I thought I’d give liquid glues another try after I got fed up with bonding my fingers and hands together. I purchased Tenax 7R, which I hear many people like, and some MicroScale Industries Micro-Weld. Amazingly it smells like citrus and isn’t toxic…Anyways, I switched to CA glue after I gave up on liquid cements. I hear you can apply it with a brush, but last time I did that it obviously immediately hardened the brush bristles. How exactly do you work with this stuff?
For Tenax. etc. I use a metal drafting pen, similar to this 
. Dip the point in the bottle, the amount of liquid is determined by how wide you open the tip and apply it to the seam. It’s just that simple.
Now, for CA (Crazy-type) glue, I only use Zap-A-Gap, preferably the green bottle. The applicator neck allows precise placement and keeps the glue away from your fingers. If I need it to set yesterday, I apply Zip Kicker with a Micro-Brush ™. For more precise spot application, I put a dab of glue on a palette and either touch the part to the glue or apply a drop with a piece of wire, toothpick or stretched sprue. A bottle of Zap lasts me months and a bottle os kicker will last well over a year.
Thanks, I’ll have to go look for a drafting pen.
So Zap-A-Gap isn’t just for gap filling, you can use it as regular CA?
Absolutely. It’s my primary adhessive.
Seconded,
Zap a gap, great stuff. The only two glues I use, that and Tamiya extra thin cement.
No need for such a specialized tool as a drafting pen…all you need is a sewing needle. Take and cut the top of the “eye” and whala instant glue applicator.
Dip the “eye” end into your glue and a tiny bead will get trapped in the little space. Touch the needle where you need it, and the glue is released. If you have a pin vise you can place the needle in there. If you need less glue, get a smaller needle!
Thats a sweet trick IYAAYAS. Im definately gonna be going through my Mom’s sewing box tonight. Thanks for sharing that money saving tip with us.
That’s a great idea for small parts, but my biggest needle couldn’t hold enough glue. I’m now using brushes to apply it, but it just does’t hold like super glue and doesn’t give that immediate bond. If you don’t touch the two parts immediately after you brush on the glue, the glue dries and its no good. I bought Micro-Weld and Tenax 7R to compare, and I like Tenax better. What other good liquid cements are there?
I actually use a selection of glues:
- Tamiya Extra Thin.
- Testors Liquid (similar to the Extra Thin, it doesn’t dry as fast, the brush in the bottle is almost useless).
- Tamiya Regular.
- Testors Blue Tube (rarely used, but it has it’s purposes. It’s good for things that need good initial tack).
- Flash CA in Thin, Medium & Thick (and Insta-Set CA Accelerator) for dissimilar materials and filling small gaps.
- Formula “560” Canopy glue (very similar to Elmer’s, but seems to dry clearer).
- Elmer’s White Glue (used for flocking).
The only real way to avoid getting glue on your fingers is to slow down and be careful. Each glue has it’s own characteristics and techniques. Understanding how the glues work will let you know which to use for what application.
Glues like Tenax and Tamiya Extra Thin aren’t really “glues” but solvents. They melt the styrene together, and are best applied using capillary action. There is a technique to using the capillary action. When I glue together a fuselage, I dry fit the pieces, then insert a razor blade between them, forcing a gap. I then tough the brush with the Extra Thin to the gap and let capillary action run down the seam. Remove the blade and press together. Move and repeat. This should raise a small bead of melted styrene that is easily removed. The Testors Liquid Cement can be used like this, but not nearly as well. DO NOT touch the pieces when wet with this type of glue, unless you like fingerprints!
The thicker glues like Tamiya Regular are brushed in place and the piece is then applied. It’s still a solvent, but slower working, giving you a larger time frame to position the piece. Not really long, but longer than Tenax or Extra Thin. It’s similar in use to the Testors Blue (or Orange) Tube, but is easier to work with, as it doesn’t “string”.
Testors Tube Glues are the old fashioned dap and plonk, and are messy and best left alone. These are true glues in the sense that they hold pieces together without changing their basic structure. They are still “hot” and can melt plastic, but that isn’t how they work, but a symptom of too much glue. As I said above there are times when they come in handy, so I keep a tube around, but I don’t use it very often.
The CA Glues I use for small gap filling, and gluing PE and Resin. Sometimes I use the Insta-Set for that instant grab. Has good pull strength, but weak shear strength. REALLY good for gluing together fingers and bonding small pieces to your forehead. Always a good idea to have Acetone handy. Hardens rapidly when exposed to moisture, which is why it bonds so quickly to your fingers.
The canopy glue I use obviously for clear pieces. It’s a water soluble glue, doesn’t fog and dries clear. Elmer’s can also be used, but I find it doesn’t always dry totally clear. I also use Elmer’s as the base glue for flocking.
There are other specialized glues: Epoxies, Watch Crystal Cements and the like, which I haven’t had a burning need for. I will eventually get some, as I seem to collect stuff like that!
I’ve used liquid cement for years and my applicator of choice is a pointed paintbrush - yes, it does harden when you’ve finished using it and it dries. But the next time you dip in in the cement , it becomes flexible again. BTW, I only use naturel hair brushes, not synthetics.