Hi all,
My wall mount of towel rail is broken. Any glue recommendation for a metal to metal glue to fix this?
Thanks
Ben
Hi @bernalee,
Thank you for your question and welcome to the Bunnings Workshop community, it is fantastic to have you with us.
Any glue you use would need to be able to support the weight of the towels and be resistant to the moisture and temperatures that you will experience in your bathroom.
Unfortunately, I'm not aware of an adhesive product that would create a perfect repair.
You could try using Loctite 18ml Extreme No Drip Glue Gel, but I don't think it would last particularly long.
You may have to look at replacing the towel rail or ordering a spare part from the manufacturer.
Let me know if you have any further questions.
Jacob
Thanks Jacob, I will try the glue first as I can't find the perfect replacement towel rail or spare part yet.
Morning @bernalee
How did you go with the glue @JacobZ recommended?
Is the fitting cast aluminium? Or will a magnet stick to it?
Cheers!
Hi @Noyade ,
Sorry for my late reply as I wanted to wait for a few days to confirm it works. Unfortunately, my towel rail fell again after 2 days. I am looking for a replacement now.
Cheers
We have a great range of towel rails in store. You likely won't find one that matches your existing holes, but a helpful team member can check to see whether any would be the same length and cover the holes. make sure to take a measurement of how far apart your mounting brackets are for comparison.
Mitchell
Thanks Mitchell.
I am looking for a towel rail with 54 cm between the mount brackets. But I can’t find such information from a Bunnings store or website.
For very specific information like that, it would be best to visit a store so a team member can measure the products on display to determine those specifications @bernalee. The width between the brackets is not something that is typically listed in the product details, just the overall length.
Afternoon @bernalee
The reason I asked the above questions - is I'm more than happy to weld the lug back in place - provided it's steel and not aluminium.
Just a thought.
Cheers.
Hi @bernalee Unfortunately there isn't spare parts available for bathroom rail fittings as there are countless fine variables to size and fitment. Even the notch for the locking grub screw has to be perfectly sized and positioned. You can try metal glue as @JacobZ suggested, but I have high doubts that any will be strong enough for this application. The pulling load of a bath towel being fitted and removed off the rail is quite substantial. I know because I've tried myself and they lasted until the first use 😒
If you can find a metal engineer who does small jobs (hard to find), they might be able to weld it back into place. But the weld will need to be cleaned very finely run order for the cover plate to fit.
I have managed to come up with repair thats worked for me on a couple of broken rail fixtures, which I will put together a step by step how-to after work, when I have time to make up some drawings.
Regards, Nailbag
Morning @Noyade
Thanks for your offer.
I am afriad that I may not able screw the wall mount with the towel rail bar as there is only a small gap between them.
It all depends on how much you love this towel rail. If no love - then maybe as suggested by those above - buy a new one. If on the other hand is it sentimental and you don't want to re-drill new holes, then I think it's worth attempting to repair this mount and/or make a new one.
I think it would be fairly easy to weld that lug from the back, especially as my eyes see an indentation at the back of the bracket - provided this is a steel product.
But looking closer at your photo - is it fractured die-cast aluminum alloy of sorts?
What is the diameter as indicated? If easily sourced we can make this rod whatever length you want.
See what you think, and share us your thoughts.
Hi Noyade,
The diameter is 8mm. I would definitely like to keep the towel rail if possible. I am not certain whether it is a steel product but don’t think it is aluminum.
Anyway, I want to repair it if possible. What is my next step?
Morning again @bernalee
"What is my next step?"
If you wish - send me a personal message, swap addresses and we go from there.
But lets be clear though - it's already broken - so if in the process it gets 'more broken' - nothing ventured, nothing gained. Agreed? 😁
If it is aluminium - I would have to make one from scratch outta steel.
Unless you can provide 'perfect' templates/dimensions - ultimately I will need the broken mounting with me.
Remember, the result will not be perfect, but it's worth a try.
Let me know what you think.
Cheers for now.
I am new to this community. How can I send you a private message?
See the below images showing you how to send a private message.
Step 1 - Click the arrow next to your username and then click "private messages".
Step 2 - Click the red button that is circled above.
Step 3 - Type in the user you wish to send a private message to, then write your message and hit send.
Hopefully this will help, if not let me know, I can assist further.
Hi JacobZ,
Thanks for the information.
I can't find private message from my options.
Best
Hello @bernalee
I've updated your account, please give it about 20 minutes and check if the private messaging has appeared on your options.
If you need further assistance, please let us know.
Eric
Hi @Noyade please refer to my article on how to repair a broken bath/hand towel mounting plate.
regards, Nailbag
Thanks @Nailbag - but at the end of the day I want to go about fabricating it from steel from scratch. Once @bernalee sends me the pieces I will get a better idea of the sizes. There are some crucial dimensions that I'm after.
Graeme.
hey its all about getting the issue sorted anyway it can. All the best @Noyade
Cheers @Nailbag
I'll give it a go and provide updates when the fittings arrive in the mail. 👍
G'day Bernard. @bernalee
I received the fittings at midday today and I gotta admit - they're a lot smaller than I thought. And alas, they are all cast aluminium alloy. The protruding lug is hollow and there is not the recessed area at the back as I previously thought. They are also 10mm diameter.
So I changed tack again. I drilled the fractured hole out 8.5 mm as there is a generous 6 mm of thickness to play with. Found a piece of chrome 10mm diameter steel rod and cut a 10 X 1.5 thread one end. Cut to length and drilled out a grub screw position.
Now my question is, I was going to secure it with a thread glue - but being different metals, should I?
Hi @Noyade
Thanks for your efforts and update.
Although they are different metals, I agree they should be secured by thread glue.
OK @bernalee
Glued it is, and I'm baking it. Once cooled, I will package it up and head to the Post Office later this afternoon.
Thank you so much @Noyade !
Beautiful repair work as usual! I'm sure @bernalee will be thrilled with the repaired parts.
Awesome work, there's a side business in making those @Noyade
Nailbag
Morning @Noyade ,
I received the repaired mount today. It works perfectly well. Thank you so much for your kind help and professional work!😄
Bernalee
That's brilliant.
I'm so happy to see you and @Noyade managed to collaborate on a solution.
It looks like an extremely sturdy repair that will last for years to come.
Thank you for sharing the end result.
I'm glad it worked out for you @bernalee.
Let me know when the other side breaks! 😋
With an outside diameter of that 'peg' at 10 mm that incorporates an 8 mm hole - leaves only about 28 square mm of alloy holding power.
Don't buy heavy towels!
