Selleys All-fix

[Guest]

Hi everybody,

Has anybody used this glue before? I just picked it up and am curious whether it can be used for attaching PE parts to plastic (polystyrene). Any help is appreciated.

Adrian

[Guest]

A pic of it can be found here: Selleys All Fix

[Guest]

It sounds a tad thick for what you are thinking of. It sounds a bit like 'No Nails' type of glue and, given that it has gap filling properties, you may find it very hard to clear up after it squishes out when you press a small piece down. Also, it dries white and this would mean problems if using it to attach something after painting.

The thing with most PE is that it it is usually small and thin. The best way of getting small thin parts to stick flush to a surface is to use a fairly thin glue such as Super Glue or a thin PVA glue, the latter being my preferred way as it gives more time to ensure the piece is in the correct place. I personally use Gator Glue, available here at the forum shop. As this dries clear and does not bulk up, i.e. it leaves a thin layer of glue between the PE and the plastic, you cannot see it is there at all. As you press the part down you will get some ooze out but a wipe with a water dampened cotton bud will remove any excess easily. It is also useful for sticking clear parts such as cockpit canopies and light lenses as, again, it dries clear and you will not see it.

The glue you mention may have its uses putting diorama pieces together but, to be honest, it really has no place on a plastic kit. As it says in the blurb, it is mainly for porous surfaces, it would be very slow drying, if at all,on non porous as it is not a solvent based. If the liquid has no where to go after the outer edges of the joint exposed to air dry, it may stay pasty for a very long time. So wood to wood, plastic to wood, it should be OK

[Guest]

Thanks Graham. Beginner question.:rotate1:

I suppose its the same problem (thickness and all) with UHU glue?

[Ian M]

Jep! I would take Grahams advice and get hold of either Gator grip acrylic glue or some good super-glue; CA.

Super glue works on every thing. Including fingers! is a bit of a pig to clean up and will make clear plastic parts foggy. The less you use the better it bonds.

Gator glue, cleans up with water. If you need it even thinner, it can be thinned slightly with water but this will affect the drying time. The fixing time; how long it takes to stick things together, can be a bit to long for some things. For sticking PE parts flat onto a plastic or indeed other PE its hard to beat. The slower setting time working for you instead of against you. You can have upto 30 seconds jiggling time before the bond takes.

The best solution is to buy both a thin CA type glue and Gator Grip.

Ian M

[Guest]

Not sure about UHU, my only memory of this was a bottle of paper glue that I used years ago. Glues are always a bit confusing and, for modelling, the range can be overwhelming. Obviously modellers tend to settle on a few glues that they use almost exclusively depending on their own taste. The other issue can be one of supply. If you don't have a local model shop to see the glues they tend to stock for modellers, it can be a bit confusing getting to know from the thousands of glues out there what are suitable.

Personally I have three main types. Plastic welding glue, for which I use Humbrol Liquid Poly. For none welding plastic, I use a medium viscosity super glue, especially for parts applied after painting. For Photoetch and clear parts I use Gator Grip. That is is for modelling kits.

For diorama or scenic base use I have a standard woodworking PVA which I generally use diluted with water to apply scatter material like grass and small stones. This is a good medium as it dries clear or can be coloured by using acrylic or cheap poster paint so that any patches showing through are coloured and won't stand out. I tend to use a brown so any patches look like earth. A Tube of contact adhesive can be useful for building structures out of wood or such as the instant grip can be advantages, PVA can be used for gluing wood obviously but need clamping until it dries, this is where the Sellyes that you mentioned could be handy as the instant grip of the glue could speed things up

However, the hero of all glues has to be PVA, you will be amazed what you can do with different dilution of this stuff

[Guest]

As Graham says PVA, in it's many forms and guises is an amazingly versatile glue. I usually buy it from B&Q in the form of resinW or something similar