discussion What glue?

[Modler bob]

Me again with another dumb question
I purchased this glue....
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Revell-Con...ords=plastic+model+glue&qid=1658925055&sr=8-7
but can't get a single drop from it :confounded:
I guess the needle is blocked, but don't really want to pursue this glue anymore. So, what would you guys recommend, please?

 

[bilbo]

You can unblock the needle with thin wire or by heating it up with a cigarette lighter.

As for what glue, depends on what you’re sticking. A lot of people use tamiya extra thin (TET) or something similar

 

[Dave Ward]

I use Revell Contacta for larger structural parts & Tamiya Extra Thin ( TET ) for the smaller bits. As Dom says - fine wire ( from s stripped back electric cable ) will clear blockages - and stand the glue bottle up & put the cap on!
Just as a by the by - the Yellow cap on the Contacta bottles is a left-hand thread, for those of you attempting to remove it!!!
Dave

 

[stillp]

I use that Contacta, as well as TET and the standard white top Tamiya liquid cement https://www.scalemodelshop.co.uk/40...sBDmBWi-Dw0LS3LJr3h7t7CMKKsSk-hQaAkgXEALw_wcB
I've never had much luck clearing the Contacta needle with wire, but a lighter flame burns it clear. (Gave up smoking 20+ years ago but I still have a couple of lighters!)
Pete

 

[Modler bob]

You can unblock the needle with thin wire or by heating it up with a cigarette lighter.

As for what glue, depends on what you’re sticking. A lot of people use tamiya extra thin (TET) or something similar

Ha, I just tried that over the cooker hob, and it worked. Thanks, Dom.

 

[Modler bob]

Thanks, Dave & Peter.
I'll carry on with this glue for now, but it looks like I'll have to get a couple of others to try.
Onwards & upwards

 

[BarryW]

I use two types of cement for plastic to plastic.

Mostly I use an extra thin type of cement, which you apply to a join by brush so the cement is drawn into the join by capillary action to weld a joint together. I do this for over 80% of plastic to plastic joins. It is great for fuselage halves and large pieces as well as smaller pieces. I mostly use Gunze Mr Cement S or Mr Cement SP for this which I find to be better than Tamiya Extra Thin which is very popular.

The other type of plastic glue needed is one that takes a little longer to dry. I use this when I find it more convenient to apply cement to a mating surface, usually smaller parts that need to fit to an awkward place and be held there. For this I use Mr Cement DeLux.

There are two more types of glues needed.

1/ Superglue or cyrano, useful for etch and other metal parts and, sometimes, to get a quick ‘hold’ between two plastic parts (to which extra thin can then be added in places where you didn’t apply the c.a.). I actually have three types of c.a., thin, medium and thick each having it own uses.

2/ A pva type of glue. This is useful for transparencies or to hold some etch or 3D Decal detailing parts. Gator Grip is my preference here.

 

[Modler bob]

Thanks, Barry.
I did think about appliying with a brush ( I guess the brush would be cleaned with thinners?)
I remember the old tubes I used to use back in the day and getting in a right old mess :anguished:

 

[Mark1]

The revell for me to on the larger areas, tamiya on everything else.

 

[PaulTRose]

when people say heat up the tube with a flame make sure you have pulled it out of the bottle first!!........its flammable stuff

i pull it out with pliers and hold over a flame......it will go pop and sometimes a flame

personally i mostly use ca...........occasionally a liquid poly like Tamiyas........either pva or ca for clear bits

 

[Jim R]

I did think about appliying with a brush ( I guess the brush would be cleaned with thinners?)

A brush is the perfect way to apply thin styrene cement. When you're done glueing it will go a bit hard but no worries, it will soften up again as soon as you dip it in the glue to use again.
Sound advice already from the guys already..

 

[zuludog]

I tried one of those things a few years ago, and yes, it blocked up on me

I wasn't keen on it anyway, so I pulled out the steel tube with pliers, and emptied the contents into a bottle of liquid glue, and I've never used a glue dispenser since

Tube glue, liquid glue, and the glue in dispensers can all be mixed with each other
Similarly, if you have an ancient battered tube of glue that you no longer use, you can squeeze that into a bottle of liquid glue.
If you do mix the glue the viscosity might change

I've just seen that the dispenser has a left hand thread, which explains why I had to use pliers

 

[Guest]

Over 30 years ago, my best friend at the time used Contact with that needle applicator for his models, and despite not smoking, always kept a cigarette lighter handy to unblock it

As for what I use to glue with, maybe a little under 30 years ago, someone tipped me to buy 250 ml tins of a thinner/degreaser commonly sold in hardware stores here in the Netherlands, as that works very well to glue model kit parts. Pour it into an empty bottle with brush, that liquid model cements normally come in, and you can just keep refilling the bottle any time you need it. The tins cost (back then and now) about as much as a 40 ml bottle of model cement.

I used that for decades and am very happy with it. Maybe two years ago, I decided to buy a bottle of Tamiya Extra Thin, and found it works better for some things and not as well for others, so now I have two bottles of glue. Mainly, the TET doesn’t evaporate as fast, so it’s better for glueing small parts together where I need to put a dot of glue on one side and then press the other part to it. When the TET ran out, I found out what it’s actually made of, and decided to buy 100 ml bottles of the two ingredients, mixing them 50/50 when needed. Again, because I’m cheap in this regard: those two bottles including postage set me back about as much as a bottle of TET with postage but hold about five times as much

 

[Tim Marlow]

Another one using Contacta for big joints, it gives wriggle room and a good ooze to fill joints. I use TET or EVA (very similar, but sometimes easier to source) for smaller ones. Never cleared the nozzle using heat though, the steel wire in brass picture hanging wire works a charm for unblocking. The most important thing is to put the cap on either of them as soon as you use them though, both evaporate very quickly.

 

[Modler bob]

What about putty filler chaps (another thing I'm learning since I made models back in the day )

 

[zuludog]

Alright, here's what I do with sticky stuff --

Tube glue, the traditional 'polystyrene cement' isn't a popular as it was, but I still prefer it for large joints like wing halves and wing - to - fuselage

Liquid glue - I prefer Tamiya or Mr Hobby as -
The bottles are squat and less likely to be knocked over
The brushes are fine
They don't have those irritating & fiddly tamper proof caps
I just top them up with bulk liquid glue

My own mixture, which is a bottle of liquid glue with a few pieces of clear sprue dissolved in it
This makes it slightly thicker, but not as thick as tube glue; I use it for most small & medium parts
There's no recipe, just add a few pieces of sprue till it's right for you, remembering, of course, that you can add the sprue but you can't take it out

Canopy glue - I still have some Kristal Klear, but there are other types, or PVA wood glue

Tube putty/filler - I still have some Squadron Green Putty, not sure what I'll use when it runs out, so any recommendations would be appreciated

Mr Surfacer & Mr Dissolved Filler - as far as I can tell, they're more or less the same
They are fillers, but thinner than tube putty, and you paint them on with a brush
The problem is that just like paint, the filler will dry & harden on the brush, so there are some options -

Clean the brush in a suitable solvent, which is fiddly
Use a disposable brush or a cotton bud
Use an empty liquid glue or nail varnish bottle - apply the filler with the cap brush, then return the brush to the bottle, which acts as a keeper
Don't worry if the bottle is not absolutely clean & spotless as all these solvents can be mixed with each other

I keep my tubes of glue & filler in a glass jar such as a tall one that has held pickles or posh jam, to reduce any drying out of the tube if the fit of the cap isn't too good.

 

[Modler bob]

Looking at putty filler, there are a lot out there.
So I would like a recommendation, please?
I made a bit of a mess trying to cut a hole into both fuselage halves, for a transparent Light ( I assume?) I had to cut & file the two half holes ready to join. :flushed:
Is water-based essential/preferred?

 

[BarryW]

We all have our favourites.

Personally I use three types.

Vallejo Plastic Putty. Needs to be left plenty of time to fully cure, how long depends on humidity. If it is properly cured it is hard and can easily be sanded to a feathered edge. I use this for wider gaps and where I need to build up to level up to a ridge.

Mr Surfacer 500. This is what I use on medium gaps. It is lacquer based and very plastic like when fully dried off.

Mr Dissolved Putty. I love this stuff and this is what I use most of the time. It is very finely pigmented and it self levels brilliantly. Great for fuselage seams, very small gaps, and most of all for smoothing a rough surface, perhaps a glue finger mark. If you have, say, a gluey finger mark, we all get them! First lightly sand it, then brush on Mr Dissolved Putty, let it cure down overnight, the carrier will evaporate leaving the fine pigment in any ‘dips’, lightly sand again and you get a beautifully smooth surface. Sometimes you need to do another application.

It is very much horses for courses. Incidentally, I sometime combine them, perhaps finishing off with the MDP.

 

[stillp]

I've never found Vallejo putty to be any good, however long I leave it to cure. I prefer Perfect Plastic Putty by Deluxe Materials. Like Vallejo, it can be smoothed with a wet cotton bud.
I agree with Barry's recommendation of Mr Dissolved Putty for small gaps and sink marks.
For bigger gaps I like Humbrol Model Filler, which sands well.
The last two are not water based and are a bit smelly.
Pete

 

[Tim Marlow]

If the gap is relatively large I’ve been known to glue slivers of plastic card or stretched sprue in first to strengthen it.