Gater Grip? what?#"%

Maybe mine was frozen

detailfreak

                       ... freezing ruins it.

Nothing in life is certain except for death, taxes, and that statement.

That's weird, Herc. I've had to take an xacto to a canopy I just tacked on with a few dots of the stuff because the grip was so solid.

DoogsATX

Hercmech:

I have tried (bought two bottles after reading it was the best thing since sliced bread) it but find it takes a long time to set up and does not hold all that well. I went back to superglue

 

What are you trying to glue with it?

I've found CA and GG have very different uses due to their properties.

I'd been using CA for a lot of uses where GG was really more appropriate, hence it's more-or-less replacement on my bench.

CA - generally excellent adhesive (sticks to other things) and cohesive (holds together) strength. Fast-curing. Excellent tensile (pulling) resilience. But because CA cures so hard, it's also exceptionally brittle. Not a huge problem if you've got a gear strut glued into a locating hole, or an entire wing glued to a fuselage. But for small bits - pitot tubes and grab rails and such - a very small glue area can be exceptionally vulnerable to shearing forces.

GG - Not as strong an adhesive as CA. It maintains a slight elasticity after curing, making it terrible for tensile applications (I tried to use it on some tension rigging on a biplane and it failed spectacularly) or for holding parts where there are opposing forces acting (I wouldn't use it to hold fuselage halves together, hold a stabilizer up, etc). But that elasticity also gives GG outstanding shear resilience, so for small fiddly bits that often get knocked off if stared at the wrong way, instead of flying off into nowhere due to a failed CA bond, they'll be laid flat, and can easily be stood back up. 

GG is also an excellent replacement for white glue in general.

It's NOT a wonder glue. But for small parts that need to be placed, I find it far preferable to CA.

I have tried it for PE as well as canopies with both having diapointing results. the pe came off as soon as I tried to do anything with it and the canopy came loose as soon as I started to mask it. Maybe I got a bad batch.

Hercmech

I have tried (bought two bottles after reading it was the best thing since sliced bread) it but find it takes a long time to set up and does not hold all that well. I went back to superglue

What are you trying to glue with it?

I've found CA and GG have very different uses due to their properties.

I'd been using CA for a lot of uses where GG was really more appropriate, hence it's more-or-less replacement on my bench.

CA - generally excellent adhesive (sticks to other things) and cohesive (holds together) strength. Fast-curing. Excellent tensile (pulling) resilience. But because CA cures so hard, it's also exceptionally brittle. Not a huge problem if you've got a gear strut glued into a locating hole, or an entire wing glued to a fuselage. But for small bits - pitot tubes and grab rails and such - a very small glue area can be exceptionally vulnerable to shearing forces.

GG - Not as strong an adhesive as CA. It maintains a slight elasticity after curing, making it terrible for tensile applications (I tried to use it on some tension rigging on a biplane and it failed spectacularly) or for holding parts where there are opposing forces acting (I wouldn't use it to hold fuselage halves together, hold a stabilizer up, etc). But that elasticity also gives GG outstanding shear resilience, so for small fiddly bits that often get knocked off if stared at the wrong way, instead of flying off into nowhere due to a failed CA bond, they'll be laid flat, and can easily be stood back up. 

GG is also an excellent replacement for white glue in general.

It's NOT a wonder glue. But for small parts that need to be placed, I find it far preferable to CA.

I have tried (bought two bottles after reading it was the best thing since sliced bread) it but find it takes a long time to set up and does not hold all that well. I went back to superglue

I've done it, I apllied a lttle more Gator glue than I had been doing.

I think it works a little differently than CA glue, I know that CA glue works by dispelling all of the air between the two surfaces but it seems that Gator glue leaves a thin film between the two surfaces more so than CA glue.

I'm sure that there is a chemist amongst our members who will explain things so much better than I...cheers....Kenny

Sorry to hear of your issues Kenny. I too use Gator Grip and it usually "grips" within a few seconds depending. Usually just need to hold pressure depending on how thick you apply it to the parts in question.

Buff, detailfrak,DoogsATX,Vancecrozier & redleg12, thanks for the help.

I dont think this has been frozen, I bought it in the summer and it has not been out of the house.

The consistencey would seem about right, I guess its me...cheers....Kenny

I keep min a bit thinner than white glue but not runny. If you put a toothpick in you should get an even film but it should not run.

Rounds Complete!!

                              It is my understanding that dealers such as Sprue Bros. stop shipping when the possibility of freezing is likely.Just my .

Darnnit - I meant to order some of this stuff before the temperatures dropped up here, I don't dare ship it now considering I've woken up to a frosty windshield almost every day for the past week.

I've never had any problems using mine, and it's mostly replaced CA in my arsenal. As suggested, maybe it froze? Can you test it by just gluing two things together (sprue trees?) and leaving them? I know for me it'll hold very small parts pretty much immediately, larger stuff like big grab rails after about 30 seconds, and it sets pretty well and good after 10.

                        Perhaps your glue was frozen. I understand that freezing ruins it.

  I use it regularly and have never had any issues.  I've never felt the need to thin it with anything.  I do use a brush dipped in water to clean up any extra, but that's about it.