Monday 10 May, 2021

How to Repair a Broken or Warped Plastic Bin


Trying to fix a warped plastic lid or fix a cracked plastic container? Nothing is more irritating than thinking you are going to have to go out and spend money on a new plastic bin when you have one that would be perfectly usable if it just didn’t have some small issue. You might assume […]


Trying to fix a warped plastic lid or fix a cracked plastic container? Nothing is more irritating than thinking you are going to have to go out and spend money on a new plastic bin when you have one that would be perfectly usable if it just didn’t have some small issue.

You might assume you are bang out of luck, but you may not be! There are a few techniques which you can do at home which might allow you to repair a cracked plastic container effectively.

1. Use hot water to straighten warped plastic.

Got a warped plastic bin or bin lid which isn’t too large? If you can fit it in a large pot of boiling (or near-boiling) water, you can soften it to the point where it becomes malleable. You can then remove it, use your fingers to manipulate it back into its proper shape, and drop it in some cold water to lock in the new shape. Just like that, you have straightened out your warped plastic!

2. Try glue for cracks.

Plastic model glue or superglue is sometimes perfectly adequate for closing cracks in plastic containers. Give this a try first before you attempt more challenging methods (see below).

3. Weld the plastic.

Have a soldering iron in your home? Believe it or not, you can actually use it to weld plastic together. Heat the broken edges and wait for the plastic to liquefy, then press them together and wait for them to cool and join. If necessary, you can add some extra plastic, which is a good segue into the next suggested method.

4. Make a plastic patch.

What if it is impossible to simply join the edges of your broken plastic bin perfectly together? Maybe a little chip fell out and got lost—or maybe your bin somehow wound up with a hole in it. What do you do now?

A lot of people would just give up at this point, but you do not have to. The best way to fix a hole in plastic is with a patch. To do this, you need an extra piece of plastic (perhaps from another more hopelessly broken bin). You then use a heat gun or soldering iron and soften the edges of both the hole and the patch. Press it in place and melt the edges together so that they meld. Wear gloves to protect your hands from the high heat.

A trowel or spoon can help you to smooth everything out. When the plastic cools, it should be fully bonded. If you need help with this process, check out resources for kayakers, who use a similar technique to fix holes in their boats.

So is fixing your cracked or warped plastic bin a lost cause? Maybe not. Give repair a try before you resort to replacing your bin, especially if it has served you well to this point. You may very well be able to get years of additional use out of it.

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