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Hey folks,
I'm building the Tamiya Pak 35/36 and am using Ambroid Proweld for the first time. I've been having a few issues and I'm wondering if it's just my inexperience with using it or has it gone bad (it is a couple of years old). Just as background - all the parts were washed with warm soapy water then rinsed with tap water and dried before assembly; no paint has been applied.
The biggest problem is that the parts just don't seem to stick together! A number of times I have tried to attach the small parts such as the adjustment wheels (with very small attach points) I place some proweld on the attach point and place the part and keep pressure for a 10 count. The parts seem to have reasonable initial adhesion, but won't really take any handling without coming apart!
Is there a minimum drying time? How much should be used in a joint? Does it truly "weld" the plastic - cause mine really doesn't seem to be? Is there some kind of "kicker" or "accelerator" I'm supposed to be using?
Any help is greatly appreciated!
Thanks!
Rich - "And when the Band you're in starts playing different tunes, I'll see you on the Dark Side of the Moon" - Pink Floyd
Hi Rich,
It sounds like you're using the "traditional" approach that you're probably accustomed to using thicker cements. that is, apply to one part and place the part in position. When you do this with "thin" cements (any brand really, not limited to Amvroid), it will more often than not have evaporated by the time you get the part into position. So you hold the part in place and it simply drops off or falls off at the slightest bump and you think "what the??". (This happened the first time I tried to use Testors liquid cement more than 30 years ago. It then sat in the drawer for the longest time before I discovered the secret for using liquid cements, and I haven't touched tube cement since.)
With thin "welding" cements, best results are obtained by placing the part in position and then using a fine brush to apply the cement to the joint.
In reality, the "thin" cements are best suited to long uninterrupted seams, as the cement will flow down the seam by capillary action. Thin cements are less suitable for small parts like the ones you describe, and are trickier (but not impossible) to use in those applications.
PontiacRich Just as background - all the parts were washed with warm soapy water then rinsed with tap water and dried before assembly; no paint has been applied.
If you want to save time, then don't worry about washing styrene parts. For resin it's pretty much mandatory, but with styrene you don't need to wash the parts it's simply not necessary.
"A good plan executed now is better than a perfect plan next week." - George S. Patton
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