Can we talk about using a dab of super glue on a stripped plastic gear tooth?

I tried it on a 20-year-old Minolta zoom motor, and it actually held for a week before failing, which makes me wonder if a proper epoxy is a viable field repair or just a guaranteed callback.

3 comments

3 Comments

derekjenkins24d ago

Andrew nailed it with that "just long enough to give me hope" line because that's exactly what super glue does on plastic threads. I've tried that trick on a few old camera gears and it always fails the same way. The issue is that plastic gear teeth flex under load, and super glue is brittle as glass once it sets. What you want is a two-part epoxy with some give to it - I've had good luck with JB Weld PlasticWeld on small gears. The trick is to roughen up both surfaces with a needle file first and let the epoxy cure for a full 24 hours before you even think about reassembling. Also worth mentioning that if you can find a replacement gear on eBay from a junker camera, that's always going to beat any glue job in the long run.

andrew_rodriguez1mo ago

My last super glue fix held just long enough to give me hope before it broke.

casey_harris1mo ago

Feel the same way every time I try to fix my favorite mug. It becomes a game of how many times I can glue it before I give up. I'm basically just paying for tiny bottles of false hope.