Fixing a hole in microwave

retiredtraveler

Senior Member
I took the microwave (tabletop) out to the garage this morning to sand down the rust spots and was going to repaint (I have OEM microwave paint). Well I kept scraping and scraping until a hole opened up. If I had paid attention a few years ago, I could have stopped this.
Anyway, does anyone know if I can use some type of epoxy to fill the hole? I've been all over the net. Most articles tell you, replace it. A few people have mentioned two-part epoxy, but I don't know if there is a downside to it.
Anyone familiar with this? A new one is $150 or so (this is a 1.4 cf model) and I try to fix whatever I can myself. But, I have no experience with this.
 

The metal box plus the mesh in the window form what is known as a Faraday Cage which prevents microwaves from escaping the unit. If you plug the hole with a non metallic epoxy, the rf may pass through your patch and could be harmful. The actual effect of a hole in a Farady Cage depends upon the frequency of the microwave and the size of the hole. If you look through the window of your microwave oven you will see a woven wire mesh. The spaces between the intersecting wires of the mesh are the hole size the mfg has determined form an adequate barrier to the units energy.

Frankly, I would scrap the oven. If you have that much rust damage in one spot it is likely there is more damage currently covered by paint.
 
Funny, I've never owned a microwave. When I was married (37 years ago) my wife was very excited about getting one but I never liked how some foods tasted when they came out - especially baked potatoes, which were gummy.
 
Don't be penny wise and pound foolish!

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It's time for a new microwave.
 
I took the microwave (tabletop) out to the garage this morning to sand down the rust spots and was going to repaint (I have OEM microwave paint). Well I kept scraping and scraping until a hole opened up. If I had paid attention a few years ago, I could have stopped this.
Anyway, does anyone know if I can use some type of epoxy to fill the hole? I've been all over the net. Most articles tell you, replace it. A few people have mentioned two-part epoxy, but I don't know if there is a downside to it.
Anyone familiar with this? A new one is $150 or so (this is a 1.4 cf model) and I try to fix whatever I can myself. But, I have no experience with this.
Most articles tell you to replace it because what you are contemplating is risky & dangerous.
This IS definitely penny wise, pound foolish and something my dad would try 🤭but it’s definitely not recommended and truly UNSAFE.
Think about it. Microwaves leaking into your environment. It’s crazy 😳
 
Easy fix. I soldered a lid from a can at bottom of hole (on the outside) and repainted with microwave paint. The interior of the microwave is nothing but thin metal painted with enamel. All is well.
 
Easy fix. I soldered a lid from a can at bottom of hole (on the outside) and repainted with microwave paint. The interior of the microwave is nothing but thin metal painted with enamel. All is well.

Good Job! Now, all you have to worry about is lead "vapors" from the solder potentially getting into your food/air if you run the appliance long enough to get the solder fairly hot. Not to worry, however, as it usually take years of exposure to lead before the poisoning occurs.
 
Happy birthday to my microwave. According to the label on the back it was manufactured in August of 1998. So it's old enough to buy booze now. No rust issues, probably because it's inside. The only issue is the Led display is partially burned out so you can't read the time. You just have to hope you punched in the right numbers. One time my wife was heating up a jar of peanut butter to make it soft. We keep it in the fridge after it's opened. I know, you don't have to, but we do. So I guess she was going for 33 seconds and thought she hit the 3 pad twice. But she must have hit it 3 times instead. After a while I noticed that it seemed like the microwave had been running for quite a while so I asked her what she was heating up? Long story short I had to get that jar out with two potholders and the peanut butter was burnt black. Had to toss the whole thing in the garbage.
 
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Unless it's exterior cosmetic/chassis metal only I'd probably get a new one. Rust on appliances can come from using harsh cleaners and/or poor ventilation. Many wipe the object or surface with a cleaner but if they used too much and didn't a rinse wipe with damp cloth sooner or later they start eating that the paint/surface. Especially if there is little or no grease or dirt residue to use up the cleaners. Also just one minor nick in the surface of the paint can turn into rust over time.
 
I use mine each morning to heat bacon that is already precooked. I wipe out with a dish cloth and never let it get dirty. My daughter on the other hand seems like she never cleans hers and I would not use it for anything for myself.
 


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