How To: Fix a Bumper With G/Flex® Epoxy?
Accidents happen, and car bumpers bear the brunt of many of them. Whether it’s a hidden obstacle while reversing or a careless driver in a parking lot, bumper damage is all too common. But don’t worry, we’ve got you covered. Here’s how you can repair your car bumper yourself in these easy steps:
Start by giving the back of your bumper a good wash and dry it thoroughly.
How to Remove Dents from Your Bumper?
Next, use a hot air gun to soften the bumper, making it easier to reshape. Use the back of a spoon in a circular motion to work out the dents. Be careful not to push the dents out too far, as you’ll be applying a skim of filler for final fairing before painting. Remember, don’t overheat the surface and always test this process first.
How to Prepare the Damaged Area for Repair?
Once you’ve reshaped the bumper, it’s time to prep the surface around the damage. Clean it with an alcohol pad to remove any contaminants. Then, abrade the surface with 60-grit sandpaper until all the glossiness is gone. Brush the dust away and wipe down the surface once more with a fresh alcohol wipe.
Once the area is ready, create a repair patch by cutting to shape and size biaxial glass cloth along with some peel ply fabric just slightly over size of the biaxial cloth. This will be wet out with WEST SYSTEM® G/flex 650 Epoxy later.
How to Mix Epoxy for Bumper Repair?
The next stage will involve flame treating the surface – however, before this you should mix your epoxy ready to apply to the surface as soon as possible after flame treating. Open your pack of G/flex 650 Epoxy and dispense two even amounts of resin and hardener, mixing them together.
How to Flame Treat Your Bumper for Repair?
The final stage of surface preparation involves flame treating the plastic surface with a propane torch. The purpose of this is not to re-work the shape but to improve the wetting out of the surface of the plastic with the G/flex Epoxy. The propane torch alters the chemistry of the plastic to create a hydrophilic surface. This is demonstrated by a dropping a small amount of water onto un-treated plastic. When the water touches the surface it beads up into little droplets. However, after flame treating the water does not bead but flows out over the surface. Please note extreme care must be taken when using a flame torch. It must be a very quick passing of the flame over the surface. Do not hold the torch directly over the surface. If required, please contact us for further information on this procedure.
How to Apply Epoxy to Your Bumper for Repair?
Once the flame treatment has been conducted, you can then proceed to apply the mixed epoxy to the surface. The G/flex Epoxy should be applied with a WEST SYSTEM 804 reusable mixing stick as it’s easier to force it into the small splits. G/flex 650 is a liquid epoxy but has a higher viscosity and it spreads out well with a spatula or mixing stick.
How to Apply a Glass Patch to Your Bumper?
With the area wet out apply the 450g/m² biaxial glass patch and the G/Flex underneath will quickly begin to wick through and wet out the cloth. Apply more G/flex to the outer surface of the cloth and work it in for a couple of minutes until it is evenly wet out to a semi-transparent finish.
Then apply a layer of peel ply over the patch, ensuring that it is evenly wet out.
How to Cure the Patch on Your Bumper?
Leave the peel ply in place overnight while the patch cures and then remove it. This will give a nice even factory type finish on the inside of the bumper, covering over any damage done by the hot air gun when working the tear out. Doing this part of the repair on the inside will leave an even outer surface for the final fairing and painting.
So there you have it, our easy guide to fixing a bumper!
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