Strong repairs

 

Ahead of the show, the Garden Rail van needed a wheel fixing back on. The 3D printed parts are a bit brittle, and tiny joint between wheel and "axle" had snapped. 

Simply glueing the wheel back on wouldn't have worked, ot at least not for very long, so I drilled the support out for a 1.5mm diameter plastic rod. This is fitted into the hole with superglue, and quickly becomes solid. 

The rod is cut short, and a hole is drilled in the back of the wheel. This hole is slightly larger than the rod, but lashings of glue ensured a nice, tidy result. Best of all, it survived the show intact!

I used the same technique for a somewhat different repair too. 

Lady Liberty made it all the way back from New York, sans hand and torch. Fortunately, they were found and handed over with instructions that I was to fix the statue before eating the M&M's in the box.

More plastic rod and superglue quickly sorted out this souvenir - and the chocolates were delicious.