On 28/07/2015 17:52, Tothwolf wrote:
If they are made of ABS and the ball isn't critical, why not mill or drill out a small bit of the broken stem and solvent weld in some round ABS stock to make a new stem? Methylene chloride (dichloromethane) works extremely well for ABS (methyl ethyl ketone in my experience does not work very well with ABS).
I think the ball size is fairly critical but the exact length of the shaft is less so. The problem is that the ball normally breaks off just where it joins the stem, and ends up stuck in the panel, so it has to be extracted first (I use a small drill followed by an easy-out).
MEK is very commonly used for ABS here (industrially) and works fine for me. It's even pretty good at welding (gluing, in this case, really) ABS and PVC together (you need THF for PVC alone). And getting thin round ABS isn't always easy, though some model shops do carry it. I'd insert a bit of aluminium rod, myself, which makes it less likely to happen again.
-- Pete Pete Turnbull
