Ethyl acetate, thicker then Tenax 7R?

Model Railroader General Discussion (Model Railroader)
1

I have tried to find MEK here in Sweden and it’s impossible because it’s not allowed here. But I got some information on a Swedish forum that Ethyl acetate can be used instead. And it’s very easy to find.

My question to the forum is: How thick is Ethyl acetate compare to Tenax 7R? The problem I have right now is that Tenax 7R is too thin and will flow too fast from my needle applicator bottle, even with the thinnest needle. So I need a thicker glue to make it flow slower.

This is my needle applicator bottle:

2

Electro:

Here’s some viscosity facts for you:

MEK … 0.42
Ethyl Acetate … 0.51
Water … 1.0

I couldn’t find a figure for Tenax 7R, but I suspect it’s less than MEK, more like 0.3 something. If that’s the case, then Ethyl Acetate should be almost twice as viscous as Tenax.

Here’s a trick for you … if your solvent is too thin, then pour some of it in a small jar with a lid and drop a styrene shaving in it and let it disolve over night. The more styrene you add to the thicker your cement will get … and of course if you use colored styrene, it will tint your solvent. Another possibility is to get a tube of the thick clear styrene cement and stir a couple drops of that into your solvent to make it a little thicker.

There are always ways to get what you’re after! [swg]

3

Joe, you are fantastic as always. You just can’t beat the old dog. [:D] Thanks for the great trick.

4

Electro:

You’re welcome … always glad to help out a fellow modeler. [swg]

5

I just ordered 1 litre of Ethyl acetate from my local drugstore for around 13 USD. It’s here in a couple of days. I think that will be enought glue for a lifetime… The people at the drugsture was very curious what I was going to use it for. So I said, I’m not going to drink it, just glue plastic kits… [swg]