Perhaps Im just a clutz, or just or an old fumble fingered geezer, my glueing abilitys are excellent as one can tell by my fingeres sticking to everthing.[banghead] Sure wish I could use a plasma or mig welder to build my steel tressels LOL. My next tressel will be scrach built and I want this one to be a showpiece, if thats possable…for me to do.
What do you guys use to neatley apply CA glue to plastic, besides the tapered application spout on the bottle (JET) , tried tooth picks, but is very slow and by the time i get it ready to apply on a long piece, is allmost dry.
Also how do you keep it from fogging windows, holding off on finishing my roundhouse untill I find a better way.
What type of aplicators do you use, Thank you for your replys in advance…have a great day…John
A toothpick. I take a small piece of tin foil, use a pencil eraser to make a small “cup” in it and fill it with CA, then use a toothpick to apply the CA to the work. You can also use a small piece of brass or steel wire as an applicator.
If I am glueing plastic I use liquid cement (Testors) that i decant into plastic bottle with a needle applicatior.
I take a large sweing needle, with a substantial eye. Cut the very end of the eye off. The remaining cavity of the eye allows it to hold a substanial amount of CA and gives you the precicion of applying it with a toothpic. Micro Mark also sells a tool set up similar fashion but you pay $7.95 plus shipping and I can get a pack of 12 Large Sewing Needles at my local “Alco Discount Store” for 99 cents.
Be sure that you are using the thicker “gap filling” type of CA glue, as it does not run, and works better when surfaces aren’t perfectly smooth. It’s the only type that I use, I wouldn’t even bother with the runny type.
If you use the 2-part stuff, apply the “glue” part first, and position all the parts the way you want them. If you goof at this point, you can still pull them apart and reset them. Then apply a bit of the “fixer” part and it will set forever. Do NOT follow the instructions. Some of them say to spray the fixer on first. That’s the way people get their fingers glued to their workbench.
I generally use a sewing needle, or brass wire with a small loop bent on one end as an applicator. For large joints that won’t be seen, I’ll add a drop directly to the work, and let capillary action spread the adhesive (with some help from the needle!).
Superglues work best when you remember two things: less is more (this is ACC, NOT caulk!), and the thin stuff works BEST. All ACC is pretty much the same. The “gap filling” and “slow drying” ACCs have additives in them which weaken the bond and shorten the life of the bond. Most of the good resin model builders use the cheap, $1.98 for four tubes ACC found at most hardware stores; it’s “pure” ACC without anyone messing with the formulas.
I had the same problem with fogging windows. I was told to place a small fan on LOW to blow across the work to get rid of the fumes, which cause the fogging. If you still get the fogged windows, you can use some Microscale Kristle Klear to get rid of it.
Go to your nearest Wal-mart and buy Loctite Easy Brush super glue – it is a strange shaped bottle that is supposedly tip-proof (it’s not) that has a brush in the cap. Makes application very easy – easier than pouring out a puddle of glue and using a toothpick.
I think supeglue is one of the most overrated materials ever suggested for usage on a model railroad. Personally with plastic I would use a solvent based glue or liquid cement to bond the plastic. Plastruct glue will bond just about any type of plastic. Just don’t get it where you don’t want it.
I use a small guage paint brush, one of my LHS sells cheap brushes a bunch in an old coffee Tin at .25 cents a pop… I buy a handfull for various tasks that I dont mind ruining brushes on… To apply the CA I just make a small container with tin foil as mentioned above and then just one of the brushes and apply it as if I was applying a thin even strip of piant, then I clean the brush in Jet De-Solv a CA solvent.
I stopped using CA as much as possible after I glued all my fingers onto the ping-pong table.
If it is a plastic trestle that you are building, use styrene and some plastic welder instead of glue. No burns, no fingers glued to tables, and no faces glued to feet…
trainboy
Sig makes an after market tip set SIGSH10112 they are 6 $1.99 and fit any of the CA and any grade you just cut the tip to the size you need. ALSO from a former glue to anything person, latex sergical gloves, pack of 100 for $6.99 is cheaper than the blood pressure you get from becoming part of your project.
Take Care
George P.
It is usefull to glue metal to wood or and materials of diss-similar consistency: Wood-plastic, metal to plastic, etc.
CA also works well on metal and resin kits.
Most plastic glues work by dissolving the plastic to get a bond, hence they don’t work well when gluing to other non-plastic materials.
For wood to wood, white glue works well for me.
My favorite use for CA is to mount trees to the layout: Dribble thick CA glue down the trunk while holding the tree in place and hit it with kicker, presto!! glued down tree with no drilling
Store CA glue in a baggie in the refrigerator. It will last longer, but there’s an added benefit:
When you remove it from the cold, drops will slowly come out when you tip the bottle. No squeezing of the bottle (which is where I spill a lot or miss the mark). Thermal thing I guess.
I use white glue to glue windows or glazing in, the white glue dries clear and doesn’t fog or craze the window. I also use the “thick gap filling ACC with the slow drying time” (15- 30 seconds, though it seems to take longer than that when I’m gluing plastic and metal together or metal to metal).
I would recommend using Tenax 7R, Microweld or Testors liquid cement for normal gluing on plastic structures. Hold the parts together and apply the solvent glue with an old fine paint brush. Microweld and tenax are solvents that dry extremely fast and when applied to two pieces of plastic that are held together they momentarily cause the plastic in the contact area to dissolve and when they dry the two pieces are welded together. If you spill a little don’t touch it and it will dry without damaging the plastic (not clear plastic). You still need to be very careful around clear parts.
Testors make a glue for clear parts. It’s similar to elmer’s glue and takes 30 min or more to dry but does not attack the clear plastic.
I only use CA glue for small parts that are not made of plastic.