How to glue fibre optics?

florjon · Post by **florjon** » Wed Jun 06, 2012 1:05 am

Hai

So i was wondering, what do you use?
I use rhe simple white glue found in any shop.
Although harmless for the fo's it takes a very long to dry.

Anything better out there

Mr. Badwrench · Post by **Mr. Badwrench** » Wed Jun 06, 2012 3:48 am

I use hot glue. It doesn't get hot enough to damage the fiber, and remains flexible when cured.

scratchy · Post by **scratchy** » Wed Jun 06, 2012 3:58 am

I use CA to glue the fiber optic.

florjon · Post by **florjon** » Wed Jun 06, 2012 6:36 am

CA is superglue right?
I tried that before.. it melted my fibre optics...

Hot glue sounds like something you won't do fast.

I'm searching for something that is just on my shell and can be used right after i opened the cap... and put away just as fast.

The white glue takes almost a day to dry.. and the first couple of hours it's almost (very) thick water.. it searches for the lowest point and builds up.
So whatever i glue. .it needs to be very levelled or i must change position every once in a while to keep it levelled.

So thats why i was wondering if there was anything better then white glue but just as easy but much quicker to dry.

chiver · Post by **chiver** » Wed Jun 06, 2012 9:26 am

hot glue, and its weird that CA glue melted your FO. i know if youput baking soda on CA glue it makes it dry in an instant. but it makes alot or heat doing that, enough to burn your skin. os thats a bad idea to use, but i've never had a problem with just CA glue

starmanmm · Post by **starmanmm** » Thu Jun 07, 2012 6:52 am

My understanding of CA and FO is that it is a no no for it damages the FO.

I have tired the white glue and found it not to work.

The only two things that have worked on all my FO installations have been epoxie and low temp hot glue (basically, the hot glue gun used by crafters).

Glorfindel · Post by **Glorfindel** » Thu Jun 07, 2012 9:14 pm

scratchy wrote:I use CA to glue the fiber optic.

Really? And it doesn't melt your optics? What brand CA are you using that this has no effect on FO? Unless your using fishing line as your FO. It does work but light is dim out the cut end.

I use white glue as in Elmers. The problem with white glue is that it needs to sit over night to cure properly. Hot glue dries and releases over time, not that white glue can't do that, it certainly can, but hot glue.....I don't know. 2-part epoxy works fine. Just have to be willing to mix up all those batches.

Glorfindel · Post by **Glorfindel** » Thu Jun 07, 2012 9:17 pm

chiver wrote:hot glue, and its weird that CA glue melted your FO. i know if youput baking soda on CA glue it makes it dry in an instant. but it makes alot or heat doing that, enough to burn your skin. os thats a bad idea to use, but i've never had a problem with just CA glue

I actually used that method for installing FO into an old X-Wing cockpit many years ago. I couldn't get the white glue to behave and finally said "F" it. Baking Soda and CA here I come. Damn sure enough worked.....best FO job I did looking back.

florjon · Post by **florjon** » Fri Jun 08, 2012 1:00 am

HMMMM, this does not help all those different opinions .

i uses ca too once, made the fo brittle and fell off....
mixing glue is too much trouble, i need something 'on the go'

Glorfindel · Post by **Glorfindel** » Fri Jun 08, 2012 7:09 am

Not many options when it comes to gluing these puppy's in. In thinking outside the box you may have a bit of luck with rubber cement just as long as there is little to no tension on the FO.
Yeah, my experience with FO and CA has been the same as yours, fiber gets brittle and easily breaks. Love to know what Scratchy's using.

scratchy · Post by **scratchy** » Fri Jun 08, 2012 7:24 am

I've used CA on the star destroyer, it seemed fine. Maybe I'll test certain types of glue with the FO and see what happens. After all this time, the FO lights up .

I'll post a pic of the CA bottle later today. Also, I'll power up the lights and see what the equator trench looks like.

Anybody try Gorrilla Glue?

Glorfindel · Post by **Glorfindel** » Fri Jun 08, 2012 9:37 am

I have the thick gel-like Gorilla Glue but never tried it on FO. My experience with CA and FO comes from using the Crazy Glue brand. That stuff made the fiber brittle. Maybe it's far hotter then other CA formula's but I'm from the understanding that CA is a glue, not a solvent. I guess it could be just a harsher CA compared to others.

scratchy · Post by **scratchy** » Fri Jun 08, 2012 10:18 am

The brand of Cyanoacrylate that I use.

karim · Post by **karim** » Fri Jun 08, 2012 11:28 am

I use Aves... not exactly glue, but much easier to control, and doesn't harm the FOs

Mr. Badwrench · Post by **Mr. Badwrench** » Sun Jun 10, 2012 1:33 am

scratchy wrote:The brand of Cyanoacrylate that I use.

That's Bob Smith CA. Hobby shops all over America, (and elsewhere, for all I know), buy the stuff, put their own label on it, and resell it. I've never figured out the story behind that.

florjon · Post by **florjon** » Sun Jun 10, 2012 1:49 am

Well i tested the hot glue.
Dries fast, doesnt damage the fo, but because of the heat the fo curls up...
Not sure what to make of it....

florjon · Post by **florjon** » Mon Jun 11, 2012 3:45 am

also tried different brand of CA again.
Made the fo's brittle and they broke off.

I'm just thinking of an idea to try.
The glue you use to repair your bicycle tires with...

Mr. Badwrench · Post by **Mr. Badwrench** » Mon Jun 11, 2012 4:21 am

That's rubber cement. Might work, I've never tried it.

The hot glue I use isn't from a hot glue gun. I got a hot glue pot from a craft store. It takes the same sticks, but melts them and keeps them warm and gooey in a little metal tray. Dip a toothpick or disposable paintbrush into it to apply the glue.

starmanmm · Post by **starmanmm** » Mon Jun 11, 2012 12:53 pm

Don't know what hot glue gun you are using, but like I said, I used a hot glue gun that craft people use and it is a low temp gun. Heck, the glue sticks you buy for it states that it is for low temp guns only.

So, if you went that route, you should not be seeing your FO curl up at all unless they are very fine.

florjon · Post by **florjon** » Mon Jun 11, 2012 3:34 pm

Then i bought the wrong gun

Anyway, the bicycle glue is working really good. Dries fast, doesnt run and doesnt damage the fo.
But i only have a small tube bought many years ago. Must check price for bigger tube.

florjon · Post by **florjon** » Tue Jun 12, 2012 2:18 am

This is the stuff i am talking about
http://i1224.photobucket.com/albums/ee3 ... 072617.jpg

The red tube is the nr 1 stuff we use in holland for repairing bicycle tires.
This also has the best results. Dries very quickly, doesnt run. It is also very transparent. Could be a downside.

The other tube is the same, but slightly less sticky when dried, still good enough.
So i ordered the misses to buy more of those red tubes

Glorfindel · Post by **Glorfindel** » Tue Jun 12, 2012 5:24 am

florjon wrote:This is the stuff i am talking about
http://i1224.photobucket.com/albums/ee3 ... 072617.jpg

The red tube is the nr 1 stuff we use in holland for repairing bicycle tires.
This also has the best results. Dries very quickly, doesnt run. It is also very transparent. Could be a downside.

The other tube is the same, but slightly less sticky when dried, still good enough.
So i ordered the misses to buy more of those red tubes

Ordered the Mrs.? Wow....I might survive a suggestion.

starmanmm · Post by **starmanmm** » Mon Jun 18, 2012 6:07 pm

going thru my notes.... came across a reference to this glue.....

"House Hold Cement" by the people who brought you the Original Super Glue. It can be purchased in either Target or Michaels.

starsend · Post by **starsend** » Fri Aug 31, 2012 6:57 pm

In my experience, CA will destroy your fiber n a matter of seconds. Styrene cement also will, eventually so make sure you don't let it touch the fiber... Ad hot glue, be careful because when the gun gets hot you will melt the FO. Light might still pass, but it will be tinted a yellowish shade (with white led). The only safe thing for me is white glue. You can find 5 minute white glue at hardware stores, or good old Elmer which will take a few hours to dry.

chiver · Post by **chiver** » Sat Sep 01, 2012 12:31 am

That's what I use I found it flows very well between the fibers when there packed close, I'm just finding a hard time trying to glue and place short FO with out placing the glue first then stringing the fiber. And not coating the inside length with the white glue, ie; a romulan warbird head

Kylwell · Post by **Kylwell** » Sat Sep 01, 2012 10:59 am

I used rubber impregnated CA for FO w/o any issues. The big problem with CA and FO is that CA expands when curing and can put undue pressure on the FO. This is especially true when fitting FO into a tight confine & the glue has penetrated the joint. Low temp craft guns (some hardware ones have 2 settings depending on the stick used) work fine also. PVA glues work well but take forever to cure, epoxy are also ok, never thought of Aves (what can't it do?) but would more than likely be awesome @ it.

karim · Post by **karim** » Sun Sep 02, 2012 1:02 pm

The fumes that CA gives off when it cures (the same fumes that will craze clear plastic) can make most modeling-grade FO brittle to the point of breaking at a touch. If you're really lucky, or if you can avoid fume concentration, then you can get away with CA, but it's definitely courting disaster in my experience.

southwestforests · Post by **southwestforests** » Sun Sep 02, 2012 2:43 pm

The couple times I did the CA + baking soda thing, 5 years later it was sprouting snowflake crystal towers.