It's bad for you. I don't use it. Real bad for the cat and the dog with those little lungs.

Even chronic low level exposure can lead to neurodegenerative disease.

As a chemist and chemical engineer, it is highly volitile, will fill a room rapidly with vapor. Will penatrate everywhere, low concentrations toxic, highly flammable, can ignite with static electricity, 10 times worse than lacquor.....in otherwords don't use it, it is an industrial solvent for industrial applications.

Rounds Complete!!

Isn't that an igredient in Tenax 7R and others?

I just bought some Weld-On #3 and it has Dichloromethane. Is MEK worse than that?

   I use lacquer thinner.

Haven't had any problems.

disastermaster

   I use lacquer.

Haven't had any problems.

 

.......HAY  wait a minuet! thats happened to me! 

My advice? Stay far away from that stuff in the modeling room. The vapors are terribly dangerous and will melt your brain. When I was 20 years old I was cleaning the hell hole area of a UH-1H Huey (the area underneath the transmission) with that stuff. I was up there for about 20 minutes. I had to be physically removed from there as I was "in space" and couldn't get out by myself. I went home for the rest of the day. An idiot move I know but I learned from it. I wouldn't bring that stuff anywhere near my modeling room.

retdfeuerwehr:  As a Plastruct user I feel your pain, $4-$5 a bottle is common where I shop.  To make it go farther I dilute it with acetone (I think it's too thick straight from the bottle anyway).  I've gone as far as a 50%-50% mix but I find that's a bit too thin, 25%-40% acetone-plastruct is about right.  I try to replicate the viscosity of Tamiya Extra Thin Glue (the glue I most prefer but hate to pay the $$$ premium).

You can also vary your dilution ratios depending on what you're gluing.  If you want a more immediate hold, use Plastruct straight-up.  If you want the glue to have big-time capillary action go all the way to 50%-50%.  I typically have two bottles pre-mixed, one is labeled "thinned".  Mess around with the ratios until you find what you like!

Note: You'll have to shake the bottle pretty frequently while gluing and after is has sat on the shelf.  It's kinda' like an oil & water thing but not quite as drastic.

You can buy a quart of acetone at your local hardware store for about $10 and be set for a LONG time (I'm still on the first can I bought about 4 years ago) I found it to be a useful solvent for other clean-up applications too!  

Hope this helps,

SMJmodeler

I just bought 2 bottles of "Same-Stuff" from Micro-Mark.  It's supposed to be like Ambroid Pro-Weld.

I've used Tenax for years but am down to my last 1/2 inch in the bottle.

The Same Stuff is $5.65 for 2 oz, the Tenax was $4.99 at the LHS for 1 oz.

So I will report back on its performance. The odor is not bad either, much the same as Tenax or Pro Weld

Following are strictly my personal feelings, please take as such, accept or ignore.

1. MEK is a listed ingredient on several hobby cement labels. So many chemicals in the workplace, and part of many consumer products, are not something you want to have unprotected exposure to. Testors, Tamiya and Tenax list MEK, smells very strong, works well for dissolving plastic, but isn't something that will do you ANY GOOD if you are exposed to it, either in the respiratory system or through the skin. 

2. Perfectly safe for use if adequate safeguards are implemented, positive airflow removing vapors from the work area, respiratory protective mask and appropriate gloves are very beneficial. 

3. Extended periods of exposure I believe most certainly are capable of creating risk to your personal health, just how severe I think may be difficult to assess or communicate, but exposure is not something to guess about.

Again my personal feelings and I'm not trying to stir up a S### storm, but I feel strongly that these products that include MEK and other questionable ingredients, even some paints, should be used with appropriate caution.

Masks, airflow and gloves can go a very long way, toward helping you preserve your health and wellness. You only get one set of lungs, best to protect them the best that you can.

I wish for my fellow modelers to stay safe and be well.

Patrick 

Well, I've been using MEK for years now.  I keep my area ventilated and cats off the table.  

disastermaster

...I use lacquer thinner...

 

I use Weldon #4 and it's available here

https://www.eplastics.com/accessories/plastic-adhesives/acrylic-glue

Edit

And Amazon 

Weld-On 4 Acrylic Adhesive - Pint and Weld-On Applicator Bottle with Needle

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0096T6P1Y/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_Wk8OCbECFTPMZ

the Baron

 disastermaster

...I use lacquer thinner...

 To adhere styrene parts together?

 

Hello!

I'm also a big fan of using lacquer thinner for glue. Thing is hitting the right mix - lacquer thinner is a very generic term and not all of them do a good job for glueing styrene. I've tried straight acetone, MEK, xylene, toluene and the likes - they don't work so good, they evaporate too fast and fail to soften the styrene enough before they do. But recently I have found a solvent labeled "Acrylic thinner". Xylene and butyl acetate are listed as ingredients and that stuff works just fine - melts the plastic pretty quick and stays there long enough to allow joining the parts and some time for corrections. While I don't know the exact proportions the components are mixed, the addition of butyl acetate seems to be the key here.

As a rule I onlu use a very small bottle (nail lacquer) with a brush to apply the stuff - this way I minimize the unwanted evaporation and any spills, should they happen. No need to breathe in more of that stuff than absolutely necessary.

Hope it helps - have a nice day

Paweł

Tojo72

What about Tamiya Lacquer Thinner,thst stuff works as glue ?

In my experience, Tamiya lacquer thinner is rather plastic friendly and won't dissolve styrene.

Save

Tamiya thinner, Nope....

Here's what I use in the one quart size.

Lasts forever. This is my first can, haven't gotten to the second one yet.

Says on the can;

-Fast thinning of epoxy and laquer

-Cleans tools and equipment

-medium drying                

                          ⬇

Save

That's the laquer thinner I use for cleaning and thinning enamels.

DM - does it say on the can what's in it? Acetone, xylene, MEK, something else? This would be interesting to know.

Thanks in advance and have a nice day

Paweł

I use MEK, never leave my small container open (oddly enough it's an old Tenax bottle) and when I refill my small container from the large one always do so in a ventilated area. It's easy to use, and I've been using it (carefully) for at least 10 years with no ill effects.

Pawel

DM - does it say on the can what's in it? Acetone, xylene, MEK, something else? This would be interesting to know.

Thanks in advance and have a nice day

Paweł

It's cheeeeep.

I use an old tamiya jar half full of laquer thinner and apply it with a small brush. You can even clean your brush in it and still use it to glue parts together..... doesn't hurt a thing.

After years using this I'm still in good health, haven't grown any extra fingers in odd places or hair on my nose.

Click for a larger image..........

Save

If you're really interested, ask for an MSDS (Material Safety Data Sheet); this will answer all your questions of "what's in this stuff and how will exposure affect me?"

Hello!

DM - thanks a lot for posting that label. I try to stay away from solvents having methanol in them, because if I'm using it for glueing plastic methanol doesn't do anything for me (I think), so why should I breath it in - but the question is of course how much of the stuff is there. But your solvent has Ethyl acetate - and that thing really helps to use it as glue. Like I wrote before - using it from a small bottle so that it can't evaporate too well plus some ventilation should take care of most health problems here, IMO.

Good luck with your modelling projects and have a nice day

Paweł

Pawel

"using it from a small bottle so that it can't evaporate too well"

That's the key Pawel.

Thanks