Super Glues

they come in real handy sometimes.....just keep a bottle of de-bonder around.....

Ive used both the normal and thicker "gap filling"...which seems to me doesnt fill anything. Great for when you need a strong bond..as for instant....well seems to be that when you need it to bond instantly it takes a while,,,when not...its instant..thats why its also good to have some accelerator close by too...try different brands till you find the one you like...I personnaly am using Gorrila Gule's CA and I like it better than the others...

Good Luck

carlos

I use four different glues depending on the situation...

1 - Solvents. Testors Liquid Cement is a weaker solvent. Stronger ones include Ambroid Pro-Weld, Tenax 7R, or really "hot" stuff like Weld-On 3. These solvents literally melt and weld plastic together, so you may see them referred to as plastic welders. Best applied with a touch-n-flow applicator or those microbrushes you can find at various hobby retailers. When I'm building armor, I tend to use this stuff a lot building up main structures - the great thing with armor is that you can slather it on from the inside. On aircraft, a touch-n-flow helps you put the solvent exactly where it needs to go. 

2 - Super glues. First, it's important to note that they have AWFUL sheering resistance. They work best if you're inserting something into a hole. The thicker they are, the longer they take to set. I honestly don't use CA all that often. When I do, I use medium/thick for gluing actual pieces, and thin when I need it to "flow". For example, I'm rigging a biplane right now. Glued the eyebolts into the wings by dipping them in medium CA, which is thick enough to fill the hole. Then, after threading monofilament through the eyebolt and turnbuckle, I apply some thin CA to the end of the turnbuckle so it'll flow within and lock the mono in place. But I've found the thin kind of sucks when it doesn't have enclosed, already-touching elements to play with.

3 - Gator's Grip acrylic glue. Like white glue on steroids. Don't use it if you're going to have something under tension (see the eyebolts above), but for small parts and flexible, resilient bonds, this stuff is gold. It also has a longer working time than super glue. I find myself using it a lot with aircraft cockpits. On armor, it's perfect for pioneer tools and other "on the outside" accessories.

superglue is pretty handy to have around.  especially for photo etch, resin, and the like.  i keep three different kinds, and am considering a fourth, on my bench all the time.  they all have their uses, some more than others though.

thin, medium and thick are currently what i use.  i can't remember the name brand but i got them at hobby lobby.  i'm also considering some gel type superglue which has a slower setting time allowing for more wiggle room.  also, accelerator and debonder are a must.  i've never had any luck with using it as a filler but maybe the gel type would be better.

plastic welds such as ambroids pro-weld and the flexi-file (never used it) stuff are what i use the most for bonding plastic to plastic.  you might look into that.  if you do, get yourself a touch and flow applicator (an absolute must) and they come in kits with the ambroid or flexi file welds.  for metal or resin i'll use the superglue.  hope it helps!

Doogs... exactly what I was looking for. Tanks for takin the time.

Steve

Got it Ace... will do. Tanks.

Steve

This might be of use to you as you make your return... Perfect Seams

K, guys, I'm going to order the touch-n-flow applicator and filler bottle. My question is:

Do you guys get a different set for each type of solvent you use, or use the same utensil for all types of solvents in your inventory? No contamination problems?

Tanks

Steve

Hawkeye... sure did help alot. Tanks.

Steve

My experience with the stuff (I have used a lot of the stuff).

If you attach it and then move it ever so slightly after the first 3 seconds, odds are you just ruined the instantaneous chemical bond at which point it becomes a 5 minute wait or longer.

If you use too much, it also tends to not bond fast as well.

It is easy to fracture a joint later (if needed for some reason). I have not experienced any real grief needing to remove a part later for some reason. You need to remember, model glue melts and welds, and crazy glue is just a chemical bonding agent. The parts were never melted and welded as is the case with model glue.

Great for gluing on a small part on a painted surface. Because it glues anything to anything. If the paint is set and well adhered, it is not a problem to glue to a painted surface. Remenber though, a sharp force can fracture the bond.

Of course you will need it for PE metal parts and cast resin as they are not model plastic. It works like liguid model glue ie it will seep through cracks creases and under stuff. Be aware of where your fingers are.

You can get stuff that will excelerate the bonding of even these supposedly instant glues. I have not had a lot of enjoyment using the stuff though.

Yes, have debonding solution handy. But even more so, work over a glass surface, trust me on that one. It's permanent on almost anything else that gets drops on.

I have never seen it actually glue some types of plastic. Forget trying it on plastic like one piece tracks, the stuff is just not suitable. I have glued and clamped that sort of plastic and a day later it is like it had never been glued at all. The stuff just doesn't like soft waxy feeling types of plastic.

Ahhh... god tips HisnHer, appreciate it. This one goes in the file.

Steve

The only things I really use Super glue on is the finishing touches on a kit like the radio wire. I will put a little drop of glue on the airframe location then put dip the wire into accelerator then touch it in place and instant bond. I also use it for canopies at times. But make sure you have protected the "Glass" with futre first or you could get clouding.

Careful with the touch n flow applicator, they have a reputation for pissing off people who aren't 100% on how to use them.

Whatever you do, do not put CA in a touch n flow.

You guys are great. I'm gettin off to a good start.

Paintsniffer... glad you said that. The advertisements say the touch-n-flow is good for solvent and CA. Great tip...tanks.

Steve

They make a CA applicator that is basicly a sewing needle that has had it's eye cut open and stuck in a metal stick. It works good but make sure you clean it good after you use it or the CA will build up.

Latigo

You guys are great. I'm gettin off to a good start.

Paintsniffer... glad you said that. The advertisements say the touch-n-flow is good for solvent and CA. Great tip...tanks.

Steve

The touch-n-flow is good for CA accelerator. But you have to be careful.

The way I use it with CA accelerator - which I only do when I'm attaching aerial wires on an aircraft - is to touch the applicator to the wire somewhere so the accelerator runs down with gravity into the CA (sometimes you have to position the model to do this). I've also used it to drip accelerator onto a join before...make sure you protect any finished surfaces underneath/

To make a CA applicator, just take a sewing needle and cut the eye open. Dip that in CA (bottlecaps make excellent dipping containers), then touch the part. I don't have a lot of sewing needles lying around, so I just loop wire around a piece of rod, twist it up, then cut the loop open. 

HisNHer Tanks

I have never seen it actually glue some types of plastic. Forget trying it on plastic like one piece tracks, the stuff is just not suitable. I have glued and clamped that sort of plastic and a day later it is like it had never been glued at all. The stuff just doesn't like soft waxy feeling types of plastic.

Super glue is not flexible, and vinyl is. That sums it up. If you have to bond vinyl, fuse it with either heat or a specially formulated vinyl cement. I haven’t tried ‘Vinyl and Leather Mender’, but I know the Super Glue Corporation sells it. Oh and yes, I know that there’s a flexible flavor of Super Glue, and it may work for vinyl, but who am I? Consumer Reports?

I only use it for photo etch or resin. I tried it on my Hasegawa 109 and the wings fell off. From now on I will only glue for styrenes to assemble the main parts of my planes.

Not sure how well known this is, but it being a chemical, and it responds to proper storage, and apparently the right place is your fridge.

As for those using it as a non plastic glue option for things not made of styrene, remember, the main selling point of crazy glues is normally 'strength' which is funny considering how easy it is to remove a part in many cases in my experience.

You can always employ other forms of glue for situations where all you require is something sticky. You would be surprised at how functionally useful ordinary white glue can be for attaching little parts that will never experience any form of sheer or stress or load bearing needs. And this will get a laugh, but I use a good grade of double sided tape for a lot of odd uses.

I have attached 4 ordinary 6 sided dice to the bottom of a laptop with just ordinary double sided tape of the sort that is tan coloured and normally sold in rolls that are like masking tape rolls (not the thin tape dispenser stuff). And those dice have remained stuck on now for over a years worth of common usage. (wanted to add a bit of breather space to this older laptop I have in the house).

I have actually attached wheels to softskins by using very thin strips of the above tape and putting the tape on the wheel hub area (same place where glue was meant to be used normally) as a means of just getting the damned wheels on so I can put the kit on the shelf to wait till I can get the airbrushing stage started. Makes it possible to fake a completed kit for a time :) And as we speak, it is doing just fine for a Dodge staff car, a Dodge 1.5 ton and an M3A1 Scout car in 35th scale eh.

Crazy glue is not always the only solution.

Doogs, Thanks for he tip on Gator Glue. I ordered some from Sprue Bros after reading some follow up reveiws.

                          Joe

I agree HisNHer... love double sticky back.

Steve

I have never seen it actually glue some types of plastic. Forget trying it on plastic like one piece tracks, the stuff is just not suitable. I have glued and clamped that sort of plastic and a day later it is like it had never been glued at all. The stuff just doesn't like soft waxy feeling types of plastic.

Have you "roughed up" the mating suraces? You need to give the parts some "tooth" for decent bond on vinyl tracks...

So, just out of curiosity, does anyone still use the regular Testors model glue out of the orange tube (or blue for odorless) anymore?