which glue to cement 2 different kinds of plastic ?

[BERT aka MODEL MAKER]

I am adding the lower viewport to my polar lights jupiter 2 and got some small plastic stock from the hobby shop to use as window frames. will testors glue work for this or is some other kind of glue better ? also my skyhook replacement seats are also a different plastic than the PL J2 what is the best glue to use ? superglue ???

[Shinnentai]

Re: J2 windows- The two issues here would be (1) what kind/brand of plastic stock you bought, and (2) will the new frames be in close contact with clear parts.

If you bought polystyrene (Evergreen is the common hobby store brand, and is white in color) there's no issue. If you bought Plastruct brand (various shades of grey mostly), you might be dealing with something tricker, like oddball formulations of ABS specifically designed to resist glues. If you're not sure, dab some of your Testors glue on a spare corner, and see if it marrs the plastic. If it does, you're okay.

BTW, are you using the Testors tube glue, or the liquid cement?

If the frames aren't going to be glued directly to the clear parts, the Testors is fine, just as long as you install the clear parts after you've glued the frames. If they are going to be glued to the clear parts, it gets a wee more complicated.

Testors glue (both tube and liquid) is a solvent glue, meaning it patially disolves the plastic to fuse the parts together rather than forming a chemical bond. Using it with clear parts can be tricky sometimes, as it can permaently ruin the clarity if not applied right. Many people just don't bother with it, and rely on white glue or other neautral glues to secure clear parts.

Personally I think this is where the tube glue comes in handy (for most other joints I find liquid solvent glues far superior). A very thin film applied to the mating surfaces (with a 1/2mm margin) will do the job very well without damaging the clear part. With liquid slovents it's far too easy for the liquid to spread into areas you don't want, permenantly crazing the surface of the clear plastic. You don't want to use superglue for clear parts as it can permanently fog up the surface of the part with a powdery white film of recondensed CA fumes.

Regarding the different plasic for the Skyhook seats: again, test the (liquid) glue on an iconspicious area of the part or sprue, and see if it marrs the plastic. Plastruct actually makes a nice liquid cement for joining dissimilar plastics, you might want to give that a try (it's very handy to have anyway). I'm not personally fammiliar with Skyhook's products, but if they're an aftermarket company, it's very likely those seats are resin cast, not plastic. If that's the case, then superglue is best (solvent's won't work at all on resin).

If they are resin, you'll want to give them a good soak and scrub with a degreasing cleaner like Easy-Off, Simple Green, or Big Orange before you do anything with 'em, as it is common for resin parts to have a lingering film of mold release that will interfere with gluing and painting.

Hope this helps!

[BERT aka MODEL MAKER]

thanks for the very helpful info. the seats are resin, and the plastic rods were right next to the evergreen clear plastic sheet and are white. i am using the testors 3 sided black container of glue

[Mr. Badwrench]

For the resin seats you'll have to use CA or epoxy glue. But the white Evergreen stock is styrene, same as the kit, so Testor's glue will work. It will work better if you sand the mating surfaces a bit.

[BERT aka MODEL MAKER]

thank you for the helpful tips

[Lt. Z0mBe]

One thing: If you accidentally fog clear parts when using super glues, a quick wash of Future will take care of the fogging.

Z0mBe

[BERT aka MODEL MAKER]

that future sure is a modelers best friend ! i wish i knew it cleard fogging when i accidently got superglue on the clear plastic fusion core insert for my lunar models 2 foot jupiter 2 when i was installing it and most of the window panes in it got fog spots, and i thought i could cover it up by using dullcoat on it but it didn't. if i was to use drops of future on the OUTSIDE of those windows of the fusion core,(since it is cemented into place and can't be opened) would the plastic unfog ? so now the fog spots still show through the dullcoat is ther any hope of making it look better ? i have a light circuit in there and i can still see the lights flash pretty good, i just wish it was clearer.

[TER-OR]

If you apply future before gluing, you will have a much lower chance to fog the parts. But CA should be very carefully used around clear bits. 2-part epoxy is much safer. It dries clear. white glue is best, as it can easily be removed.

[big-dog]

So is Testors glue for lear parts just PVA or white glue?

[Lt. Z0mBe]

So is Testors glue for lear parts just PVA or white glue?

I use PVA/white on clear parts, or thickened Future. With the white glue, you can use a damp cotton swab, swabbed over the glue, to fill in gaps between clear parts and the fuselage.

Z0mBe

[BERT aka MODEL MAKER]

If you apply future before gluing, you will have a much lower chance to fog the parts. But CA should be very carefully used around clear bits. 2-part epoxy is much safer. It dries clear. white glue is best, as it can easily be removed.

but , will future unfog a clear plastic piece that was dullcoated to try and hide the fogging but didn't work will the dullcoat block any help future will give, mind you, i can only apply the future to the outside of the piece.

[Mr. Badwrench]

I don't know. You'll have to try it and see. It certainly won't hurt it any.

[Lt. Z0mBe]

If you apply future before gluing, you will have a much lower chance to fog the parts. But CA should be very carefully used around clear bits. 2-part epoxy is much safer. It dries clear. white glue is best, as it can easily be removed.

but , will future unfog a clear plastic piece that was dullcoated to try and hide the fogging but didn't work will the dullcoat block any help future will give, mind you, i can only apply the future to the outside of the piece.

No. Here's the reason:

Fogginess comes from little crevaces on the surface of the piece. Think of a piece of ice from the freezer. All the little crevaces reflect and refract the light at different directions.

Dullcoat does this intentinally, scattering the light such that things look dull; on a clear piece, less light can get through (like the ice from the freezer scatters light), and you have an instant "fog."

Future is self-leveling, which means it will have a smooth, more reflective (and glossy) surface, even over minor imperfections. The fogging from Dullcoat's tiny crevaces, however, can't be fixed by Future, because the crevaces are too small for the Future to adequately work down into. The Future also can't get through the Dullcoat to get to the other, super glue fogging you've got going on.

The super glue fogging, by itself, can be fixed with Future, as its little crevaces are not too small for Future to settle into and self-level.

Does this make sense?

Z0mBe

[BERT aka MODEL MAKER]

yes it does, i had a feeling that it would be a waste of time trying it, but you never know but thanks for the info. i will have to be more careful around clear parts next time

[Warped Speedster]

Thanks ZOmBe for the "Future" tip. I've never tried that but I will next time it happens.

Also, a good safe way to glue in clear windows or lens is with acrylic clear coat. Just use it as the glue. Off course it works best when the pieces fit together well.

[M.T.C.]

Wal-Mart sells a testors super glue for all plastics even works on Resin model parts as well,and the nice thing is the price,it only costs $1.27 for a 1/5 oz. bottle.Look in the models in the toy dept. where the model paint and stuff would be.This is great stuff,it works great on Styrene kits,and Resin models,I have used it and still use it.I think this is your best bet for an inexpensive glue.Hope this helps.

[BERT aka MODEL MAKER]

thanks, i will see if i can find it.