://www.3m.com/3M/en_US/company-us/all-3m-products/~/3M-Quick-Fix-Adhesive/?N=5002385+3293083500&rt=rud he told me to tell you, use caution once it’s set it will not come apart without cutting and drilling it out. Any body shop supply store will carry it. Or so does amazon Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
manholt Report post Posted January 4, 2019 Wonder what happens if you get it on your fingers? The guy pictured was not using gloves. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
jleamont Report post Posted January 4, 2019 1 hour ago, manholt said: Wonder what happens if you get it on your fingers? The guy pictured was not using gloves. I cant imagine that would go well for the person. Mike, here is the link from Amazon; https://www.amazon.com/3M-Quick-Fix-Adhesive-08155/dp/B00063WARW Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
kaypsmith Report post Posted January 4, 2019 18 hours ago, fagnaml said: I'm thinking a small wire wheel brush in the end of my cordless drill (unfortunately I don't own a Drimel). Caution, do not use a wire wheel brush! As Bill suggested, a sanding disk will work great, but a wire wheel will gouge the plastic, with possible ruin. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
elkhartjim Report post Posted January 4, 2019 This is what we used when double sided tape wouldn't work. https://www.3m.com/3M/en_US/company-us/all-3m-products/~/3M-Plastic-and-Emblem-Adhesive/?N=5002385+3293082148&rt=rud Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
wildebill308 Report post Posted January 5, 2019 On 1/4/2019 at 6:11 AM, kaypsmith said: As Bill suggested, a sanding disk will work great, These are not sanding disk but scotch brite buffing pads. Use the pads for prep and the click bond glue I linked to before. Bill Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
rayin Report post Posted January 6, 2019 On 1/3/2019 at 5:38 AM, manholt said: I have never heard of "Shoe Goo"! Shoe Dept? The Drip/Dry people, use it to hold their sandals together? There is an entire line of "Goop" type products,, each has a specific name for intended use.http://eclecticproducts.com/products/ The word 'Goo" is not patented, thus several different companies use that: https://duckduckgo.com/?q=Goo+products&t=ffnt&ia=web Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
fagnaml Report post Posted February 5, 2019 I finally had a weekend with no family or work demands to complete the task of re-gluing elevator bolts to the Astoria name plate. After considering the forum's thoughts and looking at other adhesives I finally decided to use JB Weld "Kwik Weld" for the elevator bolts. I've had good luck with traditional JB Weld for many tasks and chose the "Kwik Weld" because of the shorter cure time -->https://www.jbweld.com/collections/metal/products/kwikweld-twin-tube . I didn't choose the 3M Quick Fix adhesive suggested by the forum as it is "Cyanoacrylate" which is "the" adhesive used in all "Super Glues" --> https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cyanoacrylate I was concerned that using "Super Glue" would not leave an adequate amount of adhesive between the bolt head and name plate. In my first "glue" attempt weeks ago I pressed on the elevator bolt until it make contact with the name plate resulting in only a thin layer of the Loctite epoxy between the flat bolt head and the name plate which may be why the bolt detached from the name plate. This time I had a good "goober" amount of JB Weld between the bolt head and name plate. When I attached the name plate to my motorhome I was able to tighten the nuts reasonably snug without the elevator bolts detaching from the name plate. I used my Dremel with a wire brush wheel to removed the old glue / failed expoxy from the name plate and use the grinder wheel to rough-up the flat bolt head. All is "good" at the moment (at least until I take the motorhome on it's next "bang the heck of of it" ride on horrible condition I-10 between Beaumont and Baton Rouge!). Photos of my handiwork are attached. In my original post I saw that I didn't share what an elevator bolt "is" for curious minds so here is a link that has good images of an elevator bolt --> https://www.lowes.com/pl/Elevator-bolts-Bolts-Fasteners-Hardware/4294710928 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
