The ubiquity of plastic has made modern life a lot easier and plastic tool boxes can be as durable as metal ones while being considerably more lightweight. However if there is one issue with plastic it is that plastic hinges are more likely to fail as a result of everyday wear and tear.
The good news however with broken hinges on a plastic tool box is they can either be completely repaired after they have broken or reinforced to try and avoid it breaking in the first place.
It is vital that the repair is carried out with something that will allow the hinge to continue to function normally rather than be rendered stationary as would be the case with super glues and epoxies.
What you need to do?
Table of Contents
Identify and Categorize the Hinge
The first step is the identification and categorisation of the hinge that needs to be repaired. Precisely where and what the hinge failure is needs to be noted exactly. If there has been complete breakage of too much of the plastic to the extent that the original hinge cannot be realigned there may be no way to repair it.
Hinges that are still repairable will either have a missing portion that is preventing the hinge from staying in place or the insertion pin will have snapped off.
Line Up the Original Hinge
The next step is to have the original hinge lined up as closely as possible and then marked with a marker the position where a hole needs to be drilled to ensure the screw will be able to be inserted for the sake of connecting the hinge.
You will need to choose a screw that is of sufficient length and thickness to give enough strength to the hinge but also short enough that it will not extend into any other parts. This is normally an eyeball measure done by holding up the screw into the correct position and taking note of how it will fit.
Choose a drill bit that is not as large as the screw as the screw needs to be screwed rather than just pushed in. The hole should be drilled into two hinge pieces with the use of the chosen drill bit and the low power drill. It is no more difficult to drill into plastic than it is into wood so you just have to take it slow and remember that one piece needs to be drilled through completely while the other just needs a deep enough hole to hold the screw.
Screw
The final step is to screw in the chosen screw with a screwdriver in order to have the two pieces connected together through the drilled holes before you test out the steel reinforced hinge to ensure it has been correctly fixed. If this is the case, then this strong new hinge would require a serious mishap for it to be broken again.
Because the hinge of a plastic tool box is plastic on plastic, it is not too difficult to fix a broken hinge.
