Attaching Canopy and other clear parts

Also - Should the canopy be dipped in Future after it has been painted?

Expirement with 5 minute epoxy. It works really well - it's clear, won't fog anything, it will stick to anything, and when it's drying if any is where you don't want it, you can scrape it away while it is soft, but not quite dry. When you do that, it is all gone - no marks, nothing where you don't want it.

Best wishes!

The 5 minute epoxy does work well. I've also heard that Future works well to glue clear parts on.

I know some modelers who swear by watch crystal cement. I've never used it so I don't know what its like, but if you have a jeweler's supply merchant near you, you may want to check that out too.

I always use PVA (wood) glue for the main canopies, as it can be cleaned up very easily with a bit of water or saliva. For windows, windshields and the like, I use Ross washable school glue gel (yes, the blue one!) instead of the clear parts. It dries really very very thin and absolutely transparent. It also seems to stretch as it dries. It's a fantastic product! Apply with a toothpick.

I use Model Masters clear parts cement, which is a PVA glue like Elmer's. The bond is not as strong as with solvent or superglue, but the fact that it does not attack the clear styrene and that it fills small gaps is a plus.

Pacer Technology makes some stuff called Formula 560 and dubbed it "the worlds best canopy glue" It looks just like Elmers and it does in fact work very well. It dries pretty slow but it adheres well to painted surfaces. I paid 3 bucks for a 2 oz bottle which should last longer than me.

Future works very well as long as the model will not be handled often. I just touch the bottom of the canopy to the future and put it into place. The only problem with using Future is on bombers with glass noses. Future will form a fairly strong bond but it is not nearly tacky enough at the outset to hold a nosecone in place. To use Future to glue on a nose one must set the model on its tail so gravity will hold the nose in place. This can be hard to accomplish with 1/48 scale bombers.

Micro Crystal clear and Tesors Clear Parts Cement both work well - any mess can be cleaned with a bit of water, and they dry absolutely clear. These can also be used to fill small openings (like landing lights, navigation lights, small windows, etc). If you want to get really fancy, for navigation lights, mix in a tiny bit of acrylic red or green in the glue before you put it on the aircraft. This makes a properly tinted clear lens. I learned the hard way not to use CA glues of any type in the cockpit or on the canopy or windshield. I used ca to assemple some of the small cockpit parts in Tamiya 1/48 Beaufighter, only to have the glue "gas out" a while later and fogged the inside of the clear windshield parts. And - irony of the situation - I used Micro Crystal Clear to hold in the windshield! So - the wrong glue doesn't even have to be used on the windshield to make a mess.

I have heard that if you dip the canopy/windshield in future and allow to dry overnight you can use superglue to secure it. I have been too afraid to try it as I don't want to mess up a canopy.

Berny

I use white glue when attaching canopies and windscreens, and then use ca around the edges to blend the clear parts in. The white glue creates a seal to keep the ca fron fogging the inside of the clear part, while the ca creates a stronger bond.
I dip the clear parts in future, then mask them before attachment, but have to be careful if the masking is close to the edge where the ca is applied.
Hope this helps.
Spud

See it big and keep it simple....Elmer's glue works fine and it's real cheep.