I have probably assembled around 55 buildings for my layout so far with about 25 of them being from the usual large Cornerstone models. I just had my first experience with the Walther’s Cornerstone Modulars (3-in-1 #1). It was not a pleasant experience. Whereas I rarely had any problem with past kits in having the pieces adhere to each other using almost any solvent, the Modular kit drove me up the wall quite regularly.
Seems no matter what I tried, almost any more than casual, light,pressure on the pieces would cause them to break apart, even though the breaks “looked like” they were melded together. I tried more pressure, more time under pressure, less solvent, more solvent, more complete application on the edge rather than tacking, all to no avail. I let them sit overnight before moving them. Same problem. I let them sit overnight under clamped pressure. Same problem!!! Then again, to make this even more confusing for me, sometimes some of the pieces REALLY stuck well together. Arggghhhh!!!
I tired Tenax 7R, Plastruct Bondene, Ambroid Weld and they all didn’t work as they should have and as they did on prior models I constructed! The ONLY thing that seemed to work was good old Testors Plastic Cement – yeah, the old gooey stuff in a tube for a buck!
I’m still upset about this as it took at least 3 times as long to assemble the kit as it normally would have. Considering I have about $90 in additional separate Modular packets I had bought, (hey, it sounded like a good idea at the time) I’m reluctant to go forward with them unless I can find some solvent, other than the Testor’s glue, that will hold these things together.
Anyone have a similar problem? Anything that definitely works that I haven’t tried? Of course, this could have been a fluke, maybe on a bad batch from China perhaps?
Thanks. Ken
Don’t know what to say , I’ve always used Ambroid and it always worked. Plastruct was always my second choice , makes me think they are using recycled plastics of many different types that don’t bond well. Maybe an E-mail to Walthers would give you a clue, although they would most likely deny it.
Did you try the liquid Testors?
I have used nothing but Testors Plastic Cement, #3502, that clear stuff in the little bottle with the brush in the cap for ALL my plastic models. Only problem I’ve ever had was getting sloppy and leaving “stains” on the outside of a model - not a problem as long as it’s painted afterwards. My [2c]
That’s odd. The thin clear plastic cements always worked well for me on styrene plastics. Could it be some kinda mold parting compound or grease or goop on the plastic that keeps the cement from biting in? Try the hot soapy water cleaning trick before glueing?
I never noticed any difference in performance between the various brands of styrene cement. I must have used them all at one time or another. In fact the thicker Testors plastic cement works the same way, it just has something added to make it thicker and less likely to drip off. The active ingredients are aggressive organic solvents like MEK or xylene that dissolve the styrene and then evaporate leaving it hard again. In fact from the price of an ounce or two of plastic cement you can buy a quart of MEK at the hardware store. It works just fine.
I went to both my HO-Scale and N-Scale Walthers’ catalogs to see if there was anything indicating that these Cornerstone® structures are constructed of something other than styrene but there was nothing there indicating otherwise; I have never put one of these kits together but, with no indication otherwise, I would make the assumption that they are stryrene. My solvent adhesive of choice is Plastruct® which has always rendered excellent service so I sure as the dickens can’t tell you why you had problems with these 3-in-1 kits. I am more than just a little bit short of patience and gluing is not one of my more proficient skills so the last thing in the world I need is a beat-my-head-against-the-wall frustration. My recent history has been scratchbuilding primarily using wood but there are a few of these N-Scale kits which draw my attention and I am going to follow responses to this topic with some interest.
CORNERSTONE is most likely made offshore.
Some oil-like substance may be being applied to improve ‘mold release’ & not in original specs.
Walthers is probably unaware unless you tell the ‘Cornerstone’ Buyer. He needs to know Call him! He’ll take the necessary corrective action. His income is dependant on it.
- Call. Find the Buyer. 2. Talk to him. Do not eave a message - unless it’s to call YOU.
If too many others have a similar problem, sales will drop and line will disappear!
Uses Testors Liquid Cement.
These days it comes in a bottle with a syringe-like applicator built right in – beats the snot out of the old bottle cap brush.
The stuff is designed to melt and weld the plastic together – a real bond as opposed to the sticky bond (that can break apart) that other glues create.
Thanks all, for the comments. Guess I’ll give the liquid Testor’s a try, as well as viist my local Ace for MEK (really as good as the other stuff??) and also try calling/E-Ming Walther’s. Sounds like mine is an isolated case. Which is good for everyone and less likely the additional packets that I bought are also flakey.
Thanks, again. Ken
If you try to re-glue a previously glued joint, make sure you scrape both sides of the joint to remove any residue. Solvents “melt” the styrene, but “glues” stay on the face of the mated parts. Glue will not bond to glue and solvents will not work on a “glued” joint. Another point, make sure the surfaces to be joined are perfectly flat and meet completely - solvent will not fill any gap. My [2c]