Vintage rubber grip repair advice needed

[tac803]

I just got the vintage "K" frame rubber round butt grips in the mail. They look great on the face, but there is a crescent shaped crack running along side to side along the inside of one of the panels, in the area of the frame pin hole.

I e-mailed the seller, who suggested I put some super glue in the crack to fix it. There is also a crack on the other panel on the front, near the base of the S&W logo.

I bought them to put on a retro look "belly gun", and I'd hate to destroy a piece of history for no good reason.

Any ideas? Suggestions? Anybody want a set of vintage grips for a showpiece?

Thanks in advance.

 

[tac803]

I just got the vintage "K" frame rubber round butt grips in the mail. They look great on the face, but there is a crescent shaped crack running along side to side along the inside of one of the panels, in the area of the frame pin hole.

I e-mailed the seller, who suggested I put some super glue in the crack to fix it. There is also a crack on the other panel on the front, near the base of the S&W logo.

I bought them to put on a retro look "belly gun", and I'd hate to destroy a piece of history for no good reason.

Any ideas? Suggestions? Anybody want a set of vintage grips for a showpiece?

Thanks in advance.

 

[tomcatt51]

There's an adhesive "E600" that works very well on such things.

 

[tomcatt51]

"E6000" is correct not E600. It's made by eclectic products.

What happened to our EDIT function?

 

[tac803]

I was wondering about actually using a hot soldering iron and melting the sides of the crack, fusing them together. ???

 

[dfariswheel]

Heat fusing won't work. Totally makes a bad situation much worse.
Best repair under the circumstances is a thin liquid glue of some sort, just don't expect too much.
Rubber doesn't "fix" too well.

 

[Ernie L]

I would guess that they are made of a synthetic rubber compound..like car tires.. three bond 1521 might just be the thing as it remains flexible..any glue that dries hard will not hold for long
http://parts.motorcycle-supers...sive-three-bond.html

 

[sar4937]

3M's Super Weatherstrip Adhesive in black could work, it's what they bond weatherstripping on cars with.

 

[tac803]

The old hard rubber grips are intact, but the crack is definitely in need of something to stop it from progressing. A liquid of some type would be ideal, penetrating the crack and sealing it, while bonding the sides together. Thanks for the advice folks...I appreciate it.

 

[cgt4570]

I've fixed several cracked grips and butt plates with super glue. Use a little extra so it's just above the surface. After it dries, carefully take the extra down with 400 then 600 grit sandpaper. Then carefully blend it with 0000 steel wool. You won't even be able to see the crack.
Chris