Sealing plastic

Dec 14, 2006 4 Replies
S

Hi,



DD has a toy made out of flexible plastic - like the stuff rain covers for pushchairs / buggys / strollers / prams are made out of. Just like this:-



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ours is a sheep rather than a zebra..... Now, sadly the thing has sprung a leak. The leak is just inside the seam where the front has been 'welded' to the back.



Is it feasible to re-seal this? I'm considering a bicycle puncture repair kit (but I think the plastic may be too shiny for this, and the hole is more of a slit and in a very awkward place), my Dad has suggested heat sealing it using a soldering iron, which in principle I think may be a good idea, although I suspect the soldering iron may be the wrong tool.



Any suggestions? DD was really starting to enjoy this toy - her favourite activity with it being to sit on it and wobble away!



TIA



Sarah


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M

It is likely vinyl. A bicycle puncture kit will not do a good job. You should be able to find a vinyl repair patch at a shop that sells inflatable beach toys. Alternatively, a swimming pool supply place might have something. You might get lucky at a home renovation store too.

You could use a soldering iron, but if you're not careful, you could make it worse.

It is also possible, if the hole is small, to make a suitable repair with a product like Goop or a similar adhesive.

Mike

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P

Is this an item no longer available? I suspect that you might end up spending more on patching materials than the cost to replace it. There's a good reason I suspect that.....having done it in the past.

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S

I can probably buy something very similar - it is not one of DD's absolute favourites (thankfully she's still small enough for that sort of thing not to be too big a problem!). The toy has been used by her 2 cousins previously - so it's high milage!

I was pondering feasibility of a mend as I hate to see things go to waste.

Many thanks to you, Michael (thanks for the tip about material and puncture kit compatability!) and Nick & Judy for your thoughts and tips, much appreciated. I shall review the hole, and plot a course of action.

Regards,

Sarah

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