I have always used Testors or equivalent styrene/plastic cement for gluing together model buildings etc. I find it come out too thick and sticky, getting over places I did not want it and leaving more of a mess than I care for, no matter how I try to apply it. Any alternatives that work better or suggestions for gluing plastic/styrene parts in a kit?
Aralai
Do yourself a favor and throw that junk in the garbage can. I use Tenax7R and Plastruct. There are two different types of Plastruct one with a white label that is strictly for styrene and an orange label that is more of a general purpose glue. Also you will want to get yourself several different sized micro brushes. You can’t apply glue with those giant brushes that are on the bottle caps on little small pieces.
Some times you will have pieces that will take a lot of prep work such as clamping pieces together so you don’t have the luxury of long working time to use conventional glues That whee once all clamped into place i will brush Tenax on the seams usually on the inside where it can’t ever be seen and it will wick up right between the two pieces. and it works very very well. When i have the luxury of applying glue to both pieces and then attaching them I will use Plastruct.In my o/p there is no one glue that can do it all.
Thanks. That’s exactly the kind of advice I’m looking for. I have a few buildings to build and after building a high trestle kit and double track truss bridge with that glue - I am more than ready to throw it out.
how are you set on the rest of your modeling supplies? Those sanding sticks come in handy and you can never have enough clamps as far as I am concerned. I have been building a lot of DPM structures over the last couple of months and I have some machinist blocks that I know are perfectly square so I will in some cases clamp a wall to either side of the block and then use blue masking tape on the outside to secure the walls and then run my Tenax7R up the inside of the corner seam. I have one of those metal tray with the right angle side and the magnets form Micro-Mark also a very helpful tool. What maybe helpful depending on your modeling experience is picking up a couple of books on basic model building tips
Not much in the way of supplies I’m afraid. What kind of clamps? Any photos?
Don’t be in a hurry to throw out that glue. Certain details and pieces some times glue up better with tube type cement. When using it, put a dab on a scrap of plastic or paper, then use a tooth pick to dab a small amount on things to be glued. No excess,no strings, and it dries soon enough. mh.
Aralai,
First of all. I agree with Allegheny. Throw that toothpaste tube away if that is what you have been using. It is junk.
Here are the three cements that I rely on:
Testors Plastic Cement - It comes in a bottle with a paint brush applicator. Avoid their paint brush and use your own for greater reliability and ease of application. This liquid cement is best for big surfaces where appearance doesn’t matter because it seeps all over the place and is hard to contain but bonds fairly well.
Model Master Liquid Cement For Plastic Models - This is actually a Testors product. Comes in an odd shaped plastic bottle with a needle nose applicator. Ideal for pin point accuracy and for very small delicate jobs where you don’t want the cement to show. Awesome bonding capability. My personal favorite. Works just as well on long, narrow surfaces, easy to apply and control.
Ambroid Pro Weld - This liquid cement in a bottle is the cement of choice where you really want strong, yet quick, bonding. Gotta work first because it sets up quickly but this stuff is better than Krazy Glue, but it only holds plastic to plastic, not plastic to metal for which you need CA cement or Krazy Glue.
If you keep a bottle of each of these three on hand, you have all you ever need for 99% of all bonding jobs.
Rich
also some good advise w/ picts @ www.gatewaynmra.org/structure.htm ,nice info and…tips ,check out the other side bar buttons for more tips and tricks ,signs ect Jerry
oh ,and a note on the liquid MEK type glues, ambroid,tenx my choices…lids MUST be on tite or they well be gone bye morning !!!..Jerry
Check out Micro Mark’s website if there is a tool made for the model builder they probably sell it. Not saying to break the bank and purchase everything in the catalog as nice as that would be, you can get some ideas if not for nothing else. I use corner clamps purchased ion Lowes the small ones used for doing small trim work can be had for about $4.00 they also sell small bar clamps that are extremely useful for modeling. You may also want to do an internet search for model building tools or something like that.
Another glue that I personally have never used but have heard good things about is Tamiya model builders cement
Great advice all! Thanks!
I use regular old MEK that you can buy at Home Depot. For non-styrene tasks, either 5 min epoxy or CA.
Best,
Chris
Aralai, here are the assorted clamps I use. For reference, the squares in the photo are one square inch.
Nice! Thanks. I actually have more tools than I thought I did [:)]
Can’t ever have enough clamps! Radio Shack sells 10-packs of small alligator clamps.