Glue for kits.

[tetters]

Not sure if this is the right place, so I'll ask anyway.

I'm curious as to what you guys use to put together model rolling stock kits for your layouts. I have some liquid contact cement the thin stuff you apply with a small brush. I've used it to build model space craft and cars, however I'm not sure if this is really appropriate for the kits. Especially with all the little bits as that cement "melts" the plastic to create a bond.

Our resident Doctor has indicated laquer thinner as a cement for styrene and I was wondering if this would be a better substitute for the thin plastic in MRR kits?

Let me know please. I wanna start building these kits before I get to far behind.

Comments, suggestions?

 

[60103]

Shane: I'm not sure what cement you're currently using, but I tend to a liquid cement for plastics. This is the type that welds the plastic bits together. And as we say all the time "not very much of it". My method is to put the parts together and then apply the tiniest amout of cement at the joint and let it seep in. I've ruined a lot of kits by using the cement in tubes.
For long joints, I do about 3 spots at first then fill in.

 

[Fort Kent Dad]

This is the liquid weld I use, it does melt a bit and it brushes on, trick is to get the pieces to stay tight together then let capilliary action such the glue into the cracks. again tiny amount is better. I learnt that you have to sand paint off the joint area, it makes a mess otherwise.

Might be better to assemble first, paint later, but that is always a debate, paint n glue or glue n paint? Chicken and egg problem.

 

[doctorwayne]

Liquid cement is what you want for plastic kits: the tube stuff doesn't make as stong a bond, and it's a lot messier. I originally used a Testors liquid cement in a small bottle, with a brush in the lid. I'm still using the bottle and the brush, but I just re-fill it with lacquer thinner, as noted. I've used one of the cements from Plastruct, but I found the smell of the ingredients to be very disagreeable and irritating. Since I usually use lacquer-based paints for airbrushing, I buy it by the gallon, as it also makes as good a styrene cement as I've found. It's also a good surface prep for styrene if you're bonding it to a dissimilar material with contact cement.

Wayne

 

[ezdays]

From my experience in using plastics in our business, I found that the stuff in the tube is the same as that thin cement, except that it is in a thickening agent. It is not a glue, rather it is a solvent that melts, then welds the plastic together. Over the years I inhaled enough lacquer thinner and other solvents that I've become highly sensitive to the fumes from the thin stuff since it evaporates quickly. I can only use it if I've got an exhaust fan running near an open window, so our of necessity, I use the thicker stuff in the tube because the fumes are much lower since it doesn't evaporate as fast. There is a difference because the thick stuff leaves some traces behind and as others say, it's not as strong. One plus is that it will bridge gaps a bit and fill in where there's not a good mate between the two pieces.

 

[tetters]

Thanks guys. I appreciate all the input.

 

[hd8091]

I use my own "mix" of 2/3 Proweld and 1/3 Tenax.Drys fast but not to fast. I use a capillary type glue stick to suck it up. The nice thing is you can customize your own dry times by your mix.
Tom