So I’m trying to put together 1/48 HGW seatbelts. I did it once before, but CA can be so problematic.
Then I read white glue, Future, Tamiya Clear, Micro Clear, etc. are viable options. Started working with the Tamiya Clear and seemed to work great. Next day, the PE fell off. Even joining the fabric parts came undone. Tried Testors for clear parts but it seems to bond less well than the clear. I’ve put a new applicator with just a pin prick hole on my CA extra thick and hopefully it will go where I want it to; extra thin is just too fast and runny so no control. Wish I could adapt a thin medical needle to fit the CA bottle.
Can anyone help with these seatbelts and gluing them? Any other techniques you might suggest for putting these things together would also be appreciated. They’re a royal pain to put together but look fantastic when they’re done.
I feel your pain on the CA. I’ve tried many different kinds of spouts on the CA bottles and all of them get clogged up in about 5 minutes. What works for me in glueing tiny PE etc. is putting a puddle of medium or thick CA on a piece of glass and gently dip the part to be glued into the puddle, being careful not to get too much glue on the part or the holder. I use glass because it’s easy to clean but cardboard or any throw-away material will work as well.
I’ve pinged too many parts to the carpet monster using tweezers to hold the tiny parts so i had a can of drum stick wax purchased form a music store. It’s like a pastey wax that will temporarily stick the part to a tooth pick while dipping and placeing the PE .
I use the thick (gel) CA for that application and it seems to work well for me. I have to bend it so that there is no strain on bond, and hold it in place for 10 to 15 seconds or so (the gel is slower to bond, which means you have to hold it in place longer, but it also gives you more time to position it properly).
I like using Gator Glue for PE. It gives you plenty of time to get the part in place. It is water soluble, so you can clean access glue from around the part with water and a q-tip. And it dries clear.
I manged to find a CA extra fine tip extender so we’ll see how that goes. I’ve ben using a piece of blue tac rolled to a point on the end of a toothpick which helps when joining parts, as well as taping down the fabric pieces to a small piece of glass I’ve been using just for seatbelt assembly. If I accidentally (typically) glue the parts to the glass in the process, I just slide an Exacto blade underneath to lift it off. What I really need are three hands: one to hold the PE part, one to hold the fabric part and a third to squeeze the CA bottle onto either.
After my results with water-soluable glues, I’m not keen on trying another. But thanks for the suggestion.
If HGW can make teeny, tiny stiches on this stuff, why can’t it just put adhesive on the part areas that need it?
You should have ended that with “Duh.” [:P] So simple I never thought of it. Actually, not true. I did try that with CA and a pin but never got quite enough onto the pin and then to the PE. The pin was probably too small. Would one of the those loop glue thingies work with CA?
This has been covered before. The applicator is essentially a crayon. A real nice homemade applicator can be made by cutting the eye of a sewing needle at an angle, then you can heat the point and insert into a piece of sprue for a handle. I have trouble posting pics from my tablet or I would show some of the ones I have made. Bob Gregory Ruining one kit at a time
This is one of my super glue applicators. The item to the right is another one I made. The sprue handle rests against the back of your hand for when you are in tight places and steadies the needle.
Its my bad…I can’t get my photo to load in the text
