3 questions about superglue or similar

PALG · Post by **PALG** » Thu Jan 10, 2008 12:27 am

I'm finding I need to glue different materials together and dont know which direction to go in re: superglue or other suitable adhesive. I would rather avoid adhesives that require mixing, if possible.

Firstly, what is the best adhesive for gluing different types of plastic (e.g. sheet styrene onto old plastic fim canisters)? I used one very commonly available (forget the name, comes in flouro pink or green label - I used the green) which was hopeless (or my use of it was).

Secondly, what is best for gluing brass or other metal parts to ordinary, commercial plastic models?

Thirdly, what is best for attaching styrene/other plastic to balsa?

I'd appreciate any advice.
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WEED VAPORIZER

Umi_Ryuzuki · Post by **Umi_Ryuzuki** » Thu Jan 10, 2008 1:33 am

it is my experience that nothing attaches anything to aluminum, or those film canisters.. If something were to have a chance, it is better if the area is sanded and roughed up to give it some "tooth". The tiny grooves will give the adhesive something to grab on to....
Tiny screws and a backing plate inside the canister would work really well.

standard CA is fine for brass, plastic and balsa. Again a clean freshly sanded area will adhere better. This goes for the plastic as well as the brass. If you can drill the brass and create an attchment point you are golden.

JB weld is something I use quite a bit also.

Kylwell · Post by **Kylwell** » Thu Jan 10, 2008 2:03 am

IIRC film canisters were/are polyethylene and virtually nothing will glue to them. You can get some adhesion by roughing up the surface and using a high strength epoxy or, possible, the Wave Black CA or Mercury Adhesives Rubber CA.

I used either thin CA or Wave Black CA for brass.

Styrene to wood... Rubber impregnated CA or Thick CA.

Shinnentai · Post by **Shinnentai** » Thu Jan 10, 2008 2:22 am

Umi_Ryuzuki wrote:it is my experience that nothing attaches anything to aluminum

JB weld.

Umi_Ryuzuki · Post by **Umi_Ryuzuki** » Thu Jan 10, 2008 3:36 am

Shinnentai wrote:
Umi_Ryuzuki wrote:it is my experience that nothing attaches anything to aluminum
JB weld.

Actually you are correct there,... I have two pieces of an airfoiled
aluminium JBwelded together for my hydrofoil strut...

PALG · Post by **PALG** » Thu Jan 10, 2008 9:24 pm

Thank you to everyone for your very prompt and helpful replies. Can i ask what tthe abbrev 'CA' actually refers to? Is it the superglue type (not brand) which begins with 'C'?

I ask because, in my own experience, no one in the dwindling number of hobbyshops here really knows much about scratchbuilding, and when I ask questions, about products as well as techniques, they quite often do not have any idea what i am referring to. Unless its well within the mainstream of kit modelling or has something to do with RC hobbies, shop assistants do not seem to know much here. Or maybe its because I dont know much! Chicken or the egg ...

So I'll have to be as clear as possible with them when i enquire about the glue.
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MAGIC FLIGHT

Umi_Ryuzuki · Post by **Umi_Ryuzuki** » Thu Jan 10, 2008 9:48 pm

Superglue, and the quick dry hobby cements are mostly CA these days.

CyanoAcrylate glue.

DX-SFX · Post by **DX-SFX** » Fri Jan 11, 2008 6:27 am

Aluminium (which wasn't originally mentioned) has an oxide layer that forms on it in seconds and it's this thin oxide layer that prevents it from oxidising any further. Chances are, if you sand it, by the time you've applied the glue, the fresh looking metal already has a new layer of oxidation on it. The best technigue for gluing aluminium is to apply your glue to it and then scratch the surface through the glue using a piece of piano wire or rat tail file so the glue truly contacts fresh metal. If you're sticking two bits of ali together, you need to do this to both parts. This will give you the strongest bond that your chosen glue is ever likely to give.

As someone mentioned, it's unlikely you'll get a satisfactory bond of any kind to a plastic film container although there is one trick which sometimes works with "soapy" plastic. If you play a flame over the surface just enough to gloss it up, you've chemically changed the surface of the plastic and burnt off some of the constituents that impede adhesion. You can then attempt to glue it. It'll take nerve on a thin piece like a film container but it does improve adhesion even though you still won't get a brilliant bond.

Post by **TER-OR** » Tue Jan 15, 2008 7:43 pm

That's the same with polypropylene, flame ionization can allow CA glue to bond.

BUT - flexing will likely pop that joint, as CA doesn't flex too well. That's why we cast those things in resin if we really, really want the shape. Or skin it in epoxy.