Okay kids here it is the step by step how to fix your broken pin

[Raulandpinboy]

So okay my Holy Grail pin or my Childs most favorite pin broke. Oh no it will take me months to replace it, what will I do? Not to mention it was a pin I could have sold on Ebay, but now its toast.

Well you can try super glue, but it will not work and you will hate yourself after you super glue your fingers shut. Oh and the pin back will fall off in a few days anyway.

Ohhhhhhhh everybody swears by this E6000 stuff I’ll do that. Well it does not work either, its called E6000 because it will take you 6000 attempts to try to find the right mixture to get it to harden just right, and just when you think you got the right formula, and the pin seems stable, you will go to put it on your lanyard and guess what? Yup it falls off.

Fear not kids I have the answer and it’s easy!

First pin and their backs are made of metal. You will need something to bond metal to metal. E6000 works great on plastics and glass I don’t care what those little old ladies at the craft store tell you, It does not work on pins. Those ladies sweet as they are, don’t know the amount of pressure and torture those pins go through. E6000 is best suited for those little angels that the little old ladies in the craft store make, using plastic beads that everybody likes to hang on their rear view mirrors.

Okay first let have a look at that pin.


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Yup that puppy’s broken.

Now lets look at the magic fix.

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The magic cure is J-B Weld. This stuff can hold a cracked engine block together. J-B Weld can be found in most man stores like Home Depot, ACE, or Lowes. It comes in two tubes a Steel tube, and a Hardener tube.

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Next working on a solid stable surface that is covered with something like paper, you will squeeze out the same amount from both tubes on to the work surface… Not a whole lot it is a pinback after all.

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You now will need to mix the two compounds, and you will need a pointed object to work with the bonding mix. I used a dental pick, but you can use a knife a small screwdriver something that will let you pick up small amounts of bonding solution and allow you to work with it.

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Now mix the bonding glue thoroughly until it forms a nice gray sticky paste. Try to make sure you don’t use too much of one or the other you want the same amounts of both tubes.

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Before you mix your compounds, take the pin and clean both the back of the pin, and the back of the pinback, if you can take something like sandpaper and make both areas a little rough for better grabbing, but just in case you don’t, I repaired a pin, and did not clean the pin or the pinback and the bond worked great.

Do as much as you need to do before you mix the two compounds together. Because as long as they are apart the compound will not harden, once they are mixed together the clock starts ticking, but relax you still have plenty of time.

After you mix the two compounds, and they form a nice sticky gray paste, use your pointed object and scoop up a little paste and put it on the base of you broken pin.

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After that put a drop on the pin back itself. Take your time you have plenty. You actually have about 5 minutes before the bonding process starts to work, so take your time. You will need the 5 minutes as you will drop the pinback several times, you will curse and swear, and that’s fine go for it.

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Now comes the fun part. After you have a drop of compound on the pin and pinback, make sure there is a little bubble on both. This is important to do; the bubble will form a tighter seal when the two are finally squeezed together.

Now just put the pinback on the pin, give them a little squeeze to get the air out, not a nuclear power squeeze, a gentle pin to pinback squeeze will do nicely. Remember you have 5 minutes maybe more to work with the compound before it starts to harden up.

The compound should squeeze out from under the pinback, and form like a nice little ring that looks like an island surrounding the pinback

Last this is the most difficult part of the operation… LEAVE THE Firkin PIN ALONE. Don’t touch it every 5 minutes to see if it is hard or if it will hold. The J-B Weld compounds need 6 to 12 hours to permanently bond to a surface. So do this at night, and go to bed when you wake up your pin should be ready.

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So what have we learned so far?
#1 E6000 and superglue don’t work to well when it comes to pins, but on little plastic angels its great.
#2 J-B Weld rocks.
#3 squeeze out equal amounts of both then mix.
#4 you have 5 minutes to work with the compound once it’s mixed.
#5 clean the pin and pinback and optional make it a bit rough using sandpaper.
#6 put a bubble of compound on both pieces then squeeze them together.
#7 Take Ed’s advice and go to bed because otherwise you will not be able to resist temptation and you will futz with the pin and screw it up.

And there you have it one pin repaired and ready to be worn or sold on Ebay.

 

[Buzz2001]

Now comes the fun part. After you have a drop of compound on the pin and pinback, make sure there is a little bubble on both.

Okay Ed. Are we supposed to wish for the bubble fairy to create these bubbles or will the mixing of the two compounds create a reaction that will cause it to bubble?

 

[Qwackertoo]

I bought some of that stuff for my husband for Christmas a couple of years ago as a Christmas stocking stuffer after hearing ole Paul Harvey talking about it! He looked at me and rolled his eyes BUT who is laughing now??? That stuff does ROCK and with a DS 6 and DD 9, we need it quite frequently!!!

 

[Raulandpinboy]

Just put some on to make it like a bubble, you know so it looks like a dome. It will not bubble on its own you just want a little lump of compound on both pieces.

 

[MAC3]

Ed,

When you come up with a fix for the pins with "dowels or pins" like the locker series can you post? My daughters Walt's locker is broken. Missing one pin.

Thanks,
Lisa

 

[Live_From_Little_Red]

Gee Ed,
I carefully read your instructions, did this at night and went to bed. You said that upon waking the pin will be fixed. Well I woke up 30 minutes later and it wasn't fixed.

I dunno, I don't think sleeping helps the process.

I'm also curious why you would want to J-B Weld rocks together? But hey whatever boats your float.

Brian
-Just out disturbing the ....

 

[Buzz2001]

Gotcha. Thanks Ed! I'll give it a try. I have some lanyard medallions that I want to make into pins.

 

[Mickey527]

Ed,
I have been using that stuff and talk ing about it for almost 2 years but never did the photo layout. Guess that works better than calling it that black stuff that you mix with the white stuff to make grey stuff that you can buy in Home Depot. Peggie

 

[Happy Birthday Cat]

so how the heck did you figure all that out, anyhow? seems like somebody's got a little too much time on their hands. must be that Donna is the source of your inspiration. (or perspiration..) I'm going to see if I can use your method to glue back on the lids of tuna cans I opened by mistake..

Martha

 

[GotAnyPins]

Let me know if it works!!!! I'm always opening the wrong can of worms..