I did search looking for this topic, but didn’t really find anything specific.
What kind of all purpose glue do you use/recommend for scenery? I use latex caulk to glue down my foam roadbed and track, and obviously Styrene cement for structures etc.
I’m looking to glue in wood and/or plastic fences, some styrofoam to styrofoam and styrene to styrofoam for curbs, roads etc.
Do you all just use white or carpenter’s glue, or silicone or??
TIA
Styrene to foam I use caulk. But I cover all foam with plaster cloth first, real cheap online from many sources. The other scenery is glues with varius mixtures of white glue. 2 water to 1 white glue for turf and stuff, thicker for static grass.
For scenery (ballast, ground-cover, etc.) I use ordinary white glue, thinned with water…
I usually add glue to the bottle (next to the jug of glue) about 1/3, then fill it with water (if you have especially hard water, use distilled water instead, available in gallon jugs at most supermarkets…I cleaned-out the collection bucket on my dehumidifier, and use the collected water both for thinning white glue, and for applying decals). After adding the water, I shake the mixture vigourously (and do so every time I plan to use it), then fill the small dropper-type bottle (blue cap) with the diluted glue.
The sprayer, labelled “wet water”, is suitable water, as mentioned above, with a few drops of liquid dish detergent added. This makes the water less viscous, allowing the water (and the diluted glue, when it’s applied) to easily penetrate through the scenic material (ground foam, ballast, real dirt, etc.).
To add ground cover of almost any type, apply it dry, spreading it as necessary. Once it looks the way you want it, the sprayer (hopefully one which will put out a very fine spray) is used to thoroughly wet the material…in most cases, I’ve found that it’s best to initially spray upwards, letting the droplets fall onto the scenic material. Once they’ve been dampened, you can then spray more directly (otherwise, the direct spray may simply blow-away the scenic material).
To create scenery that will stand the test of time, it’s preferable that enough water is applied that it will penetrate completely down through the scenic material - this will insure that when the diluted glue is applied, it too will penetrate right to the solid base.
Here’s some wetted scenic mat
I use wood glue for everything. I know, I know, I can’t be a very good or fussy modeler, and I won’t argue the point. But, I need the wood glue anyway, and if it works reasonably well for scenery, and for ballast, why not?
Diluted and with a couple of drops of liquid dish detergent added to help it to penetrate. Add two small, clean, pebbles to the mix so that you can get the solution back up to snuff when you go to spray or dribble after a week or 20.
My world:
The real world:
Awesome. I really appreciate you folks taking the time to give me details - it makes a huge difference rather than learning the hard way!
I’ll be updating my build thread with progress…
I use diluted Elmer’s Glue-All (white glue) for almost everything.
I did some experimentation last year. I found Elmer’s has less shine than Mod Podge Matte, but more shine than Matte Medium.
For the cost difference, and good results I get, I am sticking with Elmer’s Glue-All.
-Kevin
I do not use a sprayer. I have tried them and found they spray all over, wetting more area than I intend to cement in place. Instead, I use a pipette, which is a cheap eyedropper made of a single piece of plastic. This gives me precise control over what gets wet and what does not.
I also generally don’t use wet water. I use straight isopropyl alcohol. You don’t need much. It also helps your ballast dry overnight instead of taking 3 days. Given the amount I use, a drug store size bottle last me years.
There’s a craft store product called Aileen’s Tacky Glue. It goes on white and dries clear. It’s an adhesive and does not interact with plastics or much of anything else. It is good for planting trees or road signs, and also for fastening figures to your layout. It’s particularly convenient because it doesn’t really harden, and even figures glued down by their 1:87 feet can be easily removed without damage, even many months later.
There really isn’t an all-purpose glue for scenery. For plastic, I use testors in the red/white tube; foam to foam I use liquid nails.
I asked this question in another thread and have yet to get a reply so I’ll ask it here. What adhesive should be used for ABS plastic. I saw a video that used a black adhesive. I’m wondering if either of the below would be suitable? I need the strongest bond possible.
Amazon.com: J-B Weld 8237 PlasticWeld Plastic Repair Epoxy Putty - 2 oz. : Automotive
Amazon.com: Aleene’s 33260 Ultimate Multi-Surface Adhesive, 1.5 oz. : Arts, Crafts & Sewing
There are ahesives specifically made for ABS (usually for plumbing applications). A quick search came up with THIS, but I’m sure that there are others.
Wayne
Plastruct makes an ABS specific adhesive.
shane
If you’re landscaping only small areas, I agree that a sprayer may be overkill. I’m usually doing scenic work or ballasting on a somewhat larger area, whether it’s ground cover or track ballasting.
Likewise, I guess, for alcohol rather than wet water. I don’t care for the smell of alcohol (other than the drinking kind), but for doing large areas and particularly ones where the scenic material is deep, the alcohol would be evapourated by the time I get to it. If I’m ballasting track it’s usually in 15’ or 20’ batches, often double track and turnouts, too. There are many areas on my layout where the ballast is deep due to the terrain surrounding the track. Some of those areas will take a week to fully harden, but there’s so much other stuff to be done that drying time is of no concern.
I often add trackside scenery when ballasting, too, as there’s usually lots of excess water and diluted white glue as run-off…no point in letting it go to waste.
Wayne
Whatever adhesive you use, make sure it is compatible with the material you are gluing. As an example, some calks will react with foamboard.