Here's How The Skyshalo Electric Plastic Welders Sold At Home Depot Work

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When you hear the word welding, your first assumption will probably be something related to metalworking. That's an understandable assumption, as welding is typically used to join and fuse separate bits of metal into a cohesive whole, whether for repairs or crafting. However, welding is technically not exclusive to the realm of metalworking. So long as you have the right tools, even different kinds of materials can be welded together, and in a simpler manner that doesn't require nearly as much specialized training as TIG welding.

For example, if you've got something made of plastic with a big, unsightly crack in the side, there is a particular tool sold at Home Depot you could use to, in a way, weld that crack together. That tool is the Skyshalo Plastic Welding Kit, which includes both a handheld heating gun and an array of metal staples you can use to restore and reinforce all kinds of plastic objects. The overall process is kind of like a mix between welding and soldering, heating and fusing metal into plastic to shore up cracks with a sturdier foundation. It's slightly simpler compared to comparable plastic welders you may find at chains like Harbor Freight.

Before we get into how the kit works, let's have a look at what's included in the Skyshalo kit when you purchase one at Home Depot. The centerpiece is the plastic welder gun tool, a 220W handheld heater that reaches temperatures of 450 degrees Celsius (842 degrees Fahrenheit) in a few seconds. 

The gun comes with built-in overheat protection, which is good, because you definitely want to take every precaution when working with these kinds of temperatures. There's also an LED work light in the front that illuminates while the device is in use.

The gun is accompanied by a total of 856 assorted staples and welding rods of different shapes and sizes, including waves, flat lines, outside corners, and inside corners. The kit also includes various accessories for cutting, sculpting, and shaping, such as an art knife, diagonal pliers, hot smoothing heads, sandpaper rounds, stainless steel meshes, and aluminum tapes. All of this can be stored and transported via the included carrying case.

A plastic welder tool is also sometimes known as a hot stapler, as that's the most apt descriptor for how it actually works. To use the Skyshalo plastic welder, you just insert one of the included staples into the two openings on the metal brackets at the front and squeeze the trigger to heat it up. When it's at temperature, you press the staple into the plastic surface you're working with, right on top of the crack you're trying to repair. 

The plastic will melt and warp around the staple, allowing it to sink in. When it's secured, just release the staple and pull the tool up. Repeat this process until the length of the crack is covered, and the metal of the staples will keep it from flexing.

When you're done inserting the staples, the next steps would be to use the included pliers to snip off the leftover metal points, followed by using the sandpaper and art knife to cut and file down the remainder. When all is said and done, the staples should be flush into the plastic surface and no longer be pointy to the touch. It won't exactly look brand new, but it will help to prevent any further damage to the plastic or worsening of the existing crack, and in a less messy fashion than trying to repair plastic with Loctite or glue.