Super glue question

Sorry, if CA (this is the forum's abreviation for super glue) came with a brush applicator, it wouldn't work the second time. Super glue will bond brass to plastic, in fact I don't know what it can't do. But what you have to do is put a small amount of super glue on a scrap piece of cardbord. Take an old knife blade or toothpick (anything small) and dip it in the puddle of CA on the cardboard. Take that teany amount and apply it where you need it and that will make sure you don't have too much. If so, just whipe it off and sand it down. Any questions? Hope it helps!

I like Zap and have been using it for years, although I am starting to lean in the Tenax direction!

I always put the long, conical applicator thingy on the Zap bottle, and then leave a straight pin in the hole to close it up. Occasionally the pin will glue itself to the bottle, but a pair of tweezers and a tug and it comes out. I know some people who just leave the bottle open and don't have evaporation problems.

Also, I dislike using toothpicks to apply it. It seems that the ones I get always tend to soak up the glue before I get it to where I want it. I usually use a piece of thinly stretched sprue or just a straight pin.

CA is going to be your best choice for PE parts as far as I know. About the only other thing I can think of would be epoxy and that is way too thick and way too much trouble.

I agree with Scott. Use the Zap!
What I do is put a drop in a bottlecap or something and then wipe the top of the Zap bottle off with a paper towel and put the cap back on.
It helps a lot.

Mike

It is my understanding that CA is not the same as super glue. CA (Testors or Tenax) melts the plastic and is good only for a plastic to plastic seam. It was my understanding that super glue, like Zap, will will bond plastic to brass, stainless, wood and other materials. Is this accurate?

CA is for cyano acrylate. It does not melt plastic in any way. I think it was first developed for brain surgery ( where you can't sew anything) Dentists still use some CAs which are harmless in terms of health, but it is much more expensive, and as you are not supposed to put it into your mouth...
By the way, I think there is at least a bottle of Loctite which contains a brush but this to be verified. CA is "reticulated" by moisture so you can blow gently on it. As for me, I banned definitely kickers after I made cross experiences with several brands of CA and several brands of kickers. Try it by yourselves and you will see what I mean ( and after, no hurry, it's a hobby, isn't it ? )

So Torio, will CA bond brass to plastic? And are Testor liquid, Tenax and Zip all classified as CA?

Testors or Tenax is a type of solvent which actually causes the plastic to become a liquid and when the parts are joined they become a plastic weld. As the others have said about CA (super glue) you can take to the bank . Just be patient, CA is a fantastic boon to the modeling world. Work with it and it will; work for you.

Richard

QUOTE: Originally posted by zlee1 So Torio, will CA bond brass to plastic? And are Testor liquid, Tenax and Zip all classified as CA?

Tenax and Testors are not CA and are only intended to glue plastic parts while melting the contact surface as to make them one piece. Take care though as Testors could make a CA as Tamiya makes one along with two or three plastic cements . Tamiya CA comes in a tube while plastic cements come in bottles.
Zap, Loctite and others make CA. You can recognise very easily as it is...written on the tube.
There is one Loctite called Super Control, merely a tube in a bottle with two buttons to push on the tube. It is really Super Control and you could master it for PE, but the real answer is that you must try several CA brands and systems to find the one that suits you.
To answer to your question, yes, the CA will bond brass to plastic.

OK, now I understand - Testors and Tenax are "plastic cements" and they melt the plastic. Zap is CA and it will bond brass to plastic. Thanks for clearing it up for me.

You're welcome, chap.

I love using CA. I find it useful for all sorts of tiny, difficult or just stubborn problems with plastic to plastic joins, not just multi-media joins. Something not mentioned so far is using an accelerator to bond the CA instantly. I have a bottle of Insta-Set that's lasted me a decade and I swear by it. Just a light mist is all you need to set the bond. Pfftt---done.