Board Thread:General Nerf discussion/@comment-29970843-20190623191925/@comment-27306930-20190628062803

BTW, I totally understand about the notch in the plunder rod. Many blasters have a similar problem. I believe I've encountered something very similar on a Nite Finder with an upgraded spring. The notch was not substantial enough to secure the plunger when primed.

In any event, I agree with your assessment and remediation. If you used a standard 2-part epoxy, then the cured epoxy is actually harder than the ABS rod itself. Theoretically, it should last indefinitely.

It shouldn't affect this particular application, but for all the other Nerfers out there, I'd like to point out that epoxy and ABS don't naturally bond. Some glues physically bond by melding or "welding" the parts together. These glues actually fuse parts together to become one. Other glues ionically bond things together by making their molecules attract and stick to each other. And some glues mechanically lock parts together by absorbing into their surfaces and physically holding the parts together.

For instance, PVC glues and epoxy welds actually melt the plastic pieces together. When cured, they are physically one and the same, as if they were originally manufactured that way.

Super Glue, self-expanding foam, and things like duct tape, bond ionically. They stick to other materials by bonding with the chemicals that make up their surfaces. From a molecular perspective, these glues "electrically" hold things together by interacting with their atomic electrons. Yeah, this is borderline weird stuff. But nonetheless, they stick together really well.

But epoxy, acrylic craft glue, and things like Elmer's School Glue, mechanically lock materials together by seeping into the surfaces of porous materials like paper, wood, and stone, and physically grab ahold of the materials. The same way pro-wrestlers grab each other.

So endeth the glue lesson 😉  For epoxy on ABS, you'll need to rough up the surface of the ABS so there can be some mechanical locking between the plastic and the epoxy. Otherwise it's a fail.

Glue wisely.