What do you all use to temporarily hold plastic parts together to test fit, etc. before permanently gluing them? I am working on a Wright Flyer model, and I want to test how all the various pieces will fit together as a whole, before I glue everything up. Let me know your suggestions. Thanks.
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I picked these up from Green Stuff World which do a great job for smaller kits
From what I know of the Wright Flyer, you’re potentially dealing with some delicate parts - Are you trying to effectively build the model without permanently committing to the build?
Couple of options:
- Blutac - Pretty accessible but it tends to leave residues behind which aren’t great for paint so you’ll have to give the area under contact a good clean when you remove it.
- Tamiya Masking Tape - Should hold things together without leaving anything behind, but might struggle with fine strut-wing connections
- AK Camouflage Elastic Putty - Haven’t tried this, but it might give you sufficient temporary adhesion where your struts connect to the wings so you can at least see where you’re headed:
https://ak-interactive.com/product/camouflage-elastic-putty/
Best of luck with your build!
When you say temporarily holding parts together, do you mean a removable glue, or as others have replied, tape and clamps? I’ve used PVA glue, like Elmer’s School Glue for temporarily gluing parts together. It dissolves in water, so as long as any filling is done with non-water-soluble materials, it can be disassembled. Also, it can be thinned as needed for fine work. Be aware, not all PVA glues are water soluble. I use Titebond PVA in my woodworking, which comes in water resistant versions.
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Yes, some type of temporary glue would be the ticket. The parts are all quite loose, and I just want something to hold them together long enough to make sure they fit together the way I want them to.
Yeah, there are also other PVA-based craft glues that might work. I use another one called Tacky Glue for paper crafts, which bonds very quickly. It is supposedly removable with warm water. But since the common scenario is cleaning up spills, you should probably test it. Scrubbing unwanted glue from fabric, for example, is not the same as trying to de-bond a plastic joint!
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With strong parts, or parts with hidden joint areas, I sometimes use CA glue (superglue) for this job – a tiny amount goes a long way, and it’s brittle enough to just break loose when you want it to. This assumes that your parts are large and strong enough for the amount of glue you use, and it takes practice.
Most of the time though I just hand-fit parts or use masking tape to hold, say, wings or fuselage halves together while fitting internal parts.
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Tamiya tape for just about everything. For more holding power, I picked up these clamps from Hobby Lobby. The protective covering on the jaws, and handles are an added bonus.
I just use tape but I’m working on auto builds.
I have some spring loaded plastic clamps, a panavise, a very wide 10 inch max width Jaw type swiveling panavise and I have also made wooden jigs and used masking tape & rubber bands…basically what ever works best for the situation.
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Tamiya tape or clothes pins.
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Aleene’s Tacky Glue - Hobby Lobby or craft section in dollar stores.
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Microscale makes a temp glue product for this very purpose called Micro Liquitape. I have a bottle of it, but haven’t tried it yet.
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Perfect! That sounds exactly like what I am looking for. My local HobbyTown says they have some in stock, so I’ll pick some up & give it a try. Thanks.
Let us know how it works, as I’ll probably be using it on some airplane builds in the near future
I always just hold things together with my hands. Sometimes i use tamiya tape to help support things, but good old hand pressure and sit and wait so you can ensure things are drying the way you want them too
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Rubber bands. A large assorted size bag costs a couple of bucks and will give you many years of them
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My preference is Tamiya’s tape and rubber bands.
I’d us Tamiya tape for temporarily buttoning up the fuselage while I am gluing side walls, cockpit alignment for example.
The rubber bands would be used for alignment, adjustment(s) of fuselage/wings ect before gluing.
If I need to make any tweaks, I can do it here.
Happy Modeling,
Mike
Depending on size, fragility, and shape complexity. I’ll use my fingers, paper masking tape, rubber bands, and/or clothes pin clamps.
Sometimes just for photos I’ll use poster tack putty.
OK, here is what I came up with. I like it and it did serve the purpose I had hoped for. The parts were really quite loose and would not stay in place long enough for me check the fit and satisfy my curiosity as to what the final product would look like. It was interesting, in that you put the adhesive on and let it dry, THEN assemble the parts together. It does work well though.
I am a little apprehensive about removing the adhesive when it is ready to be glued up permanently, as I used it on already painted parts. The instructions on the bottle state that the dried adhesive should be cleaned up with paint thinner-which I would think would remove the paint also.
Thanks for all the suggestions. They were all helpful in one way or another.
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Good info - thank’s for the review. I had read on the label about water cleanup - but as you pointed out, after it dries, they say use paint thinner 
Guess I gotta learn to read the fine print.