repair
I have an expensive trash can whose plastic hinge cracked. Is there any way to restore it to its former strength? In my experience, epoxies do not stand the test of time for this sort of thing, especially with plastics. I was thinking that there is probably some way to weld the pieces together. Has anyone here done this?
UPDATE: Following Chris' advice, I used a soldering iron to melt the pieces together. I also sunk a piece of wire into the joint for added strength. We'll see how it holds up!
I think you're on the right track - a strong, waterproof epoxy and a piece of rigid plastic or fiberglass should seal that crack nicely.
The surprising (to me) answer may be ABS cement. You probably won't find this in the hardware store glue isle, instead head over to plumbing:
You'll want the smallest can possible (e.g. 4oz), and after use to seal it in a zipper lock bag and store in a cool dry location. The stuff goes bad in the can pretty fast.
The ABS cement worked for me far better than any of the other glues mentioned above. You can also cut out a small piece of ABS drain pipe, or other ABS item, to use as a patch for the repair.
Note that ABS cement is a mix of a solvent and ABS powder: in the end you really end up welding the plastic more than gluing it. For this reason clamping is recommended.
Best Answer
There are a number of kits available for plastic welding - you will need to identify the specific type of plastic, though.
You can take a look at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plastic_welding for more information on the different types - though for a trash can, you're probably looking for something heat-based, probably using a large soldering iron.