discussion WARNING -using Flexifile glue aplicator

[tanktrack]

Hi guys I have used different liquid glue application systems ie Deluxe with great success as I can be a messy glue applier at times . I decides to try the Flexifile Touch and flow applicator with their own plast-I-weld ,WARNING when the liquid is in the applicator and it is horizontal its ok but the moment you tilt it in anyway a large droplet can appear just as you touch the plastic the capillary action of the product is very fast compared to other products so be careful when applying it as I have got caught out with it and ended up with too much glue on the joint which is the total opposite of what i am trying to achieve .

 

[Guest]

I threw mine away Steve. Found it more of a hindrance than a help.


I use Tamiya Thin or Mr Cement S which both have a brush for application. I found it much easier to use.


Laurie

 

[Vaughan]

I'm with Laurie on this one go for the extra thin glue with a brush.

 

[Guest]

Their sanding products (flexi file) are excellent. However, I find their glue applicator to be way too expensive for what it is. I just use the BSI extra thin cyanoacrylate glue, and that is just as good as the flexi file stuff.


John

 

[Robert1968]

I have tried lots of glues from the ones you get with starter kits and progressed up to the revell needle point. Then I started using tamiya thin and Mr hobby cement S and to be homest unless I'm needing ca glue these two are all I use now.


Regards


Robert

 

[Guest]

Agree with all on liquid poly! That tamiya stuff is used for by far the majority of my gluing, and it seems to never go down!

 

[Ian M]

Agree with all on liquid poly! That tamiya stuff is used for by far the majority of my gluing, and it seems to never go down!

Just forget to put the lid on tight and forget it a day or two. It will disappear

 

[Guest]

Yeah I thought that'd be the case! I'm too scared of spilling it to be slipshod about the lid, that stuff would melt the entire underlay of my room in a split second - a bit like nail polish remover, but did they listen? Did they ....

 

[Dave W]

I bought one of those touch and flow things at Telford last year.Ive used it once and don't like it.So I've gone back to Revell Contacta

 

[Guest]

i am the opposite, i use the touch n flow constantly, i think its great, but use ema plastic weld in it as it is far cheaper..in fact it is pretty much the only way i glue now

 

[PhilJ]

I use Revell contacta and that comes in very handy for certain applications but Tamiya thin is a gift from the gods, I haven't been doing this modelling lark for long but would put that glue at the top of my must have list.


Phil

 

[Guest]

I use Tamiya thin and Faller Super Expert. Both are all I need for plastic.

 

[Guest]

Ben what is Faller super expert and what do you use it for ?


Laurie

 

[Guest]

Laurie. Apologies as I have only just seen your comment. The site is great but has an amazing amount of threads.


Faller Super Expert. Made by the German firm Faller who produce plastic kits for model rail. Can I suggest you pick up their catalogue which also includes lots of items for scenery etc along with their glue. There are dealers in England who should be able to help. Gaugemaster comes to mind. The plastic cement is the best I have used along with Tamiya Thin.


The cement is available in the UK but if you have a problem finding it let me know and obtaining their catalogue I am sure you will find interesting including their fairground items. They also do trees and hedges and walls etc by the hundred.


As I said let me know if you are interested and have a problem finding their stuff as I will be ordering from Germany in a few weeks and can add anything you want to my order.


david (Benhur)

 

[zuludog]

It seems I'm becoming an exception nowadays in that I still like, and use traditional tube cement, especially for large joints like wing & fuselage halves, and wing & tailplane to fuselage joints


I tried a Revell glue applicator, the blue thing, but didn't think much of it so I just used it to top up my bottle of Humbrol liquid glue, the only type generally available at the time


Now that I have recently returned to model making I'm also using Tamiya Extra Thin and Mr Cement S, mainly because the bottles have proper tops, and not those fiddly childproof things. The narrower brushes is also a point in their favour


I have added some chopped clear sprue to the Tamiya Extra Thin to make it thicker than the usual liquid glue, but not as thick as tube glue. This means it doesn't flow all over the place like water


I also use a technique I developed when I was a teenager in the 1960s, and liquid glue was unheard of. I mounted a pin on the end of an old paintbrush handle, and squeeze out a small blob of tube glue onto a scrap of card or a piece of glass. Then I can pick up a very small of glue with the pin; it can be applied to small components quite accurately without it flowing all over the place

 

[Guest]

Extra thin or Mr cement S is the way forward, happy to use either although the Tamiya brush I find works best for me

 

[Guest]

have added some chopped clear sprue to the Tamiya Extra Thin to make it thicker than the usual liquid glue

I can see a couple of problems here at least the way I work. If it is thickened you will not get it wicking


into the joint as it is designed to plus it will take longer to cure. I actually hold pices and wait secs for the


initial cure


As it is neither Mr S or Tamiya make any significant difference to the surface except for a slight shadow mark.


I would worry that the surface may be affected with the cement staying on the surface a little thicker than it is


originally. Plus it takes longer to dry allowing it to soften the surface.


Actually I tested the initial cure rates of Tamiya and Mr Cement S. From memory Mr Cement S was about


18 secs and Tamiya 38 secs. Advantages both ways

 

[Guest]

I realise that this is an aging thread but I would like to add my threepeneth, as they say.


As for the 'touch and flow' type systems, the glass tube type. I first tried the Deluxe Products one and I found it almost unusable as the tip continually blocked. I then got the FlexiFile one and it works far better. The tube tip is a larger bore which stops it blocking but obviously, it makes it run faster, hence the droplet when you hold it up.


In use, I keep it on the special stand which keeps it horizontal. On picking it up to use it, press your finger gently on the open end of the glass tube before tilting to the verticle or whatever angle you want to use it. This stops the flow until you lift your finger. With practice, good control is achievable.


My second point on this wonderful tool is when you would use it. I started using these types of 'gluers' when I started building ships. I found the best way was to paint individual deck 'layers' before glueing them up. Using standard liquid glues and a brush, I found I was getting glue marks and damaging the paint. However, using the 'Touch&Flow' I could hold the deck in position and then run a 'bead' all around the deck join much better, and all in one go, than using a brush capillary action sucking the liquid cement where I need it without touching the paintwork at all..


Would I use it all the time while building other kits? No I wouldn't. Like many tools, they fit some applications better than others. I have used it glueing fenders on tanks where, again, it is a long joint.


So don't just dismiss products because they may not suit your personal working methods. Most, 99.9%, of the time, I use Mr Cement S with the built in applicator brush, but when I need it, I am always pleased the 'Touch&Flow' is in my tool box.


Will it suit every modeller? No, of course not but for me, it is a great tool.