Does plastic cement suck or is it just me?

joey_d1119 · Post by **joey_d1119** » Sat Jun 25, 2005 11:55 pm

Hey all,
For a long time I have been using testors plastic cement. I cant stand it. It melts the plastic, makes nasty stringys if you push out too much....I have recently started using super glue. I really like it but there has to be a down side to it. So my question is what do you all think of plastic cement? And do any of you use super glue?

Mr. Badwrench · Post by **Mr. Badwrench** » Sun Jun 26, 2005 12:19 am

Are you using that crappy jelly in the orange or blue tube? Don't use that. Use the liquid stuff in the little square bottle. Or use Ambroid ProWeld or Tenax. Super glue, (or CA), has it's applications, but it isn't for everything.

Andrew Gorman · Post by **Andrew Gorman** » Sun Jun 26, 2005 12:22 am

Testors is pretty nasty- my favorite tube glue is the stuff that comes in Airfix and Heller "Paints and glue" kits. It's awesome- fills gaps, gives you a reasonable amount of working time, but still sets up quickly. I blame the mustard oil that Mothers Against Everything forced Testors incorporate into the mix to keep "the children" from sniffing glue for ruining it. I find it nostagic to squeeze glue out of a tube onto a seam, and since everything I stick together needs some adjustments afterwards, tube glue works great for me.
Andrew

Shinnentai · Post by **Shinnentai** » Sun Jun 26, 2005 4:34 am

Andrew Gorman wrote:...and since everything I stick together needs some adjustments afterwards, tube glue works great for me.

The Testors liquid stuff sets up nigh instantaniously if you use it as commonly recomended, i.e. capillary action to an already closed seam, but if you brush it onto the mating surfaces seperately and then stick 'em together it'll actually give you an adjustment period similar to the tube stuff.

Marcal · Post by **Marcal** » Sun Jun 26, 2005 5:17 am

I believe that this situation is perfectly normal.

I donÂ´t know about Testors glue because I use Revel-Contacta, but usually modelling glue is special: it is styrene solved in some organic solvent such as trichlorethanol. The goal is to melt the plastic of both surfaces to glue and then, when the solvent has evaporated, everything becomes one piece. It is for this reason that this kind of glue glues very strong in models.

So, I wouldnÂ´t worry. I believe what happens to your glue is normal.

Digger1 · Post by **Digger1** » Sun Jun 26, 2005 8:39 am

a dab'll do 'ya.

I learned the hard way (when I was about oh, 16) not to use too much model cement.

Funny, the Testors' black bottle cement is among my "indispensable" modeling assets.

Jagdson · Post by **Jagdson** » Sun Jun 26, 2005 3:42 pm

Tenax doesn't work for me. 'Stuff's carcinogenic garbage in my book. Testor's liquid (bottle) and semi-liquid (black squeeze container) work nicely.

Superglue sets up quickly, but the joints can be very fragile. If there's a large seam that needs to be glued (such as the lower hulls of my Yamatos) I'll tack the parts together with CA and accelerator while the regular styrene glue sets. I used to rely solely on runner bands, but the odd bit of leakage makes that a bad idea.

Kylwell · Post by **Kylwell** » Sun Jun 26, 2005 9:25 pm

My main glue is Tennex. I know of a guy who mixes Tennex & Ambroid half & half. He loves it. Me, I just use Tennex. The Testros is a bit thicker and slower, Ambroid a bit faster & thinner (IIRC). Love CA for some applications but not for all. THere is a specially formulated CA for styrene that's great but hard to find. Think the only difference between it and regular CA is that it's a bit thicker like half way between Thin CA & Gap Filling CA) and has some added chemicals to get a better styrene bond.

And as BTB, Testors liquid or Tamiya are just as bad for you. The Black doesn't set fast enough for me.

Andrew Gorman · Post by **Andrew Gorman** » Sun Jun 26, 2005 9:41 pm

Since this discussion has turned into one about different glues, here are the ones I usually end up using:
1) The above mentioned "paint and glue kit" tube stuff. Thick, cap filling, and sets like iron overnight. It seems to give a much better bond than Testors in the orange tube, and sets up a little quicker. Still takes overnight to dry completely.
2) Ambroid Pro-Weld. Since it contains methylene chloride, it will solvent bond ABS, acrylic, butyrate, and most any hard plastic. I use a lot of found parts, and this usually works. And it's made by the oldest name in glue. Ambroid has been around since the 1930's.
3) Purple PVC primer. A couple of mostly empty cans can be found on any construction site in the US, so it's just about free. If you buy it in the hardware store it's still cheap. Mostly MEK, it gives you a lot more working time than Pro Weld but will not bond/solvent weld acrylic very well. And of course, it is purple and leaves a purple stain.
Andrew

Go Flight · Post by **Go Flight** » Tue Jun 28, 2005 2:25 pm

I'd have to agree with Marcal - the idea of that stuff is to melt to two parts together.
If you have extra glue/melted plastic squeezing out, I think you're using too much. I have a little scrap of glass and I squeeze a tiny bit of the jelly glue onto it. Then take the point of a toothpick, dip it in and run it along the part. You don't need much. Just my 2Â¢

big-dog · Post by **big-dog** » Fri Jul 01, 2005 10:12 am

Jagdson wrote:Tenax doesn't work for me. 'Stuff's carcinogenic garbage in my book. Testor's liquid (bottle) and semi-liquid (black squeeze container) work nicely.

Evidently methyl ethyl ketone (used in Testor's liquid cement) is more toxic than methylene chloride (in Tenax). Though I do like the semi-liquid stuff.

HWR MKII · Post by **HWR MKII** » Wed Jul 20, 2005 6:10 pm

In most liquid cements you buy MEK is the main active ingredient. A good cheap source for model glue is Oatys PVC pipe cement. You get a huge can for about 2 dollars. Im still using one i bought 4 years ago. Also the can is nice and wide so unless you try to you cant knock it over.

naoto · Post by **naoto** » Thu Jul 21, 2005 12:30 am

Go with paper models, then you can for the most part skip on those smelly and potentially hazardous adhesives. If you still insist on smelly stuff, you can go for Duco cement, or rubber cement. Rubber cement works nicely on certain parts you need to stay flexible. CA can also be used as a stiffening agent on paper.

big-dog · Post by **big-dog** » Thu Jul 21, 2005 1:37 am

There's lots of plastic cements out there, MEK, methylene chloride, stupid glue, tube glue, non-toxic tube glue. Some are great, some suck. So if you insist on sticking with tube glue even though you hate then, yeah, it's just you.

Macdaddy4738 · Post by **Macdaddy4738** » Thu Jul 21, 2005 11:53 am

Cill Chainnigh wrote:I'd have to agree with Marcal - the idea of that stuff is to melt to two parts together.
If you have extra glue/melted plastic squeezing out, I think you're using too much. I have a little scrap of glass and I squeeze a tiny bit of the jelly glue onto it. Then take the point of a toothpick, dip it in and run it along the part. You don't need much. Just my 2Â¢

exactly what i do. I dont have any other glue around here BUT testors (ive yet to see a black bottle one..) so i just use the red tube stuff...works fine for me

MillenniumFalsehood · Post by **MillenniumFalsehood** » Wed Aug 24, 2005 9:55 pm

I like the Red Tube Testor's glue for my projects. I occasionly get a thumbprint on the surface of what I'm working with, but I can usually sand off the excess after it dries. I usually apply just the tiniest bit of pressure to the tube and only a little comes out. I then smooth it over with my fingertip and attach the part(after wiping my finger off, of course). I find it easier to do than to mess with the glue-tube tips that Testor's sells; they usually get pushed off as I'm doing a large surface, so I just dispense with them and use the glue straight from the tube.

DasPhule · Post by **DasPhule** » Wed Aug 24, 2005 11:16 pm

Ambroid is what I spill on my table. I rarely get any of it on actual plastic (unless it's laying on the table). I seem to always find a way to knock the brand new bottle over each and every time I buy one. Why would it be so difficult for them to put it in short, fat, square bottles instead of tall, narrow, round bottles? I'd kill for a Mr Cement bottle so I could decant Abroids into it!

Excuse me, I gotta go cut the feet parts of this gundam off the table...

Erin
<*>

Kylwell · Post by **Kylwell** » Thu Aug 25, 2005 11:36 am

DasPhule wrote:Ambroid is what I spill on my table. I rarely get any of it on actual plastic (unless it's laying on the table). I seem to always find a way to knock the brand new bottle over each and every time I buy one. Why would it be so difficult for them to put it in short, fat, square bottles instead of tall, narrow, round bottles? I'd kill for a Mr Cement bottle so I could decant Abroids into it!

Excuse me, I gotta go cut the feet parts of this gundam off the table...

Erin
<*>

After teh umpteenth time I dumped my Tennax all over the table I found a quicke fix. Take a chumk of foam, perferable something resisant to your glue, cut a hole large enough to tightly fit a bottle of your perfered poison into it, making sure your base is now wider than the bottle it tall and wedge the bottle into the hole.

This hasn't totally stopped my dumping of glue but has greatly reduce the accidental knock-over.

DasPhule · Post by **DasPhule** » Thu Aug 25, 2005 11:41 am

Yeah, I know. I did it with clay for a while. I just hate having something with that big of a footprint on the table. I'm gonna find me a Mr. Cement or Revell Germany cement bottle and use those. I think the Tamiya bottles are squah as well.

One good thing about spilling a bottle of Ambroid, you get so high from the fumes that you really don't care for at least an hour or two!

Erin
<*>

Kylwell · Post by **Kylwell** » Thu Aug 25, 2005 11:54 am

But isn't it so much fun when you've got a buncha sprues laying around and you know over your bottle. I've though about drilling a bottle sized hole in my workbench to stop that but I more stuff around to much for a perminate fixture. The base I use is about 3in square and about an inch thick. Heck, I've got some of the foam still laying about if you want some. Stuff doesn't seem to react to anything.

DasPhule · Post by **DasPhule** » Thu Aug 25, 2005 12:03 pm

Nah, I have about 20 sq feet of the foam Joe brown sent me years ago. Packed away, but I still have it.

Couple weeks ago I was sitting down to do a conversion on a Gundam for Sal. Spread the parts out, glued a few assemblies together, put them all in sub groups in individual piles. Phone rang, reached for it, bumped the brand new bottle, splash. EVERY part glued itself to the table. Also had several sheets of styrene laying on the table. Instant goo puddles. Only thing that saved the wood floor from getting ruined was the fact that the instructions for the kit were on the table and absorbed most of the glue.

That's it, I'm addig some Mr. Cement to my outstanding order with HLJ!

Erin
<*>

big-dog · Post by **big-dog** » Fri Aug 26, 2005 9:21 am

DasPhule wrote:That's it, I'm addig some Mr. Cement to my outstanding order with HLJ!

Erin
<*>

Mr. Cement? Sounds like a porn actor. You know I've never spilled Tenax or Ambroid, Tenax smells nicer, or at least less obnoxious BTW. I did, however, discover it's really a good idea to decant nail polish remover before use.

Kylwell · Post by **Kylwell** » Fri Aug 26, 2005 9:23 am

big-dog wrote:...You know I've never spilled Tenax or Ambroid...

Then you obviously aren't building fast enough

big-dog · Post by **big-dog** » Fri Aug 26, 2005 9:42 am

kylwell wrote:
big-dog wrote:...You know I've never spilled Tenax or Ambroid...
Then you obviously aren't building fast enough

No, I build slowly, like to tack things together, in the right orientation (hopefully), with Testors thin in the black sci-fi shaped plastic bottle (BTW, the Testors and the Testors Model Master in the black bottles are identical, but the Model Master costs about twice as much) and then finish with the Ambroid or Tenax. Using Micro Brushes, what else?

jack wendt · Post by **jack wendt** » Fri Aug 26, 2005 2:36 pm

IMHO the best glue for injection plastic is faller expert.

http://warrickcustomhobbies.com/inside/ ... 119&cat=87

http://www.liliput.com/faller/fal_suppl ... umericSort