Bonding & filling PVC plastic


New Hunter
Hi all,

I'm currently making my boba feet armour and helmet out of pvc plastic but I've hit a snag when making the helmet.

What is the best glue for joining the plc sections together ? i will probably need a filler for those awkward sections so is there anything I can use?

I used to fix up my old motorbike fairings when they cracked and found fibreglass didn't hold up well and car boy filler dosent bond well to plastics

Any help appreciated - many thanks and happy new year !


Active Hunter
When I'm scratch building with plastics I usually tack the piece together with super glue (any CA glue) once that has dried I use GOOP glue on the inside of the seam. So basically where the seam meets inside the prop I run a bead of Goop down it and just use my finger tip to smooth it out. The Goop has worked well for me on most plastics and the CA is just to hold the pieces together for the Goop. CA glue is strong, but brittle and can break apart from flexing during sanding etc etc. The Goop is both strong and somewhat flexible so will stand up to some punishment while finishing outer seams. The only plastic I've had trouble with was years ago when doing stuff with trashcans to make armor. Nothing much wants to stick to them, but I think that's the point for that plastic.

I've never had too much problem with regular pink Bondo on plastics. Its always adhered pretty well for me and then to finish the job I use the red Bondo glazing putty.


Another option is cement for PVC pipe. It's in the plumbing section at your local hardware store. Comes in clear and gray, in a little can with a dauber. This chemically welds the plastic together. Smells awful, use in well-ventilated area.


New Hunter
I'd actually recommend Dura-Glass (Fiberglass-infused body filler)... However, you are going to want to take some 36-grit sandpaper or rough emory cloth (about the same thing) and some final-wipe/wax & grease remover/anything to remove oils (but not melt the plastic) to the area to be bonded for maximum "bite"... Your helmet isn't going to see the same vibrations, flexing, etc. as your motorbike fairings, and Dura-Glass is some tough stuff when given a properly prepped area! We used to use it on metal, plastic, wood, etc. all the time at the body shop I used to work at.... Yes, wood.... Some people have some silly projects they bring in for finish and paint sometimes..... :p

Oh, and speaking of plastics and body filler, there is a certain glazing putty developed for urethane bumpers; it has good flex to it! I would suggest this for the final fill, though with proper prep, regular auto body glazing putty should work just fine as well... Just remember to prep EVERY little crack; red scotch-brite pads work well for getting a good scuff in the hardest-to-reach little crevices.... Just don't scrub it like you're trying to get a casserole dish clean; just enough to make the area dull, and you're good.

Also, Loctite makes some wonderful 1-minute and 5-minute epoxies that I highly recommend! Again, though, you will most likely want to rough the surface before applying, and these epoxies seem to like being applied to both sides and fused together, so to speak... If your seam is too tight, you could drill some 1/8" holes through the seam and moosh the epoxy through it, making sure both sides of the seam are covered and the epoxy flows through said seam (via the holes, etc)... Just make sure you sand and fill and finish the outside correctly afterwards...

But then, I've never built a helmet; I've only ever used these bonding methods on cars and scale car models... And some other miscellaneous plastic/metal props, but nothing quite as complex as a Boba Fett helmet...

Also also, I second the PVC cement mentioned above. I've not used "Goop" glue, so I can't really comment yea or nay on that product, unfortunately...

A note on bondos/glazes, from softest/most flexible to hardest/least:

Urethane bumper glaze
Glazing putty
Light body filler
Body filler (Bondo-brand filler one often finds at Walmart, for example)
Lead brazing

Glazing putty can be applied very thin (often 1/8" or less), but normal body fillers will need a good thick application , or it'll simply crack up and fall off... You can take this further with Dura-Glass, as it needs a good thick application or again it'll fail quickly...
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New Hunter
You could use. Plastics welder to join them, I've been looking at doing that over the past few weeks, just have to find the right sticks for it, you should be able to get the kit from a hardware store


Jr Hunter
Harbor Freight has the plastic welding kits cheap $18 to $70 depending on which one you get. If you decide to go that route.