HOW TO FIX broken plastic ULTIMATE Welding Forming Repair techniques
Vložit
- čas přidán 26. 08. 2024
- HOW TO FIX broken plastic parts.
$10 soldering iron w/temp control: amzn.to/3A251OV
Stainless Steel MESH SCREEN sheets: amzn.to/3w2mtzx
Soldering GUN I used(worth the little more $): amzn.to/2U3iQfn
Tools I used in the video though not necessary.
Dewalt 20v Large Die Grinder I used: amzn.to/2Uah6kH
Milwaukee M12 die grinder: amzn.to/3jqcj97
Carbide burrs for smoothing: amzn.to/2UHlDes
SUPPORT THE CHANNEL or support the SHOP DOG's treat addiction:
Buy Ginger a new bone: www.paypal.com...
sixtyfiveford
sixtyfiveford/
Using a small bag of sand under the part makes working on the odd shapes much easier.
Very true.
Good tip!
Genius!
@@sixtyfiveford *_ At **02:48** he says "Going DEEP into MY Crack" .... Ha Ha _*
Great advice(!), thank you. :-)
This is where the internet shines. Thank you so much for sharing your knowledge.
Wow, thank you!
Cool, I've often used cut up paperclips as 'rebar' to melt in and embed in the plastic.
That's a good tip. I'll have to remember that
Haha even though it was like 12$ at the time , I got that cheap harbor freight plastic welder and felt robbed when I opened it and had a soldering iron , some screen and some plastic sticks to melt.
I've got that stuff laying around the shop 🤣
@@MrTheHillfolk I love that kit! It saved me over $5k. I messed up my 2002 BMW Z3 M roadster. The stupid parts for just the brake duct cooling was getting over in the $1k range for used parts. I could almost buy a used one take the parts off cheaper. I ended up buy 3 kits. Learned to build up sand and paint. Can't even tell now.
You should check out the hot weld staple gun and assortments of different shape staples for it. They are all stainless steel and there are inside & outside corners, wave shapes and straight shapes. I just got one a couple weeks ago and I'm repairing plastic parts that are so small you would never think you could repair them but with these 0.6 mm and 0.8 mm wire staples and the precision with the hand gun welder it's amazing what you can fix now. No more throwing parts away that are broken because I can't glue them together. Now I weld them with wire staples melted into the plastic and if it's still warm enough you can push the plastic together where the staple went in with a small flat head screwdriver or fill it in with the liquid resin that hardens under ultraviolet light and then sand it down and it's like new.
Pph
This guy is like the MacGyver of repairs!
This is an excellent video. No nonsense,no wasted time. No BS. Just real world ,useful knowledge. 👌👌 cheers buddy!
You obviously didn't watch until the end. There was copious amounts of nonsense out in the lawn, hahaha.
@@Zebrahead6000 You obviously need to work on your lame trolling skills... XD
I've been using this trick for years, I like to use strips of weedeater string for my filler. Great content!
Wow. The stuff YT was actually designed for. Well done. Subbed.
Hey Thanks.
For your consideration, I've had success putting donor like plastic in a jar with a little acetone(finger nail polish remover). When it is melted you can apply it in and around the crack and even lay some wire mesh in it. When it cures it's strong.
Fantastic! Thanks for the info
im going to try this just out of interest
That triggered a childhood memory of trying to clean out a clear plastic butter box with acetone (laziness).
It became opaque. And I had to get rid of the 'evidence', pyro-style.
MEK
@@mankindapparel methyl ethyl ketone ? nasty stuff
You can put you HDPE in a toaster oven on 275 for about 10 min and make your own contours. Softens it up with out being too hot to handle.
Very interesting and informative video. When you cut your screening for reinforcement do it on the diagonal. That way when you put it across your seam you'll have twice the number of wires strands crossing the repair.
I learned from a video about fabrics and sewing that cuts diagonal to the weave of the material is called cutting 'on the bias'. But with fabrics, the purpose is to provide increased flexibility, as most fabric only stretches in one direction. It's strange how different industries like to make up their own confusing terms for similar things.
Can't believe how long it has taken for this to come into my life. I've been frustraged so many times by crappy glue jobs on plastic that just failed. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.
aint it the truth....I feel like a little bit of an idiot at almost 60 years old. And the young crowd will just love that we're just not throwing plastic away....this could be an issue for a closet hoarder like myself.
I worked in Blytheville AR as a backshop composite mechanic many moons ago. One of the parts that came off of an ATR72 was a console piece roughly 10"x10" a new one ran $10k but I tried to plastic weld with an expensive machine. I was absolutely clueless. Before the days of CZcams. This video has opened my eyes to the ease of welding. Thank you so very much for taking time to perform this act of kindness. 😃😃😃
Thanks Man.
I’ve done a lot of plastic welding in the past, you have introduced me to something new..the Screen and any thin wire that can be heated and melted in. I used to use the rounded plastic that other plastic stuff is attached to, kind of the size of a Straw. I’m 76 and I’m STILL learning.
Many decades ago, my dad told me that if it was a day I learned something, it was a day not wasted! I've tried to live up to that my whole life. 🙂
You are so right every day is a school day,
It shows you are here to learn what ever the subject.
I’m just the same and willing to pass on my skills just as freely to anyone willing to learn.
This guy is on the money. Done a ton of plastic welding over the years, especially my time in the body shop. We always used stainless mesh to backup the repair area with a decent overlap on the back of the repair. I use 'like types' of plastic when doing the repair. If you don't have the actual filler rods, cutting or melting strips of some scrap plastic is the best and cheapest method to get your filler. There are specific tips that are flat for the soldering gun that are designed for this. Then there is air plastic welding. Same principal, different tool. Thanks for sharing this. Nice to know I've been making these type of repairs like this in the same way.
Great tips. I like to use 3d printer filament as filler. Lots of people have some and it works good
... makes those busted up spoilers & auto bumpers laying beside the road a resource instead of an eyesore.
@@Le_Comte_de_Monte_Felin
Absolutely. Damn good point and I guess I never really thought about it that way. 👍
You are a true Eco Guard, in other words, a person that fixes broken items and teaching others. Thus, preventing the broken and now fixed item from going to the landfill. This also saves the repairer much money. Well done.
Certain items simply cannot be bought or replaced...this is the way to make them still serviceable and useful
I used to fix Atari joysticks like this when I was a kid. My dad fussed a bit because I screwed up his soldering iron tip, but he let me keep doing it. I also did this to repair the internal part of cassette player buttons when the arms had broken inside. The repairs looked terrible, but they worked. It was nice remembering that. Thanks, sixtyfiveford!
I get pissed at myself for screwing up my soldering iron tip with plastic. Lol. Your dad was just venting.
He was letting you use the tool because it worked, while also letting you know not to fuck up your soldering tip. He was switching tips behind your back.
I did a lot of plastic welding as a ski shop tech back in the 90's. We had a hot air welder that didn't require contact with the plastic, but sometimes using a soldering iron or the torch-heated tip of an old screw driver was necessary.
At my ski shop in the 90s we used PTEX, essentially black ABS, set it on fire and dripped it into the deep scratches of the bases of skis/snowboards.
@@brianwelteroth9248 PTEX was quick and easy, but it is pretty soft and would wear out quickly. We had an extrusion gun that was a similar product, but had better adhesion and lasted longer. But sometimes, with deep gouges and core shots, you had to lay in some epoxy, then a few beads of plastic filler rod with the air welder.
I've wondered about a "cheap" way to repair plastic. Thank you for this video. Also to those who submitted additional helpful tips.
So cool how Ginger plays with "you" at the end. Great tips as always, much appreciated.
That dog is hilarious!!! It looks like he is trying to show us how to fix those annoying water leaks in our yards
MY stepdad used to repair TVs. He used to use pieces of small wire-like paper clips and bend them in zigzag and give a very strong bond & rigidity to the broken cabinets.
Put a copper spoon end on your soldering gun it will do even better
Nice. This is the exact method I use. I even have the same soldering iron. If you can find it there is a special tip (weller 6160) that kinda looks like flat spoon that works perfectly for plastic. I can get weld that looks like a tig weld bead with that tip. I got a bunch of them on clearance for about a dollar each. I guess nobody knew what they were for.
One came in the set dad bought years ago...said it was a desoldier tip
@@red2965 ooh, that's the search term I need, huh? Sweet, thanks!
I've also duplicated the texture using a bed liner spray. Repaired a dash using some of these techniques and fiberglass mesh with filler, sanded smooth, shot with the bed liner spray. Amazingly stock result.
Lots of good stuff in there
“Waste not, save a lot”, with 65 Ford 😊👍
Exactly. Thanks!
Had a '62 f-100
Great tip with the mesh - I always thought my crude solder iron welding on plastic was a bit ghetto but seeing your results has given me some ideas 👍
With few exceptions, most automotive plastics are some formulation of ABS. I've done the hot air welding and have a wood-burning iron (from the hobby store) and can make most repairs between those two tools. The wood burner is great, as the temp is variable and it comes with a bunch of different tips depending on what you're working on. I have learned that whenever possible, you want to make your filler rod from the same plastic that you're trying to repair.
your right ! you can't use hspd for abs plastic !
Oh, hey, I didn't think about a woodburner! I've got both the soldering iron and the woodburner, so I could use both for different places or applications. Thanks for the idea! 🙂👍🏼
Definitely. You need to use a filler rod that is the same type of plastic as the part you are welding.
you can weld abs with acetone
@@Spookydude3 explain
DUDE !!!! That was awesome !!!! I'm a tinkerer and a picker and there have been a TON of times I've needed to weld plastic. I can't believe I've never tried this before, GREAT video boss !!!!
This channel is essential to life..seriously making things work with stuff around the house..awesome smart is what the world needs especially now
Every now and then, you stumble onto a subject and just marvel at the simplicity someone is doing to fix or repair something. You've open my eyes to
numerous projects that I have to mend things. Thank you.
This was great. I had damaged the grill on my riding lawn mower when the strap holding it in place on my trailer slipped and the grill bounced off the front wall of my trailer. It wasn't destroyed but it was in pretty bad shape. I've been thinking about different ways of repairing it by adding metal backing and that type of thing. After seeing this I pulled my trusty Weller dual Heat solder gun out and very carefully realign the parts and plastic welded them back together. I've done some repair like this on Old tape recorders and other AV cases but never thought of doing something this big. I was even able to replace a couple of missing pieces of plastic in the grill with other plastic that I salvaged from parts I would have thrown away. This save me over $125. Thanks for great video.
I don't know which I like better... Your craftsmanship.. or your beautiful dog 🐶...
This is BY-FAR the best plastic welding video on the internet! Thank you!!
Hey thanks
Agreed! 💯
Super helpful. I had a cracked face plate on my chainsaw allowing the tension screw to pop out. It was not safe to use because the chain tension could not be tightened. I used your technique with HDPE and window screen and it’s working great now. Even with the tension screw firmly pressing on the inside of the plastic plate. Thanks for helping me save a chainsaw!
You're really good at that! I'm saving your video to rewatch when I get frustrated.
I've been working on my plastic repair skills for a while now (because we live in a plastic world, and I don't like using all my plastic money to constantly buy new plastic things all the time). I'm getting pretty good - I figured out using metal reinforcement, and I also save nicely-contoured bits of junk plastic and extra window screen. I just need a better soldering gun now - I have at least 5 or 6 electric and gas powered pen-type ones at this point that I just don't like... Maybe then I can work more on crafting new filler pieces.
What really turned my game around though was being able to finally adhesive-bond those low surface energy plastics (i.e. PP, HDPE, LDPE, high-modulus-PE, PTFE, POM/acetal, TPO). I found polyolefin/LSE primer and a cyanoacrylate brand that I like, and I'm on a roll! Fixed my headlight housing yesterday, a travel mug the day before, it never ends, it all breaks. With the right primer I'm getting a killer bond on all those tricky plastics now, I'm even able to bond Delrin, Teflon, Dyneema, and EPDM stronger than the material itself. Not always a substitute for plastic welding though, which is why I really appreciate the video!!
Keep fixin!
Wow! You know your chemistry!
Great comments. Do you make videos on this subject?
I used to use paper clips with a soldering gun when I was a teenager. Fixed sunglasses. Plastic Toys. Headphones. Everything. Never thought to use window screen but that’s a great idea. Thanks!
Paper clips, I like it.
Looks like fun I have a fuel tank on a generator I'm gonna try and fix tomorrow THANKS FOR TAKING THE TIME TO POST THIS
Just figured the first part out myself trying to get some fluorescent lights at work fixed with bad tombstones and no parts available. I use the same 200 watt gun, it works great.
Thanks so much for the advanced lessons, your videos are mind blowing.
Definitely the best channel for me to learn tricks in industrial maintenance, by far!
Dude, you offer some of the best, no-bullshit practical advice available. Thank you
This is hands down, the best video on plastic welding. Thank you for sharing your knowledge, talent and experience. 💯💯💯💯💯
What a great video!!!! I throw away so much plastic but I’m gonna start messin around, Thanks for all the great tips
I had already figured out welding plastic with a soldering pen, but I had not thought of using metal screen as a fortifier. Thanks for the tip! That's a great idea. I can tell without even testing that it will work.
If you have thicker plastic or need stronger binding metal, carton sealing staples work too., They are nice and flat and exceptionally strong
This is why i subbed, Ive been on this channel from the start and watched your channel grow. you have always delivered great content.. thank you.
Thank you for this awesome DIY plastic welding video. I learned a great deal. Carry On Sir!
Outstanding video! I have a bunch of projects that need fixing now. Much appreciated!
Good information. For cracks I stopped plastic welding & started using epoxy with sheetrock fiberglass drywall tape. This combination bonds the pieces & makes for a very strong repair. Your technique for making missing pieces is great. I'm sure I will use it one day.
Thanks man.
Great stuff. Have repaired a few motorcycle side covers and plastic pieces using zip ties and never had much success. Your techniques and materials work way better. Thanks for the info.
Motorcycle fairings are usually abs but the more expensive ones use carbon fibre and these parts cannot be welded
Legit the best self help video I've seen. Thanks
You are a genius! Who would have known. I watched this a few weeks ago and have already made 2 repairs, thereby saving me from buying new. Thanks
Another material that can be used for reinforcement is steel wool. Nice video, as usual.
Dude get yourself a wood burning kit. The good ones generally come with a good variety of interchangeable tips, some like a soldering iron and some are big flat ones which work great for smoothing everything out in the end and blending. The one I have has a dial so you can very precisely control your heat which is super handy. It’s definitely worth it if you’re fixing plastic parts.
Tom, what’s the name of the kit you have? A photo would help as well, thanks
Wow I am impressed when you molded a missing piece to the ignition cover from scrap plastic.
Thank you for passing on the knowledge!
No clickbait? No long backstory? Just full of actual useful information. Unbelievable!
Good tips. I've done this for years. Once in a while you'll get a combo that oxidizes(burns) and either won't stick or becomes brittle. To help that, use some nitrogen or probably whatever welding gas you have to flood the area with shielding gas while they melt. Keeping the tempt down below 400F will also help keep it from scorching. I just bought a hot staple gun to fix a John Deere plastic hood. They are essentially the sam as your wire swiggles that load into the end of the soldering gun type contraption. Once it heats it melts into the plastic. Then you let it cool for a minute and release the staple. Pretty cool product for a larger project. Btw. I found an old Rabbit dash shelf laying in the field at my Dads old place. Not sure if any of it is usable. Lmk if you want to see some pics of it.
great tip, I'll just go to the trunk and get that bottle of nitrogen I just knew would come in handy some day 🙄
if youre concerned about other cracks popping up, you can melt a single big piece of screen over the entire are of the back of the plastic panel.
I know this isn't new for most here, but for me, it was a completely new concept. Especially using the window screen. This is genuinely good information. Thanks!
A very informative video, thanks. So happy I pulled a door's worth of stainless steel mesh out of the dump. Hadn't thought of that
I took my dad's 250 watt solder Iron and silver soldered a flat stainless steel plate to the copper tip, works great for welding and melting in the screen. Recently bought a hot weld staple gun for thick plastic
Great tip with the screen. I keep stepping on my plastic dust pan I leave on the ground and make new breaks to weld. It is worth people buying a roll at Home Depot for $8.48. The aluminum screen is so useful. Can filter fluids like oil when pouring into a container, or making a box screen to catch bait in a stream for for fossil hunting, can use it on the end of a pipe to catch lint, use it in sink drains, etc.
Agreed, I use it for a ton of stuff.
Fossil hunting, with bait? I hope that one of those "fors" was supposed to be an 'or,' instead, LOL!
That’s a great idea with the metal screen. I will have to remember that. I have special tips with flat sides to use on the soldering gun for plastic.
This just might be my single favorite video on CZcams… and for sure it’s my favorite, happy-random YT algorithm recommendation yet. Just PURE GOLD !!! There are so many of us that are just like you that do this exact kind of DIY messing around and problem solving… and it’s so nice to see someone sharing their craziness and genius in a CZcams tutorial. Thanks So Much !!! RAWK ON !!!
Glad you enjoyed it!
This is very interesting. I like how you used the window screen to make the parts stronger. That’s a very good tip. I also like the fact that did extensive research to find out that plastic labeled with HDPE will weld better. I learned a lot today.
Thanks so much for a great informative video. You covered so many aspects of plastic repair. Well done!
This is awesome. Makes me want to go break plastic just to repair it lol
I am about to repair a scooter mudguard. I have done a few small jobs before but this method with reinforcing is going to take the job next level. Well done
Awesome
Thanks! I have done plastic welding as you’ve shown it for years, but source of material, type and your other tips were amazing, great, etc. Thanks, again….Jim
PS…….I started doing this on car tailights, still do many car repair plastic parts.
Can you share the secret how do you keep tail light or head light plastic transparent?
I've found that regular Elmer's school glue works great for filling the small cracks on the finished(pretty) side. Idk if it matters but I let the glue dry before painting and if you have a textured pattern on the finished side you can use clay and a touch of vegetable oil to copy the pattern and press into the glue after it is started to set and is semi solid. Applying the oil to the clay keeps it from sticking in the pattern grooves and keeps the glue from adhering to the clay if the glue isn't set enough. Hope this helps someone
I'd think that wouldn't be very stable afte awhile. Especially in really hot and cold weather. But the clay could easily work if heat was applied to the exterior plastic, too.
Thanks...Simple Science..
this is the first I see in a long time that has no rubbish to it. Straight to the point. The thing that I love was farmer style, to hell with these PPE gloves, goggles, and extractors. Man, that's me. Don't get me wrong, there is a place for PPE, and I use it. but your demo didn't need it so go and fix the part. Cheers mate!!!!!
Nice presentation with great, clear camera work. Thank you.
Another great how to video. I’ve got that same welding/soldering gun. It was my dad’s. I’ve had it probably 40 years.
The old Weller soldering guns seam to never die.
I've got the same one, also from _my_ dad! He was a radio & TV repairman for a long, long time and then after retirement, he still did DIY tinkering with different electronics, so it was used hard for many years, and still works good!
I've used safety wire in my solder gun to use as a hot staple. Works pretty good too. But I twist it just under theto layer of plastic but I really like the window screen mesh. Super strong, fixable to for contours and thin to work with thin plastic.
I dropped a chunk of metal on my DeWalt reciprocating saw and busted both halves of the clamshell handle. The replacement parts were obsolete and I figured the saw was a gonner. Then I found this video. I got an outstanding repair using this technique including screen reinforcement and scraps from an old bucket to form some missing shards that I had lost. Having never welded plastic before I found this to be a very satisfying experience.
Thank you for the awesome advice I fixed some headphones that were not holding with glue anymore the steel mesh fix with plastic did a amazing job of making it stronger than before .......great advice buddy appreciate here from southern AZ ......
Love your Ginger endings!
Thanks for another great video! After using both top end "plastic welders" and HF equipment, your methods make complete sense, especially your tips on reinforcement. It's a real pain getting just the right heat with forced air welders. For larger jobs the equipment works, but smaller work pieces often suffer.
Hey Thanks. That's been my experience with hot air welders. Fine for thick car bumpers but destroy thinner plastics.
Genius, I have seen the plastic welders body shops use and it is great but expensive, I never would of thought of using a soldering iron, I will try this for a few things that need fixing.
You're a life saver, well maybe a project saver!
Great tutorial on plastic welding. This can be a real handy thing to know… thanks for the post, awesome content as always.
Thanks Man.
I've been doing this for years. After I got into 3d printing I started doing this different. I use a 3d pen now. $20-40 on Amazon. Melts it and I can extrude whatever type of plastic I need, hdpe,abs,pla, etc.
I do have a 3D pen, but it doesn't seem to melt to the parent material extremely well.
@@sixtyfiveford yeah it can be a bit tougher. I turn the pen up as high as it will go and push the tip into the item to melt it. I add the additional material from the pen once it's good and hot. I do also use a wood burner (soldering iron for wood) with various tips as well.
For quick repairs though, just turn the 2d pen on high, smash the tip in and glob on the filler.
Great video. I needed to repair a tab on the side cover for my motor cycle. I super glued it and it held for a while. I'm sure this method will help me make a permanent repair.👍👍👍
Thanks Man.
Sir, people like you are one reason why I like youtube. Best wishes from Germany.
Wow, thanks!
I remember doing this many years ago for a buddy's son who had crashed the family 3-wheeler ( I told you this was years ago!) absolutely trashing the plastic fenders! He needed to buy some time while the new fenders were ordered and shipped. We pieced the broken pieces together, welded using 'rod' cut from junk fenders, and he went "mudding" covering the machine with dirt! Two weeks later, we replaced the muddy fenders with new ones! He went mudding again, but that time when he got home, he washed it so Dad could take it for a ride.It was years before his Dad discovered the 'stitched' fenders and the story. LOL
Very informative, well explained video. One suggestion: use your camera's zoom function or zoom in post-production to get some closeups of your weld technique.
And I thought you was going to say crazy glue and baking soda...lol (which does work too BTW) but this is an awesome idea. I remember as a kid trying to fix any broken plastic toys with a hot as hell nail straight out of the stove top or a butter knife.... never worked as good as this. The temperature regulation was the missing piece of the puzzle. Great video, thanks.
I just used this to fix my ice machine! Saved me $200. Great video!
I smashed the front end of my BMW M roadster and the ducting for cooling my brakes radiator fan shroud, bumper and lower grill were all busted up. Got the welding kit from Harbor Fright learned how to fix it all myself save thousands on parts and I know they are fixed well too. Couldn't fix the broken radiator or transmission cooler or power steering cooler up front but she's was due for upgrades lol.
Awesome!
I broke down and bought one a couple years back. I’m a fairly accomplished welder yet found using that thing was damnably hard. In fact I found using this style such as in the video seemed to work better🥺.
One word of caution with the HF machine to keep it from burning up. Once you’re finished LEAVE THE AIR RUNNING. It will let the insides that stay very hot cool down spit doesn’t burn up internally. I hot that yip from a guy who uses them on a commercial basis
@@drizler good notes, I couldn't get the air one to work for me I used the iron and mesh one to fix my car and so much more
@@drizler that's exactly what must be done with a commercial-grade (or any, really) heat gun. If you don't, the elements inside will burn up in nothing flat.
Awesome info bud! Wish I had this knowledge before. Thanks for all the great vids.
Good informative video on fixing plastic with cracks in it. Thank you.
Had to order, paint, and replace a front spoiler style bumper on my wife’s RSX last summer. Winter came, she rolled up over an icy hard snow bank and cracked the NEW bumper! 😡. I am NOT spending another $500 (paint and supplies included) to replace it again. I figured there was a way to do this.. now I know how! Thanks much for this! 👍😎
Love your channel! Keep up the great work! Thanks for taking the time.
Thanks Doug. -Moe
This is amazing knowledge to have....
Ok I just subscribed, this is my kind of channel.
Wow! It is NOT an overstatement to call this video the ULTIMATE plastic welding video. I've never seen anyone tackle this topic with greater thoroughness. Fantastic job. I have immediate use for this information as I just bought an otherwise fine elliptical on craigslist and it has busted plastic covers!.
Glad you enjoyed it!
I agree - I've watched a whole lot of them today, for hours, and this was THE best one, hands down!
This is the best way to fix and stick plastic together period hands down best
If you're doing this on a cosmetic side, you will want to try to use the same type of plastic and build it up well so you can demand it down. Mixing plastics though essentially creates a polymer and is often stronger than the original plastic just by mixing them. The mesh is a great idea.
I like this! The solution to plastic repair is so simple and practical. I'm on my way to Harbor Freight to get a soldering gun. Oh, by the way, did I mention that I like this? :-)
Window screen for reinforcement is truly chefs kiss.
Good video. Did a great job making the missing piece.
I used to do this to repair those old CRT television back when clients damage them you need to get some sort of respirator to prevent inhaling the fuel from the plastic
No you dont
@@mikek4610 if you're doing it in an enclosed area, without much ventilation, yeah, you absolutely do. 🙄
you could try wrapping the thin copper around a zip tie, slide it off and flatten it with a hammer to make a mat with multiple overlapped wires and make it as fast as bending back and forth.
Seems to me just using the screen mesh would be tons easier and faster.
Great advice and tips. Didn't over whelm with unnecessary talk about other subjects or life situation. Thumbs up...
What a fantastic skill. I've needed this for years but not knowing this technique have always ended up throwing the item away. I have several projects needing repairs and can't wait to give this a try. Thank you!