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squadron super glue - worth the hype?

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  • Member since
    April 2006
squadron super glue - worth the hype?
Posted by Irish3335 on Tuesday, June 9, 2015 3:55 PM

I see that squadron has expanded in to the glue field with a line of super glue - is it just common cyanoacrylate with a squadron label slapped on, or is it some special glue that will be awesome for my models and make show winners by just slapping it on?  Seems to be the new foray for modeling companies to be a one stop shop for every item, won't be long before they are making photo etch and squadron brand models 

  • Member since
    March 2010
  • From: MN
Posted by Nathan T on Tuesday, June 9, 2015 4:12 PM

Haven't used it, but Sprue Bros does the same thing. I tend to stick to Zap a Gap, as I know that brand and it's qualities are predictable.

 

 

  • Member since
    November 2003
  • From: State of Mississippi. State motto: Virtute et armis (By valor and arms)
Posted by mississippivol on Tuesday, June 9, 2015 6:18 PM

Squadron brand models....like Encore?

  • Member since
    March 2014
Posted by Lockon on Tuesday, June 9, 2015 6:39 PM

99% chance that it is just rebranded Bob Smith Industries or similar.

  • Member since
    July 2004
  • From: Sonora Desert
Posted by stikpusher on Tuesday, June 9, 2015 8:58 PM

The local hobby stores around here all carry their own "label" super glues in identical bottles, which makes me think that they all come from the same supplier with a custom ordered label. I suspect that Squadron is doing the same thing.

 

F is for FIRE, That burns down the whole town!

U is for URANIUM... BOMBS!

N is for NO SURVIVORS...

       - Plankton

LSM

 

  • Member since
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Posted by Irish3335 on Wednesday, June 10, 2015 2:53 PM

Ok so best bet sounds like you should stick to what you like - thanks for filling me in (excuse the bad pun)

  • Member since
    July 2004
  • From: Sonora Desert
Posted by stikpusher on Wednesday, June 10, 2015 3:14 PM

Irish3335

  Seems to be the new foray for modeling companies to be a one stop shop for every item, won't be long before they are making photo etch and squadron brand models 

They have been making PE and Resin stuff for years, True Details is their product line. They also bought up the Aeromaster & Eagle Strike decal lines. And as mentioned above, Encore is their own boutique model line.

 

F is for FIRE, That burns down the whole town!

U is for URANIUM... BOMBS!

N is for NO SURVIVORS...

       - Plankton

LSM

 

  • Member since
    July 2014
Posted by modelcrazy on Wednesday, June 10, 2015 3:22 PM

stikpusher
The local hobby stores around here all carry their own "label" super glues in identical bottles, which makes me think that they all come from the same supplier with a custom ordered label. I suspect that Squadron is doing the same thing.

That's Bob Smith stuff. I agree, Squadron is probably buying it from BSI. Love the stuff, wouldn't get anything else.

Steve

Building a kit from your stash is like cutting a head off a Hydra, two more take it's place.

 

 

http://www.spamodeler.com/forum/

  • Member since
    February 2007
Posted by mitsdude on Thursday, June 11, 2015 12:02 AM

I've noticed the same thing with epoxy glues. Same bottles different labels.

  • Member since
    March 2014
Posted by Lockon on Thursday, June 11, 2015 7:54 AM

modelcrazy
BSI. Love the stuff, wouldn't get anything else

I agree.  It's a little pricey but the super thin is my favorite working glue for small parts (I rarely use super glue as a gap filler). 

The main issue I have is that no matter how carefully I clean the tips, the cap seems to get stuck to the bottle... I even broke off the entire tip trying to get the cap free yesterday!  Anyone have any tips (it's bad pun day - sorry!) on how to keep the cap from getting glued to the bottle?

  • Member since
    July 2014
Posted by modelcrazy on Thursday, June 11, 2015 8:08 AM

Lockon,

I don't use any other glues except BSI thin and medium. I know guys, we've been through this before, on how could anybody use superglue exclusively.

I bought a TON of spare caps for pennies when my LHS was going out of business several years ago, and replace them regularly. I've never had a problem with the cap getting stuck. I don't replace my bottle's, just the caps. I buy the stuff in 8 oz refills and just pore it in. It's somewhat pricey for an 8 oz refill but when you figure it out, you saving somewhere around 25% to 30% in the end.

Steve

Steve

Building a kit from your stash is like cutting a head off a Hydra, two more take it's place.

 

 

http://www.spamodeler.com/forum/

  • Member since
    February 2011
  • From: St louis
Posted by Raualduke on Thursday, June 11, 2015 2:19 PM

I was not familiar with bob smith,till I happened on this thread.great site. The Q and A section explains almost everything you want to know about ca

  • Member since
    August 2008
Posted by tankerbuilder on Friday, June 12, 2015 11:55 AM

IHi;

    I use BSI ( Bob Smith Industries ) C.A. glues exclusively .I have been using their stuff for many years All three thicknesses of glue , Accelerator and De-bonder . I have no plans to change .

   I buy the product in the large Eight oz. bottle and just re-fill the ready service bottle when I change tips .About once every four months .

     Don't forget fellows and ladies . Loctite makes a super glue ( or markets it , and now,  so does Gorilla Glue) .The are probably all made by Dupont !

  • Member since
    May 2013
  • From: Indiana, USA
Posted by Greg on Friday, June 12, 2015 4:10 PM

Like a lot of you, I also use BSI CA.

I personally would not assume that the CA sold by Squadron is Bob Smith's. Reason being, their bottles are very recognizable and far as I know they supply custom labels for various resellers. I've never known them to provide a custom bottle and the bottles shown on Squadron's site don't look the same.

Sorry fellas, too much time on my hands on a Friday afternoon. Geeked

  • Member since
    July 2014
Posted by modelcrazy on Friday, June 12, 2015 4:25 PM

Your probably right Greg, I haven't seen the Squadron bottles, but BSI bottles are distinctively the same. I love their replaceable caps.

Steve

Building a kit from your stash is like cutting a head off a Hydra, two more take it's place.

 

 

http://www.spamodeler.com/forum/

  • Member since
    May 2013
  • From: Indiana, USA
Posted by Greg on Friday, June 12, 2015 7:01 PM

So do I, MC. I've tried a couple other brands, maybe just dumb luck but the BSI seems to last longer.

Another BSI product I like is IC-GEL. Very thick, a few minutes moving around time.

  • Member since
    May 2003
  • From: Greenville, NC
Posted by jtilley on Sunday, June 14, 2015 3:08 PM

My biggest problem with CA adhesives has always been that they invariably go bad before I can use them up.

A year or two ago, the big adhesive company Titebond introduced a line of superglues that claim to have a 2-year shelf life. I bought a bottle at Lowe's about six months ago. I obviously can't confirm or deny the 2-year claim yet, but so far so good. Titebond is a good brand. I've been using their wood glues for at least forty years, and have never had a joint fail.

Here's a link:  www.titebond.com/.../InstantBond_ThinkFast.aspx

Youth, talent, hard work, and enthusiasm are no match for old age and treachery.

  • Member since
    February 2012
Posted by Liegghio on Monday, June 15, 2015 9:27 PM

A vendor at the model swap meets in Buena Park CA sells cyanoacrylates from a supplier called Dental Ventures of America that is available as a heavy or thin. It comes in a large syringe with a thin Teflon tube dispenser and you operate the plunger by rotating a wheel on the base to slowly dispense the glue. The main reason I like to use it is because air never gets into the container so it doesn't go bad even though it actually has no cap. A tube holds 12 grams so it lasts a long time, and I have been able to keep it  for up to two years without it going bad.

One thing you have to watch out for if you use it as a filler; it is formulated for strength in dental appliances that get subjected to a lot of stress, so you need to sand it soon before it completely sets and turns hard as glass.

  • Member since
    April 2008
  • From: Fox Lake, Il., USA
Posted by spiralcity on Sunday, February 7, 2016 11:58 AM

stikpusher

The local hobby stores around here all carry their own "label" super glues in identical bottles, which makes me think that they all come from the same supplier with a custom ordered label. I suspect that Squadron is doing the same thing.

 

Yes, my local HS did also, I just dont know who was supplying them. My HS is now defunct, so I turned to Loctite. I have been using Loctite products in my line of work for over 20 years. The product has a good shelf life.

 

 

  • Member since
    July 2013
  • From: Chicago area
Posted by modelmaker66 on Thursday, February 18, 2016 5:36 PM

I think ca is all the same regardless of mfg. the only difference is viscosity and price.

  • Member since
    November 2014
Posted by Miles Prower on Saturday, February 27, 2016 8:49 PM

I landed here while doing a web search for Squadron Super Glue, because I was wondering if it's rebranded Mercury Adhesives CA glue. (In the Squadron product videos and photos, I thought the Squadron bottles looked similar to the M.A. bottles.)

I've been using Mercury Adhesives brand CA glues on my RC aircraft for years now, specifically because their bottle design is far better than any other manufacturers' in terms of keeping the glue fresh. Also, M.A actually manufacturers their glue instead of rebottling or rebranding someone else's. But M.A. glues are typically twice the price of the other brands'.

 

I actively stayed away from Bob Smith Industries glue (and all of the rebrands) because I hated the BSI bottle.

But after reading this thread, I went looking at the BSI website to see if their bottle had changed, and sure enough, BSI has a "Pocket" line that utilizes what looks like a clone of the M.A. bottle -- complete with the metal pin inside the cap -- except that the BSI bottle is in 0.75 and 4 oz sizes, instead of 0.5, 1, and 2 oz sizes like the M.A. bottles.

And sure enough, the Squadron bottle is 0.75 oz, which leads me to believe that Squadron Super Glue is a rebrand of BSI Pocket.

  • Member since
    September 2009
Posted by Cobra 427 on Monday, February 29, 2016 2:28 AM

tankerbuilder

IHi;

  

     Don't forget fellows and ladies . Loctite makes a super glue ( or markets it , and now,  so does Gorilla Glue) .The are probably all made by Dupont !

 

No Sir! Loctite is the original maker of superglue! NO doubt about it. No company including Sqadron is going to actually make their own glue no matter how big they are. The same applies for any products that they sell like the model kits - they may be more of an exclusive distributor of them under that name, but definately not a manufacturer of it. Bob Smith MAKES superglue type adhesive and they put everyone elses name on it. They may use a different style of bottle but that doens't mean a whole lot. I wouldn't be surprised as BSI makes adhesives for MANY companies since this is what's originally known as subletting work that you don't want to do, or can't afford to do yourself.

A lot of guitar manufacturers use other manufacturers parts - like Schaller which actually is only the subcontractor (world wide distributor) for BML in Germany which actually makes steel hardware for guitars. Kluson (when there was one) is another that was huge back in the day before closing their doors and later being revived by another company that now makes them in Japan. See some companies only make what they know how to, and subcontract what they don't as this keeps them from having to build a facility and employ workers, and pay for it all including specialised machinery, or tooling for it. This is done especially if another company already offers these services. You wouldn't want to build your own machine shop to make a small part, or product that you aren't planning on using for any long duration - would you? This way if something either goes wrong, or the company goes belly up they have less to deal with, or worry about. This is why it's done with so many different companies. I buy my plastic from others as I don't make it, but I use for my products. The same with wood, steel, chrome plating, etc.

It's cheaper to use their raw products, and make them into a finished product than to buy the steel maker, and every other manufacturer than is to own everything from scratch sources so this way you can just go to another vendor when resources start drying up for the one - there's always another. Guitar makers often use electronic components that they don't make so that they can concentrate on the ones that are proprietary to their company without having to buy all kinds of tooling for tiny parts which is more space, more money, more time, and more to worry about when crunching numbers on the books! Some companies make switches, some make potentiometers, some make input jacks, etc. as this makes if easier to concetrate on making a few things very well. All these companies come together to make one final product. The same is also true with modeling companies, their vendors, and suppliers.

 

 

~ Cobra Chris

Maybe a picture of a squirrel playing a harmonica will make you feel better?

 

 

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