discussion Favourite plastic cement?

[stona]

As the title suggests, I was wondering what everybody uses to stick their plastic together, as in plastic cements?

I've always used either Tamiya Extra Thin or the EMA Plastic Weld, which have such similar properties I'm never sure which I'm using once I've decanted the Plastic Weld into a Tamiya bottle to avail myself of the little brush.

Is there something newer or better? Am I missing anything?

 

[Steven000]

I also use TET, horrible smell though but I like the small brush and how it flows very easy. Cheers

 

[Mr Bowcat]

TET. I kinda like the smell, which is worrying. :tears-of-joy:

 

[BarryW]

I use Mr Cement S which is similar to TET but better, for most jobs. I sometimes use the slower drying thicker version, Mr Cement DeLux when I need to.

 

[Andy the Sheep]

I use both TET and TET Quick Set but also more dense glues like Revell Contacta or UHU Plast Special (bottle still usable after almost 8 years) for joints that need a bit of "filler" or a large glued surface.
No complaints about their "behaviour" up to now. For transparencies I'm still experimenting different kind of glues (white glue, Humbrol ClearFix, CA...) but no decision taken yet.

 

[BarryW]

I use both TET and TET Quick Set but also more dense glues like Revell Contacta or UHU Plast Special (bottle still usable after almost 8 years) for joints that need a bit of "filler" or a large glued surface.
No complaints about their "behaviour" up to now. For transparencies I'm still experimenting different kind of glues (white glue, Humbrol ClearFix, CA...) but no decision taken yet.

Try the DSPAE non-fogging c.a. on transparencies. It is great when you need a quick grip.

 

[rtfoe]

Testors Liquid Cement...can't get it now. The alternative was ABS from China, cheap and works just like TET. Now use TET's cousin... Tammi Airbrush cleaner. Works the same, triple the amount at the same price or cheaper.

Cheers,
Wabble

 

[Flip]

I now stick (no pun intended) to using just Tamiya:

1. Extra Thin Quick Set (Light Green Top). I tend to use this for those awkward jobs where a third hand would have come in useful - bond it quick so you get a chance to back it up with something else. NB: This stuff is brilliant for glueing parts that are in intimate contact by propagating through capillary action but it is useless if there is a gap between parts. If there is a gap, use no.2 below.
2. Extra Thin (Dark Green Top). This tends to be the afore-mentioned backup. Used to glue the parts fully and to fill fine gaps.
3. Tamiya Cement (White Top). Used for serious bonding where separation is not an option. It also smells good :upside:

I use Microscale "Micro Kristal Klear" for the transparencies. Never fogs, easy to apply with the standard cocktail stick and is forgiving when you leave masking tape on the inside of the canopy!

As an aside, I also use the Kristal Klear as a temporary glue. Originally I tried to get my hands on Microscale's Liquitape but it is not imported into the UK.
So for example, on an aircraft's undercarriage bays, after spraying the insides and detailing, I fit the closed doors using just 2 tiny dabs of Kristal Klear (1 dab in each of 2 opposing corners) then spray the model up. At the end, the doors can be easily prised off and the open versions fitted.

Kind regards,
John

 

[Jim R]

EMA Plastic Weld and VMS Styrene Cement - they do a fast and slow version.

 

[Geoffers]

Mr Cement SP (quick acting) or Mr Cement S are my preference.

I do use TET as well though from time to time.

Geoff.

 

[Andy T]

TET is the one I use the most, with the quick drying version for delicate parts and their slow "white topped" for parts that need some wiggle time.

 

[Waspie]

I never knew there was so much out there.
I use TET and a Humbrol cement for transparencies which someone on here recommended.
The end.
Can’t you tell I’m new to this!!!

 

[Gary MacKenzie]

I use tamiya green ( extra thin ) tamiya white ( normal ) and revell contacta with the long metal spout ( looks like blunt needle )

 

[Mini Me]

If I'm low on Testor's liquid Cement @ nearly $5.00 an oz. I will dip in to my supply of MEK (Methyl Ethyl Keytone for the uninitiated) @ around $6.00 a quart, and pipe a few squirts right into my glue jar to top it off. Works like a "champ" and saves a few "bucks" along the way. :thumb2:

 

[Ian M]

TAMIYA airbrush cleaner. Costs about the same but you get about ten times as much in the bottle.
And it is the same as extra thin.

 

[Gary MacKenzie]

TAMIYA airbrush cleaner. Costs about the same but you get about ten times as much in the bottle.
And it is the same as extra thin.

I was trying to remember which airbrush cleaner was ''glue''

 

[Tim Marlow]

The daddy of them all was Slaters Mek Pak. Excellent stuff that was by far the best solvent for working with plasticard. Just the right amount of grab and volatility. However, I can no longer find it. I now use EMA or TET as a capillary glue, and Contacta as a gap filler on more structural joints. I use Canopy glue formula 560 for clear parts, and do also use it for sticking on small bits of etch. Of course, if you are looking for cheaper chemical alternatives Ether or Carbon Tetrachloride will also work

 

[Dave Ward]

I've tried loads of cement, but I keep on coming back to TET for smaller parts & Revell Contacta for bigger bits. Nothing else has shown itself to have any particular advantage
Dave

 

[Guest]

As I’ve mentioned before, my normal “glue” is actually a solvent mixture sold in hardware stores as a degreasing agent/stain remover/contact cement thinner here in the Netherlands, with which I refill a model cement bottle any time it starts running low. Somebody gave me the tip that this works very well for glueing plastic kit parts over thirty years ago, and I’ve never looked back — mainly because a 250 ml tin of it costs only slightly more than a 40 ml bottle of model cement

Since a few years, I’ve also been using Tamiya Extra Thin — or rather, a homebrew version of it that I mix myself after buying 100 ml bottles of the two chemicals it contains. However, when they run out I suspect I’ll just get Tamiya airbrush cleaner instead, as IIRC that works out about the same as those two bottles, price-wise.

The reason for the two glues is because the stain remover is much more volatile than TET, which means it flows very well into joints and dries quickly, but that last one also makes it hard to apply a dab of glue and then put the part in place. Chances are it’s all evaporated before you get the parts together, a problem TET doesn’t have nearly as much. Also, TET has a much finer brush so it’s easier to apply precisely.

 

[Dave Ward]

The daddy of them all was Slaters Mek Pak. Excellent stuff that was by far the best solvent for working with plasticard. Just the right amount of grab and volatility. However, I can no longer find it. I now use EMA or TET as a capillary glue, and Contacta as a gap filler on more structural joints. I use Canopy glue formula 560 for clear parts, and do also use it for sticking on small bits of etch. Of course, if you are looking for cheaper chemical alternatives Ether or Carbon Tetrachloride will also work

I buy my plastikard direct from them..................https://slatersplastikard.com/plastikard/mekpak.php
Dave