fixing a tear

[dolseni]

so, i have one of the redoctane ignition pads with the foam inserts, and a long time ago (before i really started playing) my mom took away my ps2 and folded up my ddr pad and everything (which i had just bought like, a month earlier) as punishment for something ( can't remember what) and there is a little tear/crack in the platic right between the left and down buttons. I didn't play DDR for a loooong time because i didn't have it fixed and about 3 weeks ago or so (when i joined here) had an urge to play ddr again and just put a clear piece of platic tape over it (think packing tape, not the little dinky scotch *normal* tape) which was fine for a good 2 + weeks but i'ts been peeling off slowly so i just took it off completely today.

enough of the backstory, what should i fix it with? only thing we MIGHT have around the house would be a vynal patch for our above ground pool... MAYBE duct tape (but that could come up too and be a sticky mess)

[xstatic]

this happened to mine - I just kept re-applying duct tape.

[abrannan]

Pretty much any tape will peel over time... I'm not sure what a longer term solution would be, but let me think on it and I'll get back to you.

[irisheyes07]

What about those clear bandage solutions? WOuld that bond to plastic?

[abrannan]

Probably not. My current thought is to use something like "Shoe Goo" or the Liquid vinyl they use to coat tool handles. Cut a piece of vinyl to insert into the tear and support it rom the other side, coat both sides of the tear liberally with the sealer and cover with an additional patch of vinyl on top.

The main problem is that all soft or foam pads experience a large amount of lateral forceduring play. That stretches the material, causing anything adhesive to drift over time, resulting in tape or other bandages peeling. Patching from both sides helps distribute some of that force, but you really need to essentially "re-fuse" the two sides of the tear back together.