tips for bonding/joining coroplast?
 

Hi, I've worked with this stuff before, but it's time to do another car, and I was going to do more with controlling airflow this time. I'm going to try to gusset 90 degree bent coroplast to add rigidity, and figured on mortise and tendon style joining, but what can I use to secure the gusset to the main piece? hot glue? don't do it and just use zip ties to hold it at 90 and let it flop if it wants to?

If the joint is a high stress area, you want a mechanical fastener to keep it in place. Hot glue would only be suggested as a temporary hold in place. Tape works well but will start to lose it's adhesion over time and heat. Post up some piccies of what you are trying to join together. ;)

I agree some examples, sketches, and photos of what you wish to fabricate would be helpful.

A heat gun, clamps, and a rig may get you angled bends (including 90 degrees, acute angles and gentle curves). You can them lap these bends and try though-bolts or perhaps experiment with rivets (standard and or aviation style).

There is an amazing selection of plastic automotive panel fasteners out there which could be easier to use than rivets.

I have used a soldering iron to poke holes in coroplast (and heavy fabrics) before, beats trying to drill small holes.

I once use a combination of automotive fasteners and aluminum washers to secure segments of a hovercraft skirt. Such a combination beats messing with tiny nuts and bolts with dabs locktight. Just depends on how secure you need it to be and if there is redundancy or a back up system such as tape or glue.

http://ecomodder.com/forum/showthrea...ing-14528.html
http://i184.photobucket.com/albums/x...Cor-Plas-1.jpg
http://i184.photobucket.com/albums/x...-TOP-FRONT.jpg

The model was glued with plastic model glue and maybe some "SealAll", and is now coming apart years later - was always delicate.

Look here for fastener ideas:

https://www.auveco.com/product/index.html

You say "ideas", is that a wholesale site in which you have to be an authorized distributor?

I have a local old fashion hardware store near me from which I can order just about anything from. Nice thing about buying local is if you run out of something they typically have more, or will have more sooner than you can order it on-line. There is also something about getting the parts in your hands and test fitting them or getting advice from the staff as part of the creative process and pool of experience from which to draw from. Being able to buy one or two things for a few dimes to test out ideas verses buying a bunch of something because of shipping and handling fees speeds up the development process and can end up saving time and money.

I have never ordered anything from McMaster or Spruce Aircraft, but you never know.

Yep, ideas.

I don't think any of us would need a box of 25 or 50 oddball retainers, but a big catalog of retainers can show you exactly what you're looking for and give you a starting point in getting a few. At the local hardware store. They may even say "no, but maybe this one will help."

I needed a bracket last week. Orange Depot didn't have anything remotely similar, so I typed in what I'd call it, printed the first page of Google images and went to Woodcraft. I said "I need something like this," and the clerk pointed me to where I got almost exactly what I wanted.

Double-sided "foam" mounting tape. That's what holds together the chloroplast signs when I'm trying to recycle the dang things at work. They don't want to come apart.

thank you! I don't like how fasteners hold in coroplast, so I don't know about that, but double sided 3m mounting tape might be something to try.

Use an old soldering iron (or one with an old/bad tip) to melt plastic together, basically low tech heat welding. Most plastics respond well to this, but do a test piece before you commit large amounts of material.

If you try this, remember that when the coroplast heats up in the sun, or if it is exposed to a lot of high speed air flow, or both, the coroplast could separate. I use 3m double sided trim tape on a couple of applications on my car. I like it. But I have noticed when it gets hot, it gets weaker.