Went to Menards last night to buy some Acetone to try it as a solvent cement. Say a couple of cans of MEK. Can said nothing about MEK substitute, so I bought can. Of course, it was twice as much as a similar size can of acetone. But, a quart can (they wanted ten bucks) will glue a lot of models.
Don,
I didn’t know what MEK is so I looked it up and they don’t call it a glue, but a welding agent for styrene. It is mixed with other agents to make glue. Sees you have some very powerful stuff to weld your models together.
Is the straight stuff better then the brands we normally use?
Marcus
I don’t know if it is better- I have heard this is the active ingredient in a lot of the commercial cements. I didn’t buy it for something better, but something cheaper. While it did cost ten bucks, I would ordinarily pay that much for about three of the little bottles at the hobby shop, maybe ten ounces worth instead of 32.
I didn’t know Menards still had some MEK in stock.
I bought a gallon of “Klean-Strip” brand a few years ago on clearance; all Menards stores in northern Illinois have since only carried MEK substitute.
Unfortunately, I have not had the opportunity to try it out as I do not yet have sufficient quantities of plastic to make breaking the seal worthwhile.
You be careful with that stuff, Don!
(I know you will be, just sayin’)
That aint NO lie. When I was younger and I used to work on Hueys I got stuck in the "hellhole " cleaning all the surfaces with that crap before I knew what it would do. Ventilation is key with that stuff. We are all grown folks here so I’m sure, as Greg said, that you know what youre doin’ with it but he’s right. Methyl Ethyl Keytone will make mush out of brain cells.
…Hi…mek work’s like a liquid cement…but…is very very liquid and super fast evaporation…so by mek you can obtain a capillarity welded (i.e.the joint between fuselage and wing…)…It weld only the wetting surface…for strong cement repass 3/4 times…waiting the last pass is dry…It is very Dangerous for his volatily…open window…and put on a musk…
P.s…is the top to rescribe a model…
If one chooses to use a product and doesn’t take the time to investigate said product they deserve whatever consequences come as a result of being ignorant.
Its why the rest of us have to be subjected to insane warnings such as “caution!! this product may contain eggs!” on a carton of eggs.
Darwin rules!!!
LOL mitsdude!! MEK seems to be one of the things useful to us that often is referred to as an EXTREMELY toxic chemical when in fact there are other household items that are taken for granted and are actually moreso - ammonia for example. MEK is a Volatile Organic Compound and causes worry about greenhouse gases. In terms of human toxicity it takes lengthy exposure to high concentrations to cause serious harm. Mustang1989 was probably exposed to more MEK in one cleaning episode than we modelers get in a lifetime from using MEK as a plastic glue. Yes, don’t drink it, don’t bathe in it and put the cap back on the container when finished. I’ve posted quotes from and links to the MSDS for MEK in the past so won’t repeat here. And, did you know that Peanut Butter may actually contain peanut oil!!!