Before I duct tape it back together...

October 9, 2008 5:25 PM

How can I stick a control panel back on a slow cooker that gets hot?

The plastic mount for my Russell Hobbs slow cooker is hanging off the front of it. It's a simple cooker; the controls are just a knob to choose Auto, High, or Low, and there's a lightbulb to say it's on. And that is still all working. I'd like to stick it back where it belongs so it's not dangling sadly an inch off the front. What sort of glue could I use, on something that gets very hot, to connect a plastic control panel and the metal case of the cooker?

posted by slightlybewildered to home & garden (4 comments total)

Gorilla Glue for one brand. Let it fully set and it holds at high temperatures.
posted by Science! at 5:39 PM on October 9, 2008

You say "very hot", but it's likely not going to get past 200 degrees F on the outside of a slow cooker, so epoxy should work.
You can get heat resistant epoxy if regular doesn't work.
posted by weapons-grade pandemonium at 5:42 PM on October 9, 2008

The thing with the Gorilla Glue is that it expands as it cures and really needs to be clamped. I'm not sure I'd go with that unless you're glue-savvy to begin with, just because you stand a chance of having glue squeeze out of the seam and looking lame.

I'd second the epoxy. It'll be fine for the temperatures that this panel will reach [it *is* plastic, after all], and it's easier to apply neatly. Put the glue on, and clamp the part until it's cured. You can do that with a big-@$$ rubber band.

If you're really concerned about the heat, J-B Weld will probably work; it's good up to 600 degrees. I'd test a little bit on the back of the control panel first, because according to the FAQ, "J-B Weld will not adhere to, or bond well to Polypropylene or Polyethylene plastic". I would imagine your control panel is neither of those, but I'd test to be sure.
posted by chazlarson at 6:37 PM on October 9, 2008

Pliobond contact type adhesive
posted by hortense at 8:47 PM on October 9, 2008