Broken flash shoe.

[a20010494]

So, i stupidly broke my flash shoe, and im not going to pay 20 bucks for a new shoe, so, i read that instant glue and sodium bicarbonate make great unions, does anybody know?
Thanks a lot.
BTW, my flash is a Sigma EF-500 GD ST.

[cooltouch]

I have used super glue and sodium bicarbonate both as a filler and as an attempted structural material. I have found that it works fine as a filler material but that its structural properties weren't up to the task. As a structural substitute I've used it two ways -- as a repair for broken fingernails (a classical guitarist uses nails for tone and playing ease), and as a way of building up cuts in fingeroboard nuts that the strings pass over that were cut too deeplly. The mixture chipped too easily as a nail substitute and was not hard enough to act as a suitable bone substitute for the fingerboard nut. As a filler, it worked fine, but then it wasn't being subjected to stress in any way.

Is there some reason why you can't just use super glue to the broken pieces directly? If they are the type of plastic that SG works with, the union should be pretty strong.

[martinsmith99]

If it was 2000 bucks I could see the point, but for 20 bucks I wouldn't attempt it. If the flash falls off the camera becuse the repair wasn't good, it makes no sense.

[Scheimpflug]

If glue alone won't be strong enough, you could always drill & pin it. But if you don't already own a pin vise and a tiny drill bit, you might as well just put that money toward the $20 repair part instead.

[Esox lucius]

I wouldn't mess with a DIY repair saving you $20, not when it's a flash hotshoe. They almost all have built in weak points from the factory, so that as opposed to breaking the body they break with results easy and cheap to repair.

If you glue it you're probably altering this structural weak point which is there for a reason, and that reason is "should damage occur we save your money".

[a20010494]

I'm just too stubborn for that, i guess the part costs around 4 dollars and the shipping costs around 16... and that just doesnt feel right. I wouldn't mind paying more for something that wont break in the near future, but 20 dollars for something that wont last, its just a waste imo.

[visualopsins]

Camera have PC connection? Maybe use flash bracket. Benefit is gets flash off lens axis, for fewer dimmer red eyes.

Purchase used SD14, sell broken SD14 for more, net profit.

If shoe is glued, recommend a leash for flash in case shoe breaks flash will not smash on ground. Instead of baking soda, maybe use hardwood sawdust or metal filings for filler -- if metal is used, beware shorting electrical connections.