should I use a certain brand of model cement?

I use three types of glue mostly...Testors glue in the black bottle ( I don't use the metal applicator but instead clip off the tip and use a disposable tip meant for the regular orange tube) for main piece construction, Testors thin liquid cement for dealing with seam lines or major hull joins in addition to the regular glue (it has great capillary action but tends to evaporate very quickly), and CA glue along with an accelerator for PE use mainly.

I've never tried the Tenax or Ambroids...I'm a little leery of the MC based stuff for toxic exposure reasons more than anything else.

QUOTE: Originally posted by Delbert Plastruct Bondene.. pretty much the workhorse of my glues.. love this stuff bonds fast dries faster. just am glad I don't live iout west as the label says "contains a chemical know to the state of California to cause cancer"

hehehe thats the way outta sight outta mind hehehe
here in Oz the ciggies come with warning label on them, 'smoking causes this and that' i try and smoke the ones with ' smoking while pregnant can harm ur baby' coz im never gonna get pregnant! ;)

QUOTE: Originally posted by styrene [Just my opinion, but I find that Testor's liquid cement (contains MEK), and Tamiya's extra thin liquid cement (contains acetone and butyl acetate) perform equally well as those that contain MC, but without the associated hazards. Tamiya regular cement adds cyclohexene and a styrene resin as additional ingredients.

This was what I wanted to hear. I've been using Tamiya's cement for a long time now, and wondered about the potential hazards--I can't read Japanese. However, sounds like I should pick up a bottle of Testor's...don't like the sound of cyclohexane...

Thanks,
Dan

I just finished a 1/200 U-boat and I used lots of epoxy glue on the whole thing. From the hull to attaching the cables (yes I held the string for 5 minutes with tweezers) I used a goodly amount of 5 minute epoxy.
I like epoxy because it is so strong. I'd say this is one of the strongest models I've ever built.
I use liquid plastic cement and CA glue to be sure, but when I want a strong bond I reach for the 2 part epoxy.

Dave

I just tipped my bottle of ambroid's the other day! I almost glued the sprue to the worktable, but good thing, it did NOT leave a sticky residue, and was easy to clean up (reasonably), but left my desk looking a bit more "worn" which I suppose is good.

Also did NOT make a mess of the kit I spilled on, like i have done previously with other glues!

A quick note about CA,
I worked for many years making replacement uPVC doors for a plastic window company and we used trade CA from the German Wurth Co. that came in two thicknesses and was two-part, it would harden naturally after a while but was designed to be 'activated' by a seperate spray, the idea being you had some working time with the glue but once sprayed it set instantly. It also came in huge 50g pots, so was much better value than the shop bought 1g tubes.
(They are listed in the catalogue:
http://www.winzerwurth.co.uk/winzer.nsf/index?openFrameset
- Enter the catalogue and look under 'Adhesives, Fillers, Varnish...', the super glue is top of the page - you'll need a pdf reader to view the products.)

I'm not sure if they sell directly to retail but I know the company that I worked for would sell the glue to customers, so if you want good value CA that is designed to be user friendly maybe your local uPVC window company can help you out.

Cheers,
Neil.

QUOTE: Originally posted by tominator yeah im sure its the same stuff.... i jst brushed it over the join and left it for 5-10mins,came back and sanded the joint and its totally dissapeared.. this stuff is da bomb!! who cares if it gives u cancer!! hehehe

welcome to the world of modern model adhesives! haha... it' great isn't it? I like it because I can work around a seam a section at a time without worrying about misaligning the other sides... I can keep it nice and lined up that way...

I use several different glues for different applications. depends on what i'm doing.

If the part i'm glueing on can be glued on with the drop of glue hidden i tend to use Model Master Liquid Cement. works well and doen't dry too fast but still fast enough to keep going.

clear parts Testors Clear Parts Cement and Window Maker are the only way to go. though some people swear by elmer's glue i like the testors cause it dries clear.

Plastruct Bondene.. pretty much the workhorse of my glues.. love this stuff bonds fast dries faster. just am glad I don't live iout west as the label says "contains a chemical know to the state of California to cause cancer"

HobbyTown USA Ca glues.. comes in 1-5 second set time 5-10 second set time and 10-15 second gap filling version. I use this when scratchbuilding with brass, metal, resin, wire or just gluing on something that i think it would work best with.

also have some of the Amboid pro-weld stuff but I don't like it near as much as the plastruct.

yeah im sure its the same stuff.... i jst brushed it over the join and left it for 5-10mins,came back and sanded the joint and its totally dissapeared.. this stuff is da bomb!! who cares if it gives u cancer!! hehehe

yeah this stuff i gots contains that cariongenic stuff, so its prob the same....
im eyeing my unstarted kits for some stuff i can glue 2 gether just to try it out....

QUOTE: Originally posted by MikeV Ah, you have to go sometime Gip. I drink Tenax and I am just fine. Mike

Well the Ambroids must be a gateway then... I am feeling the urge to try the Tenax for kicks lol!

Ah, you have to go sometime Gip.
I drink Tenax and I am just fine.

Mike

A word of caution.

Ambroid and (I think) Tenax contain methylene chloride (dichloromethane). This material is now classified by both the National Toxicology Program and the International Agency for Research on Cancer as a known animal carcinogen. Because of its physical properties, MC evaporates at a rate considerably greater than that of other similar liquid cements. That may be good as far as cure time, but it's bad in terms of inhalation hazard potential. The faster it evaporates, the higher the airborne concentrations and the faster it gets into your lungs.

Just my opinion, but I find that Testor's liquid cement (contains MEK), and Tamiya's extra thin liquid cement (contains acetone and butyl acetate) perform equally well as those that contain MC, but without the associated hazards. Tamiya regular cement adds cyclohexene and a styrene resin as additional ingredients.

Individuals with poorly or inadequately ventilated modeling areas should consider using those cements that are less hazardous.

For those who have respirators, MC is a fairly non-polar solvent that does NOT adsorb well onto the activated charcoal of an organic vapor cartridge, and may cause "break through", and prematurely end the effective service life of the cartridge. (Typically in industrial applications, the only acceptable respiratory protection for MC-based materials is an air-supplied respirator.)

OK, I'll get off my soapbox now......

Hope this helps someone.
Gip Winecoff

QUOTE: Originally posted by hou_ge2000 I find modeling cement too slow drying. This is irritating when you need to hold the parts together precisely. I simply use super glue for all my modeling needs. Are there any benefit I'm losing out by not using modeling cement?

I don't know about benefits... but the Ambroids and Tenax we have been talking about bond in about 10 seconds... no overspill or runs etc... whatever excess there is evaporates leaving only a glossy spot on the plastic..

sounds like the same stuff.. and yeah my ambroids bottle wasn't full to top either... sounds like you got something similar to what we're talking about... let us know how it works!!!

yeah its like water, and the bottle is 2/3 full! i dunno if its meant to be like that or if somes leaked or something... and i dont have anything to test it on atm...

I find modeling cement too slow drying. This is irritating when you need to hold the parts together precisely. I simply use super glue for all my modeling needs. Are there any benefit I'm losing out by not using modeling cement?

QUOTE: Originally posted by tominator he showed me 2 glues, both of which he said acted closely to tenax. i got one which is called plastruct plastic weld. on the back it says bonds in minutes and solvent evaporates quickly.... ill see how it works out...

I think I have seen that Plastruct stuff and *believe* it is close to if not the same as Ambroids and Tenax... is it a water like liquid? no real viscosity to it?

P.S. keep it away from where your fingers are touching the plastic... word from the wise haha

QUOTE: Originally posted by tominator hey when u guys say that tenax evaporates does it leave any residue on the surface? with a glossy sheen?

Yes it does leave a glossy spot. You can just buff it out with a Scotchbrite pad or fine sandpaper though.

Mike

hey when u guys say that tenax evaporates does it leave any residue on the surface? with a glossy sheen?

hehehe
i went 2 one lhs and asked and i all got was a strange look....
went to the 2nd one and the guy there showed me this other stuff and he was tellin me that all glues r pretty much the same, just different thicknesses.... so maybe tenax is thinned differently than other glues? he showed me 2 glues, both of which he said acted closely to tenax. i got one which is called plastruct plastic weld. on the back it says bonds in minutes and solvent evaporates quickly.... ill see how it works out...

From what I've heard a few people say there's some good hobby shops down under, you should at least be able to find it mail order somewhere in Australia... if not at your LHS... the one near me has it in a very unnoticable place.. I didn't spot it till I knocked a kit off the shelf when I was bending down I noticed it on like the 3rd shelf down.. ask, you might be surprised!

nah i dont think they could use the same chems coz i have tamiya cement, temiya ex thin and revell contacta and i feel that those 3 behave pretty much the same (ofcourse that tamiya ex thin is thinner!!!!), but they dont act nothing like what i heard that tenax does..... any excess with these 3 does not evaporate and they take longer than the short time that ive heard tenax takes to cure....

QUOTE: Originally posted by tominator hey i dont think im gonna b able to find tenax or ambroid here in sydney... can anyoine reccomend something similar? thanks!

FSM had an article on mixing your own liquid cements (tenex, ambroid, tamiya, testors ad nauseum use the same chemicals I think) a couple of months back.

i havent used tenex nor ambroids nor tamiya super thin cement, but i dont think they are the same or similar products, though they do indeed behave in a similar manner

QUOTE: so is tenax and ambroid pretty much the same?

Ambroid has several different kinds of glue. The ProWeld (I think that's what it's called) is very similar to Tenax. I have both kinds and really can't tell much difference between them. Tenax might dry slightly faster though.

QUOTE: hey i dont think im gonna b able to find tenax or ambroid here in sydney... can anyoine reccomend something similar? thanks!

I've heard several meople mention Tamiya Extra Thin Cement, and I wonder if it's about the same. I suspect that it is but haven't used it myself.

hey i dont think im gonna b able to find tenax or ambroid here in sydney...
can anyoine reccomend something similar?
thanks!

wow these glues sound unreal!!
im gonna go check out my lhs's 2moz
so any excess just dries up hey? awesome.....
ive just discovered the capilliary action powers of tamiya extra thin cement and cant wait to get my hands on some of this stuff....
so is tenax and ambroid pretty much the same?

I like the pro-weld glue for most of my modeling... but also use super glue in places.