Type of glue on wood kits

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pin puller

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May 18, 2006
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Greetings,

I’m trying my hand with a simple craftsman type wood kit. This is a little cabin. This kit is probably beyond my ability, but if trying anyway! hamr I’m having some trouble joining the strip wood together. What type of glue have you found that works well with these type of kits? - I notice white glue prevents wood stain from penetrating. Maybe I need to stain everything first before gluing, even the super small bits. :eek: Thanks for any input.
 
You've hit the nail on the head... Do any staining you require before gluing the wood together. Painting can be done after if needed.

In terms of PVA-type glues, I have used both the white and "carpenters" yellow glue. The problem with the yellow glue is that the residue does not dry clear - this can be a bit of a problem if you are not completely neat with the joints.

You can also use CA (super glue), but be careful as it tends to bleed all over the place, again blocking stains from penetrating. It also leaves a shiny finish.

Get some really small clamps too - clothes pins work great for most joints.

Andrew

PS - Welcome to The Gauge!
 
MasonJar said:
Get some really small clamps too - clothes pins work great for most joints.
Click to expand...

I modify my clothes pins by carving the ends down for better control. I also use plain Elmer's white glue or Aleene's Original Tacky Glue, found at Wal-Mart. Have at it and don't forget to post pics:thumb:
 

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I've only built one wood kit, but I've got three types of glue for wood parts, like the others, tacky glue or white glue plus Testor's has a solvent glue made for wood. I also painted all the parts first before assembly on the kit.
 
I have a large collection of clamps(clamping is its own section of the hobby), but one I use often is a spring clothes pin with the sring reversed so the the two tapered flat ends do the clamping.
Assume that your first couple of wood kits will be learning experiences.
 
Thanks! You’ve opened my mind to some possibilities. I'm off to find some tackey glue and cloths pins. I’ll give your suggestions a try.:thumb:
 
I've had success with wood kits using CA (superglue), but using the extra-thick kind that you can get at hobby shops. The regular stuff is too thin and will both run and soak into the wood too quickly. The thick stuff is almost like a gel and if you use a small speck it will hold tight without oozing out of your joint. I prefer it to white glue b/c it dries so much faster, I don't have to wait forever to move from one joint to the next.
 
Structure Glues...

My work bench is rarely without a structure model of some kind in the works. I use carpenter's glue (yellow) for real strength, but am using the tacky glue more and more. This glue reduces the need for clamping in many cases. I, too, have a shoe box full of sprung wooden clothes pins for almost 100% of my clamping needs.

CA has its uses. I use the medium thickness "gap-filling" which works the best for me. Interesting note about CA glue. I have built many ship models in the past. Several with CA being the principle glue. I've found that when these models were in a case with flourescent lights...the flourescents actually weakened the glue joints. I've had a complicated fully rigged ship actually fall apart in a couple of years (sob!). Any of you physicists out there care to explain that?

To sum up for any new kids to structure building, get the tacky glue for a start.:thumb:

Allan
 
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