Stripped Screw Holes in Plastic

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SteveHGraham
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Stripped Screw Holes in Plastic

Post by SteveHGraham »

I have a young friend in college, and he always needs money, so I hired him to cut back a hedge. The hedge clippers couldn't handle it, so I let him try an electric chain saw. It worked fine, except for the fact that crap kept getting caught in the saw. That meant the plastic guard had to come off.

Apparently he overtightened the guard screws, which go into plastic, and now two of them are spinning in place.

It this was wood, I would hammer some toothpicks into the holes to make the screw threads catch. What do you do with stripped holes in plastic?

Perhaps more importantly, what's the best tool when an electric hedge clipper is too weak? I don't know about these things because I abstain from all forms of physical labor.
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mklotz
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Re: Stripped Screw Holes in Plastic

Post by mklotz »

Here's how they do it in New Zealand...

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article ... -lawn.html
Regards, Marv

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SteveHGraham
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Re: Stripped Screw Holes in Plastic

Post by SteveHGraham »

I know a guy who has a sloping front yard. He rides a lawn tractor with a rope tied to a conventional mower. The lawn tractor stays on the "safe" area of the yard, while the conventional mower runs parallel to it down on the steep part.

At least that's what he was doing the last time I heard. He may be dead now.
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ctwo
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Re: Stripped Screw Holes in Plastic

Post by ctwo »

bigger screws?

I have used a soldering iron to "weld" plastic back together. Maybe you can still just hammer in some plastic toothpicks? Or perhaps you want to glue in some metal threaded inserts?
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SteveHGraham
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Re: Stripped Screw Holes in Plastic

Post by SteveHGraham »

I just assumed that the genius Chaski crew would have the answer immediately, but it looks like Google will have to save the day.

I found it on Youtube: you wrap your screw in Teflon tape, fill the hole with epoxy, put the screw in, wait for the epoxy to cure, and take the screw out.



Now I have to find out why the chain keeps coming off the bar. I stopped installing it backward, so that can't be it.
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tornitore45
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Re: Stripped Screw Holes in Plastic

Post by tornitore45 »

Edge trimming NZ style. As if that did not look dangerous enough there are wires nearby.
Mauro Gaetano
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SteveHGraham
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Re: Stripped Screw Holes in Plastic

Post by SteveHGraham »

I tried the epoxy solution tonight. One thing I learned: 5-minute epoxy does not cure in 5 minutes.

I think they'll be solid if I leave them be until tomorrow afternoon.
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TomB
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Re: Stripped Screw Holes in Plastic

Post by TomB »

SteveHGraham wrote:I tried the epoxy solution tonight. One thing I learned: 5-minute epoxy does not cure in 5 minutes.

I think they'll be solid if I leave them be until tomorrow afternoon.
My experience with epoxy. If it is too cold it won't cure until it warms up. Otherwise you did not add enough hardner and in that case it will never harden.
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SteveHGraham
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Re: Stripped Screw Holes in Plastic

Post by SteveHGraham »

I only wish it was cold here.
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SteveHGraham
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Re: Stripped Screw Holes in Plastic

Post by SteveHGraham »

My verdict: it works, but you should probably mix your own epoxy instead of trusting the stuff that comes in a syringe, and I don't think I would want to tighten the screws too much after the repair.

On the up side, I had great success using Goop to put a new end on a shop-vac hose.

How do I get dried Goop off my garage floor?
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warmstrong1955
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Re: Stripped Screw Holes in Plastic

Post by warmstrong1955 »

SteveHGraham wrote: How do I get dried Goop off my garage floor?
Half a stick of 1-1/4" x 16", one cap, and a short fuse ought to get 'er done.

;)
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SteveHGraham
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Re: Stripped Screw Holes in Plastic

Post by SteveHGraham »

This is one of those times when I wish I had an acetylene torch. MAPP got most of it off, though.
Every hard-fried egg began life sunny-side up.
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