58 minutes ago, FloridaFishinFool said:

I appreciate you sharing this with all of us. I do prefer to mend if I can and save some dough and make lures last longer. Its a great idea. I've been doing it with other adhesives with some success and some failures as some of my marine adhesives melt the rubber so I will be ordering this to try it out.

 

Thanks Joe!

Absolutely! Glad I could help you out kinda for once!! 

1 hour ago, FloridaFishinFool said:

I appreciate you sharing this with all of us. I do prefer to mend if I can and save some dough and make lures last longer. Its a great idea. I've been doing it with other adhesives with some success and some failures as some of my marine adhesives melt the rubber so I will be ordering this to try it out.

 

Thanks Joe!

You'll be well pleased.

 

Works exactly as advertised.

 

I take it a step further and smooth over the cracks with a precision soldering iron. Seems to make the connection/repair a bit more robust. When heated this way, the plastic is its own glue.

Can someone with a can of Mend-it compare ingredients?

 

Ingredients in PVC Glue

Common Components

PVC glue, often referred to as PVC solvent cement, typically contains the following key ingredients:

INGREDIENTPERCENTAGE RANGEFUNCTION

Tetrahydrofuran (THF)35% - 50%Solvent that softens PVC for bonding

 

Methyl Ethyl Ketone (MEK)35% - 50%Solvent that aids in the bonding process

 

Acetone20% - 40%Solvent that helps dissolve PVC surfaces

 

PVC5% - 20%Provides the adhesive properties

 

Cyclohexanone1% - 10%Solvent that enhances the bonding capability

This article, see #5.3  recommendations for hobby plastics making it a perfect candidate for mending fishing plastics.

Ingredients in PVC Glue

Common Components

PVC glue, often referred to as PVC solvent cement, typically contains the following key ingredients:

INGREDIENT	PERCENTAGE RANGE	FUNCTION
Tetrahydrofuran (THF)	35% - 50%	Solvent that softens PVC for bonding
Methyl Ethyl Ketone (MEK)	35% - 50%	Solvent that aids in the bonding process
Acetone	20% - 40%	Solvent that helps dissolve PVC surfaces
PVC	5% - 20%	Provides the adhesive properties
Cyclohexanone	1% - 10%	Solvent that enhances the bonding capability

The bottle I have doesn’t have any ingredients listed actually. I’m sure it could be found on the website though. 

Thanks for the tip, Joe. I didn't know about this product. I'll be buying some!

I've been using Mend-it for years. Nothing comes close.

 

The trick to keeping it from gelling-up in the bottle is to do one fix at a time. Meaning, open it, brush it onto the repair area and quickly screw back the cap back on to keep the solvents from evaporating. You'll have plenty of time to make the bond beyond the 3 seconds it takes to screw on the cap. Always hold the repair together for at least 20-30 seconds for the best results, then let it fully cure for about 20 minutes before use.

 

Also, turn the bottle upside down for a few seconds after a repair session. This will allow the solids to form a seal between the cap and the glass. I've had bottles last for years by doing this.

I bought my first bottle after my $18 Megabass Magdraft was torn apart on the first fish;  good fish though.

Someone asked me about the soldering, so I'll give an explainer.

 

Both damaged baits are Dolive Beavers from this weekend. One, the claws are intact but barely. SMB on Free Rig. The other was completely blown up by a SMB on a Neko and is no longer useful (I turn these into "mushi" baits by adding silicone legs) so I cut it in half to demo. Both fish that caused the damage are below.

 

First, Mend-It!  Paint one side, or both and stick together! The bait is now back together. But you can still see the lines or little cracks. We want to smooth those out and make a better connection.

 

Use a micro soldering iron tip. The idea here is not to immolate the bait but to juuuuust barely get it to melt so we can use the bait as glue. So gently go over the crack back and forth. For technique, it's like very gently scribbling a marker on either side of a line or very gently scratching your skin with your nail.  Gentle, controlled. You just want to get the plastic to melt and then spread it around. You'll know it's ready when you see the plastic have a shiny sheen. Spread that liquid around.

 

Now the crack is filled and the bait more robust and uniform along the damage line. 

 

Now there are likely some fumes (from both Mend-It and soldering), so make sure you aren't huffing them and do in a ventilated area.

 

 

None of the places in town I have looked have had mend-it. I'll be picking a bottle up when I'm able though. I appreciate everyone sharing.

7 hours ago, Bazoo said:

None of the places in town I have looked have had mend-it. I'll be picking a bottle up when I'm able though. I appreciate everyone sharing.

It is definitely an online order. I’ve never found it locally in either state I’ve lived in. Well worth the purchase though. I’ve saved a lot of money on plastics 

I pulled out a bottle of Oaty PVC medium set pipe glue last night and mended together the mouth end of a Yamamoto Zako paddle tail where I had split it open with a swim jig. 
Welded it back together using a dab on a toothpick with no problem and was able to put it on a twist lock belly weighted hook without issue.
 

Thanks for the heads-up on the PVC glue!

Love using Mend-It but apparently I don’t get out enough because I have about half a bottle left that has started to solidify, I assume due to exposure.

Not sure if there’s any way to bring it back sadly.

2 hours ago, LootyDjibouti said:

Love using Mend-It but apparently I don’t get out enough because I have about half a bottle left that has started to solidify, I assume due to exposure.

Not sure if there’s any way to bring it back sadly.

When mine gets tacky I add a little acetone and shake it well.

2 hours ago, Jig Man said:

When mine gets tacky I add a little acetone and shake it well.

same here. a couple drops of acetone and give it the old "shake weight" treatment.

I’m gonna have to give it a go - definitely seems worth it for the softer stuff that gets good bites.