Why is Mend-It Burning holes in my swimbaits

[Steve Ericksen]

I dropped a dab of mend-it on one of my swimbaits and it burned a hole right down the center and tore the plastic. This happened the first time I used it, but I thought it was because it mixed with some super-glue, but today I dropped a dab on a swimbait that's never seen super glue and I have a huge tear down the whole side. I just ruined at $35 swimbait b/c of this stuff.......WHY???????

I am PISSED to say the LEAST!!!

[bazs]

Ive used it on all types of baits both plastic baits like worms, beavers ect and all types of swimbaits with no problems, I actually just refurbished $200 plus worth of mission fish to new condition with mend it. What type of bait was it?
Very strange!!!!!
Zack Thompson

[Leroy_B]

I've used the stuff to repair soft swimbaits. I did notice that if you are applying pressure to the plastic it can tear very easily. You need to put a drop on the tear and then lightly hold the two sides of the tear together. It took me a few tries to get it right but once you figure it out it seems to work pretty good.

[BMX Bassin]

Mend it is a bonding agent. Not a glue. It "melts" the plastic together. It works great for me. Better than other glues fo sho!

[Mattlures]

Leroy is correct. If you apply presure, like your opening up the tear to apply the mend-it it will open the tear more. Just open the tear a little, put a drop f mend it in the tear and close it up right away. The plastic will chemicaly bod itself back together.
Example: if you take a soft plastic bait and fold it in half and put Mend-it on the fold the bait will tear , possibly all the way through depending on how much MI you use and how big the bait is. Practice on a cheap plastic worm. Once you realize you cant put outward pressure on the bait, then it will get real easy for you. You can apply presure to push or hold two haves together but you cant use pressure to open up a tare
Your baits are not ruined. Go practice on a couple worms and then use the Mend-it to weld your baits back together.

[Caudawg]

I love Mend-it. It's a no brainer for saving you money. The ROI for me took minutes. Beyond that it was all gravy.

The only mistake I have made is getting a little on a cut on my finger. Yowza that smarts! Maybe a latex glove would help avoid this mishap.

[Jim Conlow Sr.]

Try it on a glove without your hand in it. It might melt the glove right to your finger.

I dont know but would do a test run

[kopper_bass]

Steve,

Mend-it is great stuff, if used properly. Sounds like you have mistaken if for something its not.

As others have stated, its NOT a glue.
It has MEK (MethylEthylKetone) as a main ingrediant and it chemically reacts with the plasticisers in the swimbait. It has a "welding" like effect on plastics. Use it extremely sparingly and it will "weld" rips or tears back together on your soft plastic baits. But if you just put a dab of it on a perfectly good piece of plastic (swimbait, your rod, your boat, etc) it will eat it! Just like you described.


Why are you dropping a dab on your swimbaits? you didnt mention that you had a tear or rip that you were repairing, more like you were just trying to glue down something or just goofing off. Explain more and we can help you. As others explained below, welding a rip together is easy, just follow how Mattlures explained.

Hope we can help you. Let us know.

Kopper_Bass

[kopper_bass]

Hey All,
If you want to try something that is fun, give this a try with Mend-It and see if it works. (Adult supervision required). I used to do this all the time with straight MEK at work.

1) go to your local hobby store and get a thin (.060 in thk) sample of ABS or Styrene plastic sheet. If you know something in your house is made of ABS plastic and you want to waste it, then you can use it too.

2) cut out the plastic sheet into a 1in square.

3) Lay the plastic on a solid, non-flammable surface outside (well ventilated). Concrete outside works great.

4) generously smear Mend-It all over the top surface of the plastic square. You need to add a lot and fully cover it.

5) stand back and watch!

The MEK in mend-it will violently react with the ABS. Because there is so much, it will start to heat quickly and bubble / blister the sheet into a formation that looks like coral reef. pretty cool!

CAUTION - the reaction is a chemical one, thus it is extremely hot and caustic. dont touch it until it is well over.

Kopper_Bass

PS - i take no responsibility if you melt a hole in your wife's/mom's/friends countertop or burn a house down!

[bass smacker]

Hey All,
If you want to try something that is fun, give this a try with Mend-It and see if it works. (Adult supervision required). I used to do this all the time with straight MEK at work.

1) go to your local hobby store and get a thin (.060 in thk) sample of ABS or Styrene plastic sheet. If you know something in your house is made of ABS plastic and you want to waste it, then you can use it too.

2) cut out the plastic sheet into a 1in square.

3) Lay the plastic on a solid, non-flammable surface outside (well ventilated). Concrete outside works great.

4) generously smear Mend-It all over the top surface of the plastic square. You need to add a lot and fully cover it.

5) stand back and watch!

The MEK in mend-it will violently react with the ABS. Because there is so much, it will start to heat quickly and bubble / blister the sheet into a formation that looks like coral reef. pretty cool!

CAUTION - the reaction is a chemical one, thus it is extremely hot and caustic. dont touch it until it is well over.

Kopper_Bass

PS - i take no responsibility if you melt a hole in your wife's/mom's/friends countertop or burn a house down!

You might be a redneck if

[Flippinjigs]

MEK is very hazardous. We use it in the avation industry for cleaning (aircraft fuel system componets etc:) a respirator is required. To mend soft plastics I would rather use a Hot Sodering Gun. You can buy several differant types of tips. Just heat both parts and stick them togeter. Your not inhaling foul chemical MEK fumes. However the glue is portable. But keep it off of everthing else you don't want destoryed


Good Fishin

[Greg_Cornish]

My dad was a house painter all of his life and used varnishes, lacquers, and all those caustic chemicals you can imagine. The darn guy would never used a respirator. Lacquered doors inside with no ventilation.

You can tell its starting to affect him. He's 95 years old and beginning to be a little forgetful.

True story

[kopper_bass]

Yep,
There's a little bit in all of us - woohoo!

Kopper_Bass