Bonding materials

Super glue is traditionally used for bonding different types of materials ie plastic and resin, photoetch brass etc. Plastic cement is used for glueing plastic (funny that) and works by melting the plastic together. It is becoming more common to use CA (super glue) more often. To avoid getting it everywhere, you should dispense a small amount onto a piece of scrap plastic, glass etc, and then using a suitable aplicator ( a curved scalpel blade, a pin or whatever works best for you) appply the glue sparingly. You can also get thicker types that will not spread so far or so fast.

I use a sewing needle to apply CA , but not the pointy end. I used sidecutters to cut off most of the "eye" of the needle, leaving a small notch at the end. I put the pointy end in an old pinvise for the handle. Works like a charm.

Totally agree with nzgunnie on this one. I usually have 2 thicknesses of CA glue on my bench. Thin for running it into the seams and medium which first of all won't run everywhere and second has a great gap-filling ability that comes in handy. Also add toothpicks to the applicator list.

I'm not a big fan of super glue; I use it only when absolutely necessary. On styrene-to-styrene bonds, liquid or tube styrene cement works fine and bonds tres pronto.

When I do use CA glue, I find the gap-filling variety useful most often. Be careful with CA on clear parts, though: It can cloud them, as I learned many years ago when I tried to use it to reattached the crystal of my brother's watch. You could still make out the time--kind of--if you held it up to the light at just the right angle......