Gluing repair to broken lionel switch base

[Milwaukee Classic]

I have the misfortune of a broken black plastic 5133 switch base.  The little six sided nut support on the inboard side of a lefthand switch base has broken lose allowing the nut to turn and not hold the switch mechanism to the switch base.  Dose anyone know what type of adhesive or other "gluing" process that can secure the nut base back to the switch base that will hold when joining the two pieces?  Maybe something you used to glue other parts of a switch plastic together during repairs.  This is a newby to me.

Thanks for any help. 

[DennisB-1]

I recommend using a liquid plastic cement  such as Testors. There are different kinds of plastic which sometimes require a particular formulation of liquid plastic cement. Testors will bond most of them.

The liquid plastic cement will actually soften the plastic, allowing it to fuse together. If done correctly, the resulting bond will be as strong as the original. If that doesn't work, I suggest using one of the Cyanoacrylic adhesives (CA). This is the general term for instant-setting glues such as SuperGlue, Hot Stuff, Zap and Crazy glue.

With either of these glue types, you first put the piece together and then apply the glue along the break.  The glue will wick into the joint through capillary action.

You could also try a 5 minute epoxy but I think its application to the break would be difficult and messy.

 

Dennis

[gunrunnerjohn]

Personally, I use JB Weld for these kinds of repairs.  I've fixed all sorts of stuff with it, it's strong and very versatile.