New to the forum, though have read Model Rsilroader since I was a kid.
I know it’s a matter of opinion and debate but curious for thoughts. I’m a longtime modeler but been away from the hobby for decades. My wife got me one of those laser cut book nook models and I got the bug again.
I don’t love the cement that came with it. The kit is paper and some kind of lightweight pressed wood if I had to guess. The cement is clear and has an inoffensive smell like Elmers. The main problem is, it’s too viscous. It pulls up in long gooey threads. And it’s a little bit too thick to work with easily with a toothpick. I bought some clear Elmers for comparison, and it’s that little bit less thick that makes it easier to work with, but then it doesn’t set up quite as quickly or tacky as quickly.
I could always go back to the standard Tite-bond I used in the 70s.
Is the material of the kit MDF board? It is wood, isn’t it? When I attached a 0.050 inch thick thin board to the core of a La Belle boxcar kit, it stretched due to the moisture in the white bond. So I used CA glue for wood in that part only. I hope it’s just a needless worry…
when i built balsa RC gliders, CA glue wicked into the wood and set almost immediately, allowing a lot of progress to be made without waiting for overnight for glue to set.
Exactly like those! Thanks for the illustration. OK, cool, I had it in mind that CA worked only for non-porous surfaces. I’ll grab some, along with some old reliable Tite-bond as JaBear and Rich suggested.
Steve, I only mentioned one side of white glue in that comment. Sorry.
I actually use white glue in many places. The O-scale EMUs in the picture are made by gluing four sheets of Ivory Kent paper together to create a curved surface. The adhesive is diluted with water to control the expansion and contraction of the paper. Depending on the direction, this paper is easy to bend or stretch. I use the original solution to glue this paper to balsa. The two are extremely compatible, so it doesn’t crack over time.
It can also be used to glue metal and plastic. If I need strength, I will apply drops of CA to the bonded surface after it has hardened.
What I’m trying to say is that it’s important to understand the properties of adhesives. I use a variety of adhesives for the right place. I have three types of CA, two epoxy types, two types for woodworking, and three types for polystyrene. The only thing I don’t use is synthetic rubber-based adhesives (Walthers Goo, etc.).
CA should be careful of the phenomenon where the gas generated turns the surroundings white.
