Tenax - 7R ... yea or neah?

I use either an old, fine brush (I replaced the large, clunky one in an old Plastruct Pro-weld bottle with a cut-off of a dead 000 spotter.) or a Touch-n-flow applicator. Press the seam together, touch with applicator or brush. Capillary action will draw the liquid along the seam. I generally do between two and three inches of the seam at a time. Continue to hold parts together for about half a minute.

Tenax is really just methylene chloride, aka dichloromethane. You can buy larger quantities at any plastics supply and manufacturing outfit. I buy it by the gallon that way (lasts a long time). One manufacturer is Caseway, product name is SC-125. They also make inhibited varieties that have a slower evaporation rate. 

I've been using Tenax for a long time & it works great for me.

Regards,  Rick

(laughing......kinda?) No. The Tenax is the glue. The point I see was missed is you need a slight gap when applying it. I'm talking about a 64th of an inch gap. Or better yet apply from the inside of the two parts.

Try this. Get two pieces (ie: wheel halves or airplane fuel tanks) and hold the two together lightly with an elastic band. put a razor blade in the seam opening a gap. Using a small brush or applicator, apply a small amount to the edge of the razor at the plastic. Pull out the razor and gently squeeze together. If a couple of small "plastic bubbles" come out - it's perfect. If nothing does, no problem. Wait a few moments and see if you can get it apart. If the glue got onto the edge of the plastic, it should be bonded. Ta-Da! Try it a few times untill you comfortable on some spare parts. Hope that helps a bit more.

 Drew

berserker wrote:

does a 'touch-N-flow' applicator work with cyanoacrylate glues too and where do you get that stuff triarius is talking about

 No. CA glues are true "glues." They will set up in any tube applicator (including their own )

Look in your local phone book for plastics suppliers and fabricators. 

NO. Don't use your touch-n-flow with CA glue. If it dries in there, you need a new one.

I get my glue from a plastics supplier. The ones that sell 4X8 ft sheets of acrylic or polycarbonate. It's normally marked in cans for acrylic bonding. I get mine for about $8 CAD and that fills 4 Tenax bottles. Lasts me a good two years. You can get them in bigger containers, but it evaporates really fast if the lids are not air tight. The longer it sits, the greater chance of it evaporating. It also has a slightly stronger odor to it. HTH

Daywalker wrote:

I used the Tenax for years.  But, recently started using the Tamiya extra thin cement and have had better luck.  Still like the Tenax, just like the Tamiya stuff better.

I find it helps when using a product like this, essentially a liquid plastic welding solvent, it helps to first tack the two surfaces together (like two slightly warped fuselage or wing halves) with a CNA glue gel (I prefer the brushible Loctite gel I get from Wal-Mart), mainly applying it at the locating pins and corners. Then I come back with the plastic welder brush (I use the Ambroid product), running it along the inside seams, wicking it along gaps, etc., and using some tape or rubber bands to clamp the parts until it dries.

Tom

I used Tenax for a long time and have no problems with it, however Tamiya does evaporate slower and you have a little more time before it sets.

Thad 

Daywalker wrote:

I used the Tenax for years.  But, recently started using the Tamiya extra thin cement and have had better luck.  Still like the Tenax, just like the Tamiya stuff better.

I just ordered 3 bottles of it based on this post, so it better work!

DrewH wrote:

Mike, we forget to say it doesn't work on bi-planes It's too modern for that.

LOL!!

Seriously Drew? Un-freakin'-believable.

Glad I stocked up when I did.

DrewH wrote:

Yup, here too. Also Alclad II has been banned from hobby shops. 3 city shops were pinched by the has-mat police. I like keeping a bottle of Pro Weld handy incase of a lid being left off, but no more.

That (the ban) is just plain stupid, in the strictest meaning of the term. 

DrewH wrote:

Yup, Abbotsford, Richmond and Burnaby shops got pinched. Fortunatly our favorite shop found out and 'hides' his for the known customers

He's da man!!!

Triarius wrote:

That (the ban) is just plain stupid, in the strictest meaning of the term.

I agree totaly Ross. They focused on Alclad, but didn't bother with the bottles of Testors Laquer thinner, or metalizers. What's the diffrence? Nothing- to this cowboy!

DrewH wrote:

Yup, here too. Also Alclad II has been banned from hobby shops. 3 city shops were pinched by the has-mat police. I like keeping a bottle of Pro Weld handy incase of a lid being left off, but no more.

Why were those products banned?  Are they banned every where?

The Ban appears to be a Canadian thing.  I just picked up some here in Atlanta today and the LHS knew nothing about it.  Try ordering it from the States or getting someone here to send you some.

Living Legend wrote:

Why were those products banned?  Are they banned every where?

No, seems to be more of a local thing the more I hear about it. Just some "new to the job" compo employee wanting to make a name for themselves in all likelyhood. I get that it's dangerous, but why they focused on Alclad is anyones guess.