Hello fellow hobbyists. I’m refurbishing my F7 locomotive and refitting the air intake grilles with photo etched stainless steel grilles, from Detail Associates. They’re properly cut and fit nicely but I’m at a loss for proper adhesion. I tried the ‘Crazy Glue’ liguid but it didn’t hold well. The package said to use “ACC or contact type adhesive”. Please shed some light on this and thanks in advance.
For bonding dissimilar, non-porous materials together, CA (cyanoacrylate) should have worked just fine. “Crazy Glue” is a specific brand of CA made by the Borden company (makers of Elmers Glue). It is a very watery CA. This can lead to over-application and hence rather longer curing times than advertised.
Pick up one of the gel-type CA’s. They should work much better Another alternative you could use is Walther’s Goo, which will hold just about anything, but it must be used with care is it is rather messy if not carefully controlled.
Also, make sure you are not trying to cement painted surfaces together. That’s a recipe for trouble. Also, cleaning the parts in warm, soapy water (dishwashing or laundry detergent is best) and drying throughly with a lint-free towel often helps. Don’t handle the parts with your fingers after washing, as skin oil can interfere with adhesion.
Rockler’s (a woodworking store) STICK FAST ( a super thick CA) and their Activator (accelerater, either spray can or spray bottle, which I use with a probe to put a drop in the right place) is my favorite for many things. You can put a tiny bit or thin bead right on the piece from the bottle and spray the other piece and stick them together and have them set in about 5 seconds. Or you can put thepieces together and spray the seam. Without the activator it sets in 30 to 60 seconds. When I super detailed the Yardbird, that is all I used in that everything else failed including solder.
I am , , , , , and will continue to be . . . . . an ardent proponent of epoxy; not only does it bond but it serves as a gap-filler at the same time.