Best glue for Photo etch? and handling supersmall PE parts.

Tools, Techniques, and Reference Materials Techniques
1

I was wondering what the best glue for PE is, I use cyano but a lot of the times it doesn’t seem to hold, anyone have a better glue? and I was also wondering the best way to handle supersmall parts that even fine tweezers have a problem picking up, much appreciated guys.

Edit, Nevermind lol, my question was answered below, I searched but didn’t find anything before.

2

Thin CA, Future, Epoxy and even some clear coats/sealers like SnJ Spray Metal ‘Clear’.

Tape! Try using a small piece of masking tape. Or a piece of Blu-Tac, anything that grasps the part without causing ill effects when removing the part from its grasp.

Tweezers…there are good tweezers and tweezers you couldn’t pluck a hair from your nose with…they just don’t grab hold! You want assembly or surgical grade tweezers. Ones that offer the least amount of surface contact, yet hold tight. The least surface contact keeps the adhesives from bonding the part to the tweezers.

Good tweezers such as these are not cheap…infact they are a bit pricey, but so are PE sets when you muck them up. These will also last you a couple of lifetimes.

3

Thanks for the help, where can I get tweezers like those?

4

These are from Excelta via Xuron Tools.

5

Thanks you have been a great help!!!

6

White [PVA] glue! Craft store items such as Aleene’s Tacky Glue or Crafters Pick Ultimate Glue. Both are similar to Gator Glue marketed to modelers.

7

I realise that this thread is quite old, but is there a different kind of glue for photoetched these days or these ones still good to go?

Danny

8

These are still the standbys. If the part will be easy to put in place I use the CA. If the part will take awhile to get properly in place, like ship railings, I use the white glue.

I have been testing, and using on a trial basis, the new UV hardening (laser hardening) resin. Some folks are using it now for PE. It will stay unset while you position the part, then only set when you activate the laser. My concern is the cost. The package of the ten buck set I bought does not give the amount of resin in the set, so I don’t know the cost per drop. But there is still some (unknown) amount left so far, so the cost per use appears to be dropping as I use more and more. In addition to tests, I glued on all the greenhouse portions of a 1:72 Nell bomber, which has a lot of greenhouses.

9

OK thanks Don!!

Danny

10

I now use Gator’s Grip Acrylic Hobby glue.It holds pieces,but since it is slow drying,it gives you time to adjust the part.Also the excess cleans up wit a brush and alchohol.It’s great stuff.

11

Do you get that stuff at hobby shop, or general hardware stores? I’d like to try it.

12

Here is his site

http://www.gatorsmask.com/gatorglueorder1.html

When I Googled it,a lot of other suppliers were listed.