Can some one please tell me if aircract builders and auto builders use the same or different types of glue. I’m not sure if it should be posted here but I’m working on my first aircraft. Curently I use testor, But I’m not sure if this is the best for this project. I know its ones preference. But I would like some thoughts
Bob
Hi Bob,
Generally speaking, if you’re building a commercial injection moulded styrene kit, no matter if its aircraft, armour, autos or ships, you will be using a cement formulated for styrene. Usually it will be in the form of tube cement or a thin or slightly thicker liquid cement.
For certain applications, like glueing dissimilar materials, you may need to use a CA (Cyanoacrylate - ie. super glue), PVA (“white” glue) or epoxy adhesive.
Have a read of this thread - this discusses the more common varieties of styrene cement.
What’s the proper way to use cement? Are you suppose to squeeze till melted plastic oozes out after application, or just apply light pressure between the parts?
I use Tenax 7 applied with a small brush. You hold the parts together and apply the glue. Continue holding the parts together for about 10 seconds. I use Krazy Glue on resin parts.
Bob,
Without question, liquid glues are the way to go. Tenax, Tamiya extra thin, or Humbrol are all very good. I use MEK - a liquid used by plumbers as a primer on PVC pipes before they use that nasty blue glue.
It also works perfectly on styrene…it’s perfect. The MEK is about 10 times cheaper, and seems much stronger than most model glues.
One thing I always do is to lightly sand all mating surfaces (where possible) in a large sheet of 400 taped to a piece of glass…this ensures that the mating surfaces are completely flat (maximising contact area, making for stronger joints when glued) and will also show you warped areas (that will stay shiny) that you might not have noticed.
I usually let a bit of the melted styrene squish out of the joint…light pressure does that…let the glue dry completely, and then you’ll have less filling and sanding to do later.
Also, please bear in mind that styrene “cements” are not actually adhesives in the strictest sense of the word. They are actually a chemical welding agent that causes the plastic to soften, blend together, and when the chemical evaporates, you have a weld joint. That is one reason paint and plating must be removed from the joints before joining. The paint and Chrome plating keeps thecement from properlywelding the plastic parts together.
As the others have said, I also like thin liquid cements, as they provide the neatest and smoothest bonds.
The others, like epoxys, and white glues are actually adhesive cements, and usually cause no physical softening of the plastic, and can be used to join small parts to large painted surfaces. This is of course, only as strong as the bond between your paint and the model’s surface. For clear parts, I use Testors clear parts cement as my personal favorite, as it tends not to “yellow” over time like clear epoxys do, but while not as strong as epoxys, I have had no problems with parts falling off though.
If you do use Cyanoacrylate, or “CA” also known as super glue, keep it far away from the clear parts, as the fumes of the curing CA will fog up the surface permanently.
Thanks for listening, I’ll shut up now[:)]
Everyone has an opinion on what glue is the best, and nobody is wrong.
It is a trial and error process. I use model master liquid… The stuff in the plastic container with the metal tip. It doesn’t stink too badly, it welds fairly strong, doesn’t make a mess, and bonds fast enough i dont feel myself aging while it dries, but its slow enough I can realize i made a mistake, and fix it.
Also, a $5.00 container is good for a couple dozen 1/48 scale models.
I keep my stuff in a plastic toolbox. If I used MEK a leak from that would likely dissolve my tool box (and possibly create a stain I would have to explain to the woman)… With the model master stuff it just makes for a shiny spot.
You will have to use super glue for resin or photo etched parts. Some people might use epoxy, but they are a minority. (not knocking the method, just saying its not common)
I will probably catch hell for this, but I even use the old, nasty orange tubed testors stuff for sticking very large areas together… like the wings to a 1/48 C-130.
Y’all probably know this already, but MEK is nasty stuff and you don’t want to breathe it. It can cause central nervous system damage among other bad things.
Many lacquers contain it, along with toluene, acetone, and other bad stuff.
I bought a 3M respirator mask at the local Lowe’s paint dept and it works great! Cost about 30 bucks. I absolutely cannot smell the chemicals at all when wearing it. Look for a respirator labeled “For organic vapors” and you’ll have the right one. This particular 3M model also comes with filters for N95 particulate protection, too (that’s dust from sanding, filing, etc.) You’ll look like a space alien but that’s better than the consequences of not wearing protection.
(No, sorry, it won’t block swine flu viruses!)
I picked up some model master and some tamiya liquid. I’ll give each a try. I’m not sure i want to use some thing that that I would need a mask like that. I was an asbestos worker/insulator for 20 yr. I had enough of masks. I’ll still use them for some sanding and painting. The Tamiya liquid cement, will that weld the joint together. I’ll still use the orange testor’s but its time to move up.
Robert,
There are two types of Tamiya liquid cement, “Regular” (white or orange cap) which is slightly thicker, and “Extra-thin” (Green cap) which is a straight “solvent” type.
Both will “weld” joints, but the “regular” is more suited for small parts, being slightly thicker, and the “Extra-thin” more suited for parts with longer uninterrupted seams.
When using the “Extra-thin” (or Testors “pink label”), the preferred method is to hold together the two parts to be joined and apply the cement to the seam - the cement will flow along the seam by capillary action.
The “regular” cement won’t flow along a seam quite as easily - it tends to stay where it’s applied.
I use Testor’s about 99% of the time, Model Master (black squeeze bottle) Liquid and “Pink Label” Liquid. Both are great stuff, and have been around since Christ was doin’ Snap-Tites… Just a word about application of the Pink Label… Lose the brush applicator in the lid… It’s useless and far too big for any serious model work… A good #1 or #0 brush with a sharp point works best… Fit the parts together, then apply the glue with the brush. Capillary action will draw the glue from the brush right into the joint. Hold it for about another 10-15 seconds and yer done… Don’t worry about cleaning the brush either… The stuff evaporates fast enough not to ruin a brush… Still keep a tube of Testor’s around here as well…
MEK and such are kinda overkill for ordinarary models, but does have its uses, especially in scratch-building and using PVC and ABS stock… I use it from time to time for structures… As for using masks, well… Unless you have to have your nose in the bottle all the time, don’t sweat the fumes… If that kind of stuff worries you, a fan blowing at your back or aross the bench provides as much protection from the fumes as a respirator does…
That’s all true. I have found the Tamiya extra thin stuff works fine for me.
Just wanted to clarify something about why I mentioned the mask- I’m not too worried about an open glue bottle, but rather I specifically bought the respirator for airbrushing with Alclad metallic laquer paints, which is chock full of MEK. I’ll wear it whenever I airbrush with anything, actually, since I don’t have a spray booth. Also I open a couple windows in the workshop so it doesn’t stay in the house and wipe out the wife and cats upstairs…