Glue's

Tools, Techniques, and Reference Materials Techniques
1

I’m getting back into plastic kit building and have some questions about glues. I was a serious builder in the 60’s. Since about 1970 I’ve built maybe 10 kits and none in the last 8 years or so. I’m a bit behind the times.

All the glue’s I’ve ever used are the kind that came in the long metal tubes, like “Testors”. I realize the type I bought back in the 60’s is no longer available (at least it isnt in places like walmart and Hobby Lobby). The last Testors I bought smelled like oranges and didnt seem to hold like it use to. I also bought some liquid testors in a square bottle with a black brush in it. Maybe it was a bad batch, old, or just me but it didnt hold worth a darn.

I’ve read through various posts on glues and saw mostly unfamiliar names. Are any of these like the old 60’s era tube glues?

Are there any “New” and “Improved” glues that are better than the old tube glues?

I’ve bought some figure kits (Stars Wars and Star Trek) that are made of a thicker/softer plastic (vinyl?). These kits only have a few pieces like the head, arms, feet, weapons that you glue onto the main body. They are also prepainted. What type of glue would I use for these?

2

Mitsdude,

The Testor’s tube glue should still be around. They have two kinds – a red tube and a blue tube. The red is probably similar to what you used to use. The blue is non-toxic and may be the stuff you got that smelled like oranges. Both of these are the solvent-based glues which actually melt then weld the plastic. It is posible you may have to ask for it. It may be locked up somewhere because of glue sniffing concerns.

There are several varieties of solvent-type glues available in addition to the old standards. Most hobby stores will stock different types and each can be useful for different applications. I favor Ambroid liquid cement for major construction, Testors quick-dry liquid cement for certain jobs, Tamiya extra thin liquid for smaller parts, and superglue (sometimes written CA or cyano) for really small parts.

For the vinyl kits, you should use superglue. The standard plastic cement is not recommended for this material. Use it sparingly, ad avoid getting it on the painted parts. You may have to scrape the paint away from the gluing surfaces.

Hope this helps

3

I’ll echo Aaron’s post and also offer up my glue inventory and use:

Tamiya Extra Thin, used for gluing together parts by capillary action. Especially good for fuselages, not so good for sticking small bits onto other small bits, though it does work. Doesn’t “grab” instantly.

Testor’s Liquid Cement, same general usage as Tamiya Extra Thin. I consider it to be a bit thicker than the Extra Thin, and it doesn’t “run” as easily, with slightly better grab.

Tamiya Cement, I call this Tamiya Thick, and I find it useful when gluing large areas together, like wingtips. Decent initial tack, though you can’t expect it to hold up against gravity until it cures.

Those are the three glues that are always near at hand, the following are specialty adhesives and while I use them regularily they’re not universal in ability like the first three are:

Flash CA Glue, which bonds chemically as opposed to solvent glues that melt the plastic. I stock it in Thin, Medium and Thick. The medium is used for filling thin gaps and the thick is great for filling large gaps, though care must be taken not to let the glue harden completely as it’s a bear to sand down. CA glue is “Super Glue” and needs to be used with caution as the danger of gluing your hand to your head is quite real. CA glues can be used with a accelerator for instant curing, for those times when you need to glue you hand to your head quickly. I use the thin with accelerator for attaching PE. Most cases I can dab a bit of CA to the model, spritz the accelerator onto the PE and just touch them together. The accelerator forces the chemical bond for instant gratification. CA has excellent pull strength, but poor sheer strength, so don’t use it where you expect stress to build as it will not hold forever.

Formula 560 Canopy Glue, which is suspiciously similar in texture, cure time and smell as Elmer’s White Glue so you may want to save your money. Has good initial tack, is repositionable and dries clear. Used (obviously) for clear parts. Both are aqueous based adhesive, which means that even the hardened adhesive is soluable. Using this kind of glue on a ship model and then heading to the bathtub is contra-indicated.

I have a couple of tubes of Testors and Ambroid Model Cement. I use these when gluing small bits onto other bits as it has excellent grab, though they must be used sparingly, and can be a bit of a pain to work with. They stay in the drawer usually, forgotten for the most part.

I hope this list is useful to you!

4

Something nobody’s mentioned about solvent cement type glues:

You have to hold or clamp the parts together until the plastic weld is formed. Generally, this is only a little longer than it takes the solvent to evaporate. Try the technique on some scrap to get a feel for it.

5

Well, I alluded to it! [:-^]

6

After many years (thirty plus) of building and using just about every glue out there, I am using only:

1: Tamiya extra thin liquid. Apply by capillary action after seams are laid together with a sligth crack between them.

2: Testors (black plastic bottle ) Plastic Model Cement in the squeeze tube and steel nozzle

3: I just got turned onto Tamiya Cement in the orange six sided bottle. I absolutely love it, high viscosity and seems to work especially well with Asian plastics.

4: Superglue from Hobby Lobby or the hobby shop. I do not use any “krazy glue” or Loctite products from the hardware store. I mainly use Medium viscosity as well as some thick. I keep it in the fridge when not in use.

HTH

David

7

I tried a bottle of that stuff and was so impressed with it I went out and bought two more.

8

I just used the last of my Ambroid last month and have been trying to find a fresh bottle. I don’t think the stuff exists anymore. Maybe I have just been out of touch and missed the big news - can someone tell me what has happened? Likewise with Tenax - it’s “out of stock” everywhere on the internet. Maybe I’ll try the Tamiya instead. If it’s any good I’ll stock up in case it disappears also.

9

Is this the testors cement that you guys are referring to?

http://www.ehobbies.com/tes3507c.html

If so, I may have to give that a try.

10

Cableguy9238,

That is the one I decided to use. I really like the way the glue slowly comes out. The shape and the cap are much much better than the old metal tube. Mine came with two wire rings. I cannot figure out what they are for!!!

I also bought the one in the white bottle with blue label for clear parts.

Picked up some Hobby Lobby super glue too.

11

The wire rings are for clearing blockages in the tip. You actually grip the loop and stick the point down the tube.

12

Cool, thanks! I see a trip to Hobby Lobby coming my way this afternoon…40% off coupons in hand!

13

I’ve dumped all my testors “tube glue” in favour of using the Tamiya thin stuff in the six sided bottle and something I didn’t see mentioned here Humbrol’s “precision poly” (pictured) it has a fantastic applicator - a long thin metal tube that can act as a syringe (by squeezing the bottle) to get into those tight places I like both of these because there is no mess to clean off your applicatiors and they are both thin enough to brush on! (and the humbrol stuff really “grabs” like the tamiya does not)

also - I use epoxy resins here and there, both the 5 minute variety and the 24 hour cure… epoxy won’t “cloud” clear parts like cyanoacrylate will and while it will bond plastic parts it is MUCH easier to remove errors leaks or spills than CA.

  • just my $0.02

14

Why?

I use Loctite super glue in both liquid and gel forms and it works. How different it is from the ones at the Hobby shop? If there’s a big difference, I’ll buy the other one. I’m curious.

15

Tower Hobbies has limited stock on some of the Ambroid cements as well as the Tenax 7R (kit packs). I got one of the the last bottle of Tenax, but the stuff doesn’t come with any kind of applicator (no brush, nozzles - nothin’).

As for what I keep on hand;

Testors liquid cement (black squeeze bottle) for gluing small bits on to larger bits

regular, ol’ fashioned Testors in the red squeeze tube for gluing parts that won’t be seen (makes kind of a mess, so it’s better on inside parts)

testors liquid cement in the glass bottle with brush applicator - though I really don’t like this stuff because the bond never really seems to take.

regular crazy glue for quick-tack applications and filling small holes

Zap CA thin for gluing seams in places I can’t reach

Tamiya liquid cement in the six-sided orange bottle for large areas - this is the best glue I have ever used. Used it to weld the fuselage halves together and it looks like one solid piece - no fear of it coming apart - ever

Watch crystal cement (from micromark) for gluing clear parts without fear of clouding - stronger than white glue and dries just as clear - (thanks to Ruddratt for the tipoff on this stuff).

Testors clear adhesive for tacking clear parts in place and for filling in gaps around clear parts

5-minute 2 part epoxy for gluing resin pieces in place when looks don’t matter. For instance, I glued the cockpit into the fuselage from underneath and slapped some 5-minute epoxy on the joints. Rock solid connection - the 'pit ain’t going anywhere. And since it’s relaltively thick, I don’t have to worry about it getting places I don’t want it to go.

For resin pieces, I like to tack them in place with CA and then back fill them with the testors in the black bottle. Resin doesn’t weld like the styrene, but it does respond well to the chemical bond of CA. The testors then fills in the gap and secures the bond.

-Fred

16

Again, why? No matter where you buy it Super Glue (CA) is still the same. I tend to buy my CA locally for several reasons:

A. The closest LHS is some 40 miles away one way

B. I can purchase it on Sundays if I run out

C. It’s about 1/2 to 3/4 the price of the same size bottle/tube purchased at the LHS

D. It works exactly the same way and just as well as CA purchased in a hobby shop

I suppose my attitude goes back to when the wife and I were trying to raise 2 boys and make ends meet on a finite budget - if I wanted to model, I would have to find the cheap ways to do it. For example, I haven’t bought any liquid cement from an LHS or on-line store for probably 20 years or more. I started out using Testors liquid cement, (didn’t really like it), discovered Pactra liquid cement (absolutely loved it - then they stopped making it) and moved on to IPS Weld-On #3 (again loved it). Was paying about $3.95 a bottle at the time (I think it was a 2 oz bottle) when a friend of my dad’s who worked for a contractor who worked with plastics suggest that I check out a local plastic supplier for a product called Pleximent - turns out it was a generic name for IPS Weld-On #3 and a quart cost me about 5 bucks. It’s only available in gallons and special order now, but I bought a gallon last summer and it set me back $23. (and I haven’t seen the IPS Weld-On in an LHS for years).

17

I’ve used many CA’s, and there was little difference in performance between the various manufacturers. Right now I am using the loctite brand, mainly because of the reasons already mentioned by qmiester.

…and Fred, I’m glad I didn’t steer you wrong with the watch crystal cement. Great stuff, ain’t it? [tup]

18

Has anyone tried using Gorilla Glue for areas where you need to fill seams?

19

Excuse my ignorance here, but is the “white glue” you all mention PVA?

Thanks.

20

I believe the ‘white glue’ is typical Elmer’s Glue