I’ll second this. Gorilla Glue expands as it cures. Even if the parts fit together nicely with little or no gap, unless you can clamp or otherwise fixture the piece in place there is going to be a very noticeable seam after it cures.
If you can find the model number of your refrigerator and it is not ancient, you probably can find the part online. Google the model number (they are usually pretty unique strings of numbers and letters, so googling can usually get you to a site that has parts for ordering). I have done this a number of times for various types of appliances.
How about Instamorph, not to stick the piece, but to make a new one? It hardens by cooling, so it should work better in the freezer. I assume the piece you’re fixing isn’t load-bearing. I’ve never tried using it, so I don’t know what it’s like, but it seems to stick to things pretty well.
No matter what, I’d roughen up both surfaces first, so they’d stick better.
I use Rhino Glue, which is supposed to be one step up from Gorilla Glue. Don’t get any on your hands though, it takes days for it to wear off.
Ok, update. First, to answer a few questions: I called the place that the landlord bought the fridge from and they don’t know what kind of plastic it is. We did buy a replacement piece, but the place that the part hooks into the door on the freezer is snapped off–that isn’t a replaceable part. It’s part of the door itself. And yes, it will be load-bearing as it will be holding up the shelf.
Ok so no to the gorilla glue–check.
I’ll look into that Loctite® Stik’n Seal® Extreme Conditions stuff.
What about Super Glue? It cures so quickly it seems like we could just put a blow dryer on it for a minute or two and be done, and not have to find a way to keep the frozen food cold for an extended period of time… but would it hold strong enough? Does it still hold at freezer temps?
I think super glue becomes brittle at freezer temps
Oh, I thought the shelf was part of the door and the part you’re trying to fix is the barrier to the shelf. In that case, I’m not sure any glue will be stronger than the original piece.
Go to Ace hardware, and get the two-part plastic welder i suggested above and stop messing around with “Gorilla Glue” and superglue! It will make a repair that is stronger than the original part.
This. This is the correct glue for most plastics you will see in a refrigerator. It will bond very quickly, and, as above, the fix will be stronger than the original. Don’t mess about with glues not intended for the purpose. This glue is. It will create a strong enough result in less time than your frozen food would take to thaw.
I’m genuinely curious - you mean this glue can fix things like broken spectacle frames?
It can’t work miracles. If you don’t mind having the break “built up” with a fillet of glue, then yes, it could fix an eyeglass frame. But, these frames are a real compromise between strength and weight, and are usually on the hairy edge of failure anyway, so expecting a repaired break to last a long time is asking a lot.
Stronger than the original is something that is used with a bit if license. Here we are glueing something that is made from not very strong plastics from the start, and in truth, one that has probably not been assembled or glued all that well in the first place. Carefully using a two step solvent glue will yield a better than new result. It can’t work miracles.
Solvent glues weaken the plastic slightly where they work, so no, you don’t get some sort of super capability. But they do fuse the plastic surfaces together, something that the other glues don’t do. Things like glasses frames are not made from garden variety plastics, and may be totally unsuitable for a solvent glue - and further - the weakened area will likely soon fail.
Put your frozen items into the refrigerator, tightly packed and insulated. It will take a long time for frozen items to thaw in the refrigerator if they are packed tightly. As a chef, I deal with this kind of thing daily. I need to be able to thaw things quickly or slowly, depending on the situation. A 30 pound case of frozen meat in a cardboard box will still be frozen solid after 24 hours in the refrigerator.
I did this same exact thing with marine epoxy. It’s already white, and it’s meant to hold up under moist conditions.
It will set in the cold, it just seems to take a little longer, like overnight. Make sure there’s no pressure on the part til it’s set.
P.S. Still holding 18 months later.
I ordered the stuff from the first reply, and it’s shipped… just waiting for it to get here so I can try it out. (Free shipping, so it was easier than driving to hardware/etc stores looking for it)…
Reported. 