Help! Broke my replica prop, need repair advice.

[verdaera]

Hi all, I need some advice.

I bought a Master Replica's White Witch wand on eBay last year to go with my White Witch costume (obviously)



Unfortunately, and I was worried it would happen, I just broke the tip off the long end.



I had broken the very tip off at Dragon*Con, and just now broke an inch off when it's storage tube tipped over. I do want to recast it sometime so I can mold a new one so I don't have to be so worried about breaking it at cons, but I'm worried if I just glue the tip on, it'll fall off and I need it for C2E2 this weekend. I was considering trying to drill a couple small holes and put a wire between them, but I'm worried tapping the holes will split them/look bad. Any advice? And also about re-casting?

 

[Sean]

Drill a small hole at an angle on each broken surface. and just use a good epoxy. If you want stronger. drill two holes In each broken surface a bit larger than a cut screw. cut a screw that will fit inside both the hole's with parts placed together. and again good epoxy..

 

[jhusel]

Drill a small hole at an angle on each broken surface. and just use a good epoxy. If you want stronger. drill two holes In each broken surface a bit larger than a cut screw. cut a screw that will fit inside both the hole's with parts placed together. and again good epoxy..

+1.....

 

[Mockle]

Q-BOND most amazing stuff in the world.

 

[amfx74]

I agree, drill holes to insert metal pins. Then super glue or epoxy. The Zap-a-gap brand is good.

Sent from my ME173X using Tapatalk

 

[logan74k]

Its a clear prop yall.

That said, my best suggestion is a modification of those already given; drill an oversized hole straight into each piece and reinforce with a length of clear polycarbonate rod such as http://www.mcmaster.com/#8571k12/=11j65w7

get a 30 minute epoxy or more to give yourself ample working time, dry fit the pieces before mixing to make sure the joint will close. The idea is to have the rod fit sloppily inside the 2 parts, such that you can fill the voids with the epoxy and solidify the connection.

Tape off all exterior surfaces of your prop before gluing and make sure to wipe off as much excess as possible as you're working. You'll need to fill the holes partway first in order to avoid trapped bubbles. insert rod in one end until epoxy spills out, clean all exposed epoxy, fill the other hole partway and carefully close the joint. The epoxy displaced by the rod should spill out. Wipe off as much as possible, keep the exposed surface of the prop masked and use masking tape wrapped over the point to hold the joint closed tight as the epoxy cures.

The repair certainly wont be invisible, but the degree to which it is obvious depends on -how clean the holes are to start with, and -whether you get bubbles trapped in the epoxy

You could also try your luck with superglue. A properly glued and well fitting butt joint should be pretty darn solid by itself.

 

[Funky]

Yeah, if the piece is clear there isn't much you can do to hide the repair. However, if it were me, I would use a superfine sand paper and sand the affected piece after the repair is complete. My goal would be to "fog" the repair area a bit so the fix isn't quite as noticeable. Granted, that piece will no longer be crystal clear, but it's a pay-off. The piece has to be fixed, period. But what's more important to you, modifying the existing piece to something less accurate to hide the fix or leave it in hope that that piece doesn't come under close scrutiny?

 

[Duncanator]

If part of your plan is to mold and cast a replacement, then I wouldn't sand the surface of your piece to disguise the repair because the mold will pick up the texture. Your new part would also end up frosted in that area. To keep your ice-like appearance, you'll want to maintain a glossy surface. I think epoxy is the better route. I have had CA glues fog clear parts before and therefore wouldn't recommend it.

Because you are "recasting" part of your prop for the sole purpose of repairing it, I don't think you are venturing into the "recasting is bad" realm. It is quite different than if you were intending to sell copies.

 

[logan74k]

'course, you could always prime and repaint your repaired prop before casting. ...which you might be planning to do anyway as you've now got two crack lines you'll probably want to fill before you commit to a copy. In that case the glossiness for now can be whatever suits you best.