I've got a couple of 5 gallon molded plastic gas cans that have
cracked at the mold part line on the top of the handle and top of the
container . Any way to repair these ? They're usable as is , but if I
carry them in the car enough gas seeps out to give my wife headaches .
New ones are crazy expensive here .
--
Snag
We live in a time where intelligent people
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stupid people won't be offended.

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On 3/8/2025 6:02 PM, Snag wrote:

 I've got a couple of 5 gallon molded plastic gas cans that have
cracked at the mold part line on the top of the handle and top of the container . Any way to repair these ? They're usable as is , but if I
carry them in the car enough gas seeps out to give my wife headaches .
New ones are crazy expensive here .

Is there a symbol on them somewhere that might tell you what kind of
plastic they are? If so have you checked to see if that particular
polymer is "plastic weldable" or chemically fuse-able.

So many plastics are made to degrade I assume at the first sign of that
sort of failure more failures are coming. Sometimes I'll play with a
glass and resin batch for something that is LIGHTLY structural, but if
it needs to be liquid/air tight its dumpster fodder.

Steel Jerry cans are still available. They cost, but if you keep them
off the ground and out of the snow it will be a long time before they
rust out.

I know sometimes you have to do what you have to do, but I would
generally never transport a gas can, propane tank, etc inside an
enclosed vehicle. I've seen the aftermath a couple times of an errant
spark. Its not pretty.







--
Bob La Londe
CNC Molds N Stuff

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Snag <Snag_one@msn.com> wrote:

I've got a couple of 5 gallon molded plastic gas cans that have
cracked at the mold part line on the top of the handle and top of the container . Any way to repair these ? They're usable as is , but if I
carry them in the car enough gas seeps out to give my wife headaches .
New ones are crazy expensive here .

Maybe. I'd guess they're polypropylene or polyethylene. Neither takes
to glue very well, but they are both weldable with a hot gas and filler
strand of the same material. Maybe a hot iron would work in a pinch.

It's possible to make epoxy stick after a fashion with "surface treatment". That can consist of passing a flame over the surface to let hydroxyl
radicals and atomic oxygen attack the surface. For a short time, glues
will stick to the chemically activated surface. The techniqe is also
used for painting plastics. Sanding the surface with a solvent like
acetone or possibly even water has a similar effect. The treatment
has a short lifespan, supposedly less than an hour.

I managed to repair an unobtainable bit of fuel vapor recovery plumbing
using the sanding method and the initial bond was quite decent.

There's considerable literature online dealing with making paint stick
to plastic. Terms like surface activation paint plastic should get
a few useful hits.

Good luck,

bob prohaska

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On 3/8/2025 8:15 PM, Bob La Londe wrote:

On 3/8/2025 6:02 PM, Snag wrote:

  I've got a couple of 5 gallon molded plastic gas cans that have
cracked at the mold part line on the top of the handle and top of the
container . Any way to repair these ? They're usable as is , but if I
carry them in the car enough gas seeps out to give my wife headaches .
New ones are crazy expensive here .

Is there a symbol on them somewhere that might tell you what kind of
plastic they are?  If so have you checked to see if that particular
polymer is "plastic weldable" or chemically fuse-able.

So many plastics are made to degrade I assume at the first sign of that
sort of failure more failures are coming.  Sometimes I'll play with a
glass and resin batch for something that is LIGHTLY structural, but if
it needs to be liquid/air tight its dumpster fodder.

Steel Jerry cans are still available.  They cost, but if you keep them
off the ground and out of the snow it will be a long time before they
rust out.

I know sometimes you have to do what you have to do, but I would
generally never transport a gas can, propane tank, etc inside an
enclosed vehicle.  I've seen the aftermath a couple times of an errant spark.  Its not pretty.

When you live 10 miles from town you try to minimize extra trips ...
but now that the truck is running well I usually try to make gas runs on
days I'm driving it .
--
Snag
We live in a time where intelligent people
are being silenced so that
stupid people won't be offended.

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On 3/8/2025 7:44 PM, Snag wrote:

I know sometimes you have to do what you have to do, but I would
generally never transport a gas can, propane tank, etc inside an
enclosed vehicle.  I've seen the aftermath a couple times of an errant
spark.  Its not pretty.

  When you live 10 miles from town you try to minimize extra trips ...
but now that the truck is running well I usually try to make gas runs on
days I'm driving it .
--

I get that. I'm not so many miles from town, but it depends on where in
town. Fortunately gasoline, propane, and welding gas are closer so I
always take the truck for those.


--
Bob La Londe
CNC Molds N Stuff

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On Sun, 9 Mar 2025 11:04:05 -0700, Bob La Londe <none@none.com99>
wrote:

On 3/8/2025 7:44 PM, Snag wrote:

I know sometimes you have to do what you have to do, but I would
generally never transport a gas can, propane tank, etc inside an
enclosed vehicle.á I've seen the aftermath a couple times of an errant
spark.á Its not pretty.

á When you live 10 miles from town you try to minimize extra trips ...
but now that the truck is running well I usually try to make gas runs on
days I'm driving it .
--

I get that. I'm not so many miles from town, but it depends on where in >town. Fortunately gasoline, propane, and welding gas are closer so I
always take the truck for those.

--
Bob La Londe
CNC Molds N Stuff

I have had good luck heat welding rotationally molded plastic
containers like gas cans but for fuel tanks (cans) I'd be checking
local garage sales to get "budget" replacements - hopefully newer than
yours or al least with less UV exposure. I've had them given to me
with cracked spouts or missing caps for FREE - use your old
caps/spouts ore buy replacements (not CHEAP, either - but still a lot
better than a new can!

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