Well I have been putting off asking this question because I feel so stupid having to ask it. How did I get to this point? I had two near perfect 350 emblems nailed to the wall and at some point the nail came out and these two fell to the floor breaking both of them. Well it happened, get past it right. So, is there any way to repair them or do I start my search for these hard to find parts?

 

Oh no! That's horrible news! I do not know if they can be welded or soldered or Super Glued... But some one here will know. These are not the ones from your truck? What do they look like?

 

Yep these are from my Truck. I felt sick when I saw it!

The before picture!!!!!!

 

Epoxy. Unless you know how to weld pot metal.

Later!
Mr. Ed

 

Ouch!
I'm not sure I'd try to weld on pot metal. I know it can be done and there's tons of arguments about how to do it. In this case those pieces are pretty small and the chance of ruining them is very high.
I think you are stuck with epoxy and search for a new set.


As a side note, when I hang emblems like that on the wall I poke small holes in the wall and basically "mount" the emblem just like it would be on the truck. Its a lot more stable and less prone to being knocked off.


Bobby

 

The good thing is that each piece has one or more mounting pins. Although the bottom one only has one pin if you can join the pieces together it just might hold.

 

If there just wall hangers, epoxy with a piece of metal on the back spanning the break also epoxied as a strong back? Assuming the back is flush of coarse. If not drill press and try to dowl it with a pin to assist the epoxy? Just my 2 cents

 

Have you thought of using Super Alloy 1 from Muggy Weld? It is specifically designed for repairing pot metal. Low melting point of 350 degrees F which is below that of pot metal. Watch some of the videos on their site. Fantastic stuff. A bit pricey, but I think worth every penny.

https://www.muggyweld.com/?gclid=EAI...SAAEgIrH_D_BwE

Chris

 

Maybe magic with a Dremel with a tiny grinding wheel. Grind a channel in the back and grind some sheetmetal to fit in the grooves and glue them in with epoxy. At least worth a try. I have fixed some similar non active parts that way.

 

Man that sucks big time.
I can't help much, but it doesn't have to be too strong of a repair. Once you get them installed, they should stay since mounted there is little to no pressure on them.

 

Any update, Dave?

 

I know you were working on your steering wheel yesterday, but have you tried to tackle your emblems?

 

Not ignoring you Abe, just haven't come up with a plan yet. I would like to take them to a local welder for some ideas. I'm afraid they are too delicate to weld. I watched the Muggy Weld video that cgrocen shared, but even that product has to be heated to 350 degrees to get it to work. There was some good information on that video for fixing pot metal. Especially pitted pot metal. The Chrome on them also creates a challenge. I think one of the best ideas might be to use a dremel tool to make a small groove and epoxy together. A suggestion that topmoo made. One last idea........as discussed somewhere before......find someone with one of those 3D printers and see what they can do. Then I could mass produce them, sell them and get rich More to follow. Dave

 

I'll buy one from you, Dave!

I just spoke on the phone to a guy that owns a rechrome yesterday. He couldn't give me an estimate to rechrome mine (another shop said $200 each) but said $45 per hour for his labor plus the cost of the metal he would use. Each pit needs to be drilled out and then filled in... time consuming.

Anyway, he asked me if anyone has tried teh 3D printer route to make emblems no on reproduces.... So, you figure it out, I'll buy a set.

 

I was at some kind of car indoor car show last year. There was a vendor there with a small 3D printer. He was printing out a variety of things. He had pulled 2D images of various manufacturers logos and made some 3D renderings.
The 3D printer he was using was about the size of a microwave oven and just had a spool of what looked like weed whacker line feeding into it.


I guess the big question would be....what is the process to get a plastic emblem plated? I know its possible, heck, look at any grill on any car since the late 80's or so.


With 3D printers becoming more and more mainstream, who knows, maybe you can find some local hobbyist that can you can work with


Bobby