Hello guys,
I havent built a model since i was around 13 years old and i am now hitting 40!
I am a huge fan of star wars and i have bought a few star wars kits to start me back into model building!!
I want to spend a lot of time on my models and will be looking for hints and tips etc on here regarding weathering and paints and general bulding etc etc in the future ,
Now this is a dumb question i know but as i said i am new to it all..
My question is..
When your using cement/glue on your models do you apply it to the whole rim of the parts being cemented or apply it only to the pins and holes on the model for fitting it together?
New model builder with a dumb question for you all!
Moderators: DasPhule, Moderators
Depends. If you plan to paint your model, you'll want to eliminate the seams between pieces (like the seam between the two halves of a rocket body, for instance). In that case, you would apply glue all around the part. Usually you'd use liquid cement (comes in bottle with brush in cap); hold the two halves together and apply cement to the seam with the brush; capillary action will carry the cement into the seam. If the cement goes astray and mars the surface of the plastic, it doesn't matter because you were going to paint the model anyway.
Then you would fill any remaining seam with putty, sand, prime, examine and re-putty if necessary, re-prime, repeat as necessary, then paint.
But if you don't plan to paint the model or it's prepainted, I'd use tube glue (comes in the old-style toothpaste-type tube) sparingly applied to the pins and here and there along the seam.
Incidentally, in my experience the alignment pins are almost always off some small amount, and if you want really good alignment between the halves of something you have to trim off the pins.
Then you would fill any remaining seam with putty, sand, prime, examine and re-putty if necessary, re-prime, repeat as necessary, then paint.
But if you don't plan to paint the model or it's prepainted, I'd use tube glue (comes in the old-style toothpaste-type tube) sparingly applied to the pins and here and there along the seam.
Incidentally, in my experience the alignment pins are almost always off some small amount, and if you want really good alignment between the halves of something you have to trim off the pins.
The liquid glues, like Tamiya Thin, Tenax 7R, Ambroid Pro Weld, Gunze Mr. Just Brush Type Cement, are cleaner and much easier to use than the old tube glue.
I usually add a little to the pin areas to help them side in and then once the part is together add more to the seam letting capillary action draw the glue into the seam. Then mash together and let harden.
The other option is Ca, cyanoacrylate aka super glue. You can get it in various thicknesses but you will @ some point end up glued to either your workbench or your model, especially with the super thin versions. With it I'll apply some around the edge of one piece using a needle to place it, then pop the pieces together and hit it with an accelerator (speeds the cure time of the CA which with thicker versions can be minutes).
I usually add a little to the pin areas to help them side in and then once the part is together add more to the seam letting capillary action draw the glue into the seam. Then mash together and let harden.
The other option is Ca, cyanoacrylate aka super glue. You can get it in various thicknesses but you will @ some point end up glued to either your workbench or your model, especially with the super thin versions. With it I'll apply some around the edge of one piece using a needle to place it, then pop the pieces together and hit it with an accelerator (speeds the cure time of the CA which with thicker versions can be minutes).
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southwestforests
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Re: New model builder with a dumb question for you all!
A: Yes, I do.muir318 wrote:do you apply it to the whole rim of the parts being cemented or apply it only to the pins and holes on the model for fitting it together?
Meaning, that sometimes when using the liquid glue applied with a brush I will start by putting a bit on the pins and/or tabs and then after properly seating the part apply glue along the entirety of the joint.
"There are a thousand things that can happen when you go light a rocket engine, and only one of them is good."
Tom Mueller of SpaceX, in Air and Space, Jan. 2011
Tom Mueller of SpaceX, in Air and Space, Jan. 2011
I know this is probably going against the grain, but I prefer CA glue to plastic cement. I would especially recommend it to someone new to modelling.
Plastic Cements main benefit is its strong hold as it is melting together the pieces. However, it is VERY unforgiving. A loose string of glue or a bit on the finger can ruin a finish, and heaven help you if you, for whatever reason, realize you need to take something apart after you glue it.
CA glue doesn't bond as strongly, but in my opinion it bonds more than strong enough for 99% of models out there. It works well on almost all materials (plastic, metal, resin), so it makes a good one product solution. It has numerous modelling applications, from gap filling to texturing. It additive rather than deformative, so if you need to you can always sand back down to the original model. You have more control over the drying time either via pressure (flat surfaces can be slid around and then fix when pressed together) or chemical (There are spray products to instantly set CA glue, or you can use baking soda).
But best of all (to me), when you make a mistake (which I always seem to) you can pry the parts apart, sand them down, and do it again. If they have been set for awhile you can do this either by freezing them, which makes the paint brittle, or using one of the CA glue dissolvants on the market.
Now if there are some benefits and applications of plastic glue I am missing out on besides the strength I would be very interested to know about them. But based on my experience I'll choose CA glue almost every time.
Plastic Cements main benefit is its strong hold as it is melting together the pieces. However, it is VERY unforgiving. A loose string of glue or a bit on the finger can ruin a finish, and heaven help you if you, for whatever reason, realize you need to take something apart after you glue it.
CA glue doesn't bond as strongly, but in my opinion it bonds more than strong enough for 99% of models out there. It works well on almost all materials (plastic, metal, resin), so it makes a good one product solution. It has numerous modelling applications, from gap filling to texturing. It additive rather than deformative, so if you need to you can always sand back down to the original model. You have more control over the drying time either via pressure (flat surfaces can be slid around and then fix when pressed together) or chemical (There are spray products to instantly set CA glue, or you can use baking soda).
But best of all (to me), when you make a mistake (which I always seem to) you can pry the parts apart, sand them down, and do it again. If they have been set for awhile you can do this either by freezing them, which makes the paint brittle, or using one of the CA glue dissolvants on the market.
Now if there are some benefits and applications of plastic glue I am missing out on besides the strength I would be very interested to know about them. But based on my experience I'll choose CA glue almost every time.
Have you ever tried the liquid cements like Tenax 7r, Pro-Weld, etc? You can apply them very accurately with a brush or touch-n-flow. Unlike CA, a joint glued with a liquid cement has the same density and hardness making it easy to sand the joint smooth. CA cures much, much harder than the surrounding plastic so if you're using a flex pad it'll sand the styrene down faster then the CA which is why files are usually preferred for that sort of operation. Unlike CA, glues like Tenax 7r have a set cure time. CA, in my experience, has a habit of kicking just when you don't need it. I use it a lot when gluing PE. You also have a more limited working time for CA, if you wait too long you'll find it incredibly hard (we're talking days here) where as with Tenax, the joint is just as hard after a week as it is after a half hour or less.
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