There has to be something better than Testors...

i use revell hobby cement. I like the needle

I've mentioned this on other sites, our group uses methyl ethyl ketone (MEK) purchased at our local hardware store for about $4.00 a pint.  It is the main ingredient of most plastic model cements.  One pint will last you years!  Try it, you'll like it.

i use plastic weld  glass bottle with a orange and or white lable it last a long time and try krystal clear for windows and other.

My solvent of choice:

The larger of the two tins retails for about $10.00. My last one has lasted me nearly ten years and has assembled dozens of models. Look for it at industrial plastic supply distributors or drop me a note and I will help you locate some.

I transfer small amounts into a working bottle and apply it with a Touch N Flow.

Tube glue has it's purpose, which is to keep tubes from collapsing flat. I have a tube in my drawer for those odd occasions where it is easier to use the quick initial tack of a tube glue over any others.

CA stands for cyanoacrylate, a generic term for methyl 2-cyanoacrylate, AKA Superglue or Krazy Glue. Zap A Gap is just a brand name (owned by Superglue) targeted to hobbyists and is used to fill gaps in materials. Some CA glues are available in a thin, medium and thick formulation. If using to fill gaps, sand smooth shortly after the initial cure takes place (less than a minute usually), as CA glue that has fully cured (24 hours) is very hard to sand. I use it for gluing dissimilar materials, and use modeling putty for filling gaps.

CA has a strong "pull" strength, but a low "shear" strength. If you try to pull pieces glued with CA you'll likely fail. Give it a sideways tap and pieces can pop off easily. Especially if you put it in the freezer for a couple of hours.

CA polymerizes in the presence of water, and has an exothermic reaction, which can put out a surprising amount of heat, especially when combined with cotton. It needs to be stored in a tightly closed container in a dry place. Frost free freezers are a good place (the kind where you have to defrost is certain death). Many modelers have been chagrined to find their barely used bottle of CA hard as a rock after only a few months. Putting the container in a jar with a tight lid and a silica gel pack also works.

CA can be combined with an accelerator, usually a hydroxide ion base, for an instant cure. Sometime just breathing on it, like you would do when cleaning glasses, is all it takes. The water vapor in your breathe is more than sufficient for most applications. Try not to breathe in the fumes, as it fairly toxic and can trigger asthma. Even the vapors can adhere to the membranes in your mouth and nose which can be quite painful. CA can also irritate the skin through its exothermic behavior.

Like many products, CA was discovered 'by accident". It was developed by Kodak during experiments to create clearer lenses for bomb sights. They quickly realized it's potential for adhesion and developed it into the first "superglue". It was also used as an instant suture during the Vietnam War. 2-Octyl Cyanoacrylate was developed specifically for medical use, and has a much lower exothermic reaction, allowing it to be used as a surgical suture. It is now available for home use as LiquiBand or SurgiSeal.

I first tried Tenax around 1993 or so. Yes, it does evaporate very quickly. I disliked it for that reason. While my main cement is the Tamiya extra thin, I do keep a bottle of the cheaper Testors liquid cement. I use that for texturing the surface of smooth kits.

Tenax ain't nuthin' new, Mike.. I first used it in the 80's...  Bought one bottle, went back to what worked for me... Too hot for my liking, and half of it evaporated because I have a tendency to walk away from the bench and get side-tracked for  a day...  Testor's is cheap and works quite well...

Besides, I hate the 21st Century...

In my opinion using Testors tube glue is fine if you are still listening to Bill Haley and the Comets on the radio.

I use Tenax and Tamiya liquid cements. They weld the parts together unlike the Testors tube stuff that produces a weak joint that needs to be clamped while drying. This is the 21st century folks, it's time to use the stuff that works better and faster!

If you are having the 'string' problem when using the glue, you may want to ensure you have a fresh tube.  As it ages, the glue starts having the string problem with greater frequency.  Also cap your clue as often as you can.  I work from a very small dab of glue at a time and use toothpicks or a hat pin as an applicator.  Good luck.

No offense to anybody, but I stopped using the squeeze tube glue when I was a kid.

Same here, pretty much, altough I've found that it does still have a few uses in diorama applications, such as when I need to tie "water" into something... For instance, I used it on the cellophane that I wedged between the hull of a Kingfisher float and the plaster "water" it was in... I was doing the Kingfisher taking off, so I needed to have something a bit on transparent side to make the bow-wake look better, and to add spray effects...  It also worked for bullet-strikes on water, although it's a tricky application and quite time-consuming, and I've since found a better way to do it...  But I'll always keep a tube handy... Oh yeah, I also use the tube itself when I need something like seat-belts or cargo straps and the foil tape I usually use isn't thick enough...

By and large though, It's the Testor's Model Master Black and Testor's Liquid..

I have been using the Testors liquid cement in the glass bottle for years for all major assemblies and the MM liquid cement in the triangular (Diamond shaped?) plastic bottle when something called for more viscosity. No offense to anybody, but I stopped using the squeeze tube glue when I was a kid. Whatever works best for you should be your choice. And of course CA when needed for metal and resin parts.

The liquid in the bottle is nice as you align the two parts and touch the cement to one end and it will actually be drawn into the seam like a wick. With practice you can actually squeeze it to cause a bit of the dissolved plastic to ooze out and once dried, you trim this away for a seam that needs almost no filling if the parts are lined up correctly. Watch that wick action as the cement can be drawn into areas you don't want such as under your finger! You get to leave a nice permenant signature to your work as your fingerprint! (Ok, yes this happened to me more than once!)

As to the Testors vs. MM cement in the triangular (diamond?) plastic bottles, the big difference I have found is the MM has a metal needle.The plastic tip of the Testors plugs often, but the metal tip rarely clogs on me. I have been using the same bottle for almost 10 years.

uglygoat

is the red label the same as the black labeled mm?  i've a sneaking suspicion that it is, and costs half. 

No, it isn't.. It's much thinner, by about twice,  and "hotter" than Testor's tube cement, but it's not as thin as the pink-lable liquid, which is almost as thin as water and a bit hotter than the black Model Master cement...

Gordon, if you're still using the Testor's Tube cement for other than applictaions to parts that need some lag-time for adjustment, you're gonna have to consoder trading up... I'd really recommend that you try the Testor's Model Master and bottled Liquid Cements...  The needle applicator of the Model Master brand make for really precise gluing, and the liquid is great for getting parts to set up almost immediately, without the troubles that superglue/CA gives..  

 CA/Superglue has it's uses, especially for resin/metal parts (regular model cements won't work on them), and gluing painted parts to painted surfaces (like pioneer tools to AFV decks), and also some gap-filling uses, but unless you do a lot of that, the "Hobby-shop" brands are a bit expensive for wht you get... The "super market cards" of 4 for 1.99 tubes will last months and  also allows you to only have a little of the stuff open at a time, unlike the big bottles of Zap-A-Gap and the like..

 Another thing you might want to try is to lightly sand the surfaces to be mated (like wing & fuselage halves) before you apply the cement.. It really speeds up the bond... Also, get a couple of fine-point brushes for applying liquid cements.. The brushes in the bootle are too clunky and big for precise work, and you don'y have to worry about cleaning them, the cement evaporates fast enough that the bristles won't go hard on ya..

If you like Tenax 7R and find it in any hobby shop buy it as it appears that the company which makes it is now out of business. I have 12 jars left and will have to locate a similar glue when it is gone. Aaron Skinner of FSM has confirmed this to me in a private e-mail.

is the red label the same as the black labeled mm?  i've a sneaking suspicion that it is, and costs half. 

The Count

Well It may be my own fault, but that glue has little strings come off it when i use it. Like spider webs. Very thin.

That is why i dislike it.

Are zap a cap and CA the same thing? I dont know what CA stands for. Thank you guys for all this info, this forum rocks.

Zap-A-Gap is a type of CA (CyanoAcrylate) from a company called Pacer.  Cyanocrylate glue is the generic "super glue".  They have different levels of viscosity from thin for general gluing to thicker for gap filling applications.

If you are using the Testors glue from the red or blue tube that isn't that great of a glue.  A liquid cement is better.  No "strings" attached.  It "welds" the plastic together rather than making it stick together.  Testors makes liquid cement as well.  It is in a diamond shaped container with a red label.  They also have it in their "Model Master" series in an all black diamond container. 

I hope this helps.

Well It may be my own fault, but that glue has little strings come off it when i use it. Like spider webs. Very thin.

That is why i dislike it.

Are zap a cap and CA the same thing? I dont know what CA stands for. Thank you guys for all this info, this forum rocks.

Well It may be my own fault, but that glue has little strings come off it when i use it. Like spider webs. Very thin.

That is why i dislike it.

Are zap a cap and CA the same thing? I dont know what CA stands for. Thank you guys for all this info, this forum rocks.

tamiya extra thin is a must!  and of course superglue lol

PaintsWithBrush

Everything on my shelves was assembled using Orange tube Testors. I have no desire to change. Like 'Hans von Hammer' asked: What do you not like about Testors ?

That, and the Testors triangle shaped bottle(orange label) and CA. Never a problem.

Everything on my shelves was assembled using Orange tube Testors. I have no desire to change. Like 'Hans von Hammer' asked: What do you not like about Testors ?

i've been using the same container of model master glue in the triangle shaped bottle for two years now.  i love the stuff.

I use Plastruct Bondene mostly.

Which Testors glue are you using and what is the problem? 

I use the regular Tamiya glue (orange label). I also have plenty of Hobby Lobby"s CA on hand.

Art

I'm fine with Testor's Liquid Cement.. Been using that (and the Orange Tube) all my modeling life.. Pink label liquid and Model Master (black squeeze bottle) , both have  worked fine for me.. I've tried that Tennax stuff, but it was a bit too "hot" for my liking, not to mention that the cost is a bit much for a bottle that I'll usually forget to screw the cap back onto and it evaporates bfore I remember again..  I use that, plus plain ol' CA Super Glue that I buy at the supermarket on the cards for "4 for 1.99"

What's your problem with Testor's, if I may inquire?

Spit?

Seriously, most solvent cements are variations on methylene chloride (dichloromethane), sometimes with other solvents to slow the evaporation rate. You can probably get methylene chloride from a local plastic fabrication company, probably sold as Safeway's SC-125.

One that hasn't been mentioned is Weld-On 3. Stinks (you should never be able to smell it anyway) but a very good solvent cement for styrene.

What I currently use is a mix of 1 part toluol (toluene) to 9 parts methylene chloride. Evaporation rate is about the same as Weld-On 3. The reason for making my own blend is that it's much cheaper, and I'll never run out.

Regardless of what you use, adequate ventilation is an absolute requirement.

Another vote for Tamiya Extra Thin!

Give me Tenax or give me death....well, using it will probably kill me so never mind......

Glues I use the most are Tenax 7R, Ambroid Pro Weld, Tamiya extra thin &  Model Master Liquid Cement .  Also keep a good supply of Zap-A-Gap CA.

Regards,  Rick

Tamiya extra thin liquid cement. Comes in a small, square bottle (about 1½ " square) with a green plastic lid that holds a fine brush end. I love the stuff.