what is a good glue for a 4x8 styrofoam board must know, my friend uses carpenters glue but any other glues?
I use Type II yellow glue. But many use Liquid Nails for Projects (foam safe) or latex caulk.
Nick
Wood glue, white glue, silicone caulk, latex caulk, foam-safe rubber cement, Aleen’s, Gorilla…they all work, and work well. They each have their plusses and minuses.
I prefer several glues with foam. I generally use silicone caulk to bond foam to wood, or foam to foam where I won’t be carving. I use wood glue for foam to foam bonds that I will be carving. I use latex caulk to fill small gaps and to glue down track. And I use white glue to bond scenery.
Silicone gives off noxious vapors (ammonia, I think) so you don’t want to use a lot indoors without good ventilation. That said, I will occasional use the stuff for bonding hydrocal castings to styrene, since nothing else seems to work for that combination. (Got the tip on this here about a year ago, and I’m still grateful.)
For most of my construction-foam stuff, I use Liquid Nails for Projects. It’s cheap and forgiving. It takes a while to totally set up, and even after it does you can still persuade it to come apart without destroying everything. I also use it for foam roadbed to the base, and for track to the roadbed.
I used plumbers caulking. As I am a plumber had lots on the truck.
It does not distort the foam or cork. Also am experimenting using it as mortar
between blocks for structures. David
i don’t understand alot of what your talking about…as i am new to the hobby, but i can use elmers glue to glue it down?
so i can use elemers glue to glue track down? i use life-like power lock track so it already has roadbed on it so can i use it to glue down track?
Yes, you can use white glue. It’s bond isn’t the best, but that might be a good thing, if you’re using sectional track. That way, you can remove it eventually without destroying it.
Try using hot glue since it glues fast and everything will glue on nicely.
I’ve pulled apart old styrofoam that I glued with Elmers–white and yellow. It was still WET. These types need air.
I now use Liquid Nails (foam safe). Really does the job.
[#ditto][#ditto]
Any kind of foam safe construction glue. Adhesive caulk and everything else mentioned in previous responses.
White glue will not dry between tight layers of foam. It requires evaporation.
Liquid nails is best because that’s what it was designed for and the construction community uses it just for that.
However, I also found that spreading white glue on both pieces, letting it get tacky and then pressing them together and holding [use weights or such] will make it extremely hard to seperate.
I hope that helps you out.
Actually, ALL adhesives except for properly applied rubber cement need air circulation to dry properly, INCLUDING Liquid Nails. I’ve had LN sitting between layers of 2" foam that wasn’t dry after two WEEKS.
And I highly recommend NOT using LN on a layout. It’s realy NOT the best adhesive out there for the job, especialy since the label (on the foam-safe stuff) specifically says “not for foam-to-foam bonds”. And they’re not kidding: the stuff works VERY badly between layers of foam (you might as well use chewing gum). For aggressive foam to foam bonds, silicone caulk is best. Yes, it smells bad, but it’s cheaper, dries faster between foam, and has a stronger hold.
I’ve built five foam-based home layouts (for me and others) as well as well over 30 foam-based Ntrak modules, so I have “some” experience with gluing chunks of foam together.
Use a cheap latex caulk, spread it buttert thin, and press your track onto that. Later, when you want to lift or to rearrange the track, use a putty knife or small paint scraper to lift the rack pieces off the caulk.
Cheap, highly effective.