Glue/adhesive recommendations?


C&OMtnMan

C&OMtnMan

Well-Known Member
I’m getting ready to pivot from weathering rolling stock, to working on my layout.The next phase is building some bridge kits to, to allow me to finish my track plan.

I’m figuring cyanoacrylates, and I’m familiar with the different viscosities, but I want to know if there are any brand recommendations specifically for the styrene plastics, etc., used in bridge building kits?

Does anyone recommend anything besides a cyanoacrylate?
 
This is mostly adding to the chorus, but I would use some sort of plastic model cement for styrene. I would not recommend cyranoacrylate (CA) glue for primary construction on styrene--it doesn't create the same "welded" bond that plastic glues do. CA glue does have its uses, however, for things like detail work, instant bonds, joining non-styrene plastics or dissimilar materials, or certain types of wood like balsa.

My two primary plastic glues are:

Model Master liquid plastic cement, I'm not even sure if this is in production anymore, it's similar to the Testors glue, except it comes in a container with a metal needle applicator. I use this for most applications, it's a medium viscosity glue.

Tamiya liquid plastic cement, this is a thin liquid, I use it when I need something thinner than the above. Just about everything Tamiya makes in the hobby world is pretty high quality, relatively speaking.

Experiment and see what you like and what works best for you. Keep it up and you'll someday end up with a whole bench full of different glues and accessories.
 
I happen to be a professional model builder, FWIW. I use CA as a temporary glue unless on porous surfaces. For styrene, I use MEK. Not as good as some of the ones containing methylene chloride but less toxic. Still needs ventilation or at least some air flow.
 
migalyto said:
I have just in the last year or so switched to this glue by Revell. I tried it after watching a youtuber that builds a lot of models. I love the long plastic tip for hard-to-reach places. It wicks well and holds super.

I also have used Tamiya liquid cement with good results.

http://www.hobbylinc.com/revell-ger...ement-w:applicator-plastic-model-cement-39604
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I tried that Revell, for some reason I just couldn't get along with it, still in my workbox tho', you know, "just in case" :D
 
kjd said:
I happen to be a professional model builder, FWIW. I use CA as a temporary glue unless on porous surfaces. For styrene, I use MEK. Not as good as some of the ones containing methylene chloride but less toxic. Still needs ventilation or at least some air flow.
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MEK is a chemical wielding agent, I would've thought it would have been pretty stong, but nice to know it's not all it's cracked up to be.
 
migalyto said:
Interesting, I've had really good luck with it.

Funny how something that works well for some, but not others.:)
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You’ve probably got more patience than me I think :D

Same as some people have had issue's with Intermountain and I haven't, but then again I don't have any of their freight cars and only 2 intermountan locomotives.
 
For me, all depends on the era the product was made and material it was made from…
For a modern injection molded styrene plastic kit… Tamiya…Testors…

For a vintage injection molded kit of the Revell / AHM Bakery…the usual stuff didn’t work so well.. I had to use dollar store CA glue with baking soda accelerator…reinforced with Gorilla Glue here and there ..
5 min epoxy is great as well for parts that need to be held solid in a certain timeframe…

Lately I have been using Gorilla Glue for detail parts like grabs…it’s more forgiving if you mess up…
 
the tamiya is what I used to assemble the Walthers bridges . When I applied the glue held the parts for 30 seconds and then I could let go and move on . U still have to be gentle with the assembly or it will come apart on you . Very little mess with this glue .
mike
 
Like some of the others above (kjd in post #9, for example), I was going to recommend MEK--Methyl Ethyl Ketone. I don't need to explain its particular advantages as it's already been done well enough above. I also do like his method of locating things temporarily with CA adhesives, and there are some super-thin versions of those, useful for their wicking properties.

The problem for me is that I probably can't get MEK now in Colorado, and I'm pretty sure you can't get it in California either (true of some other places too), but it might still be available here for certain uses, of which I have several. Not just for welding styrene to other styrene or even other plastics. It has some other uses with inks, and potentially ink printing.

Supposedly a bottle is on its way my way, and if it shows up, I'll be very careful with it. Else I'll have to find that old can from days gone by, which I might actually be able to do too. We'll see. But I'd rather not have to.

------

Back in the day, John Nehrich, who made regular use of styrene solvents when making sub-shells for his well known brick structures used Solvent Weld (As I recall, SW was then, and still might be even now Testors liquid cement). He did point out in a video description of his method that you could "nudge it to get it just where you want it," so it did have at least some working time. Assuming that matters. It's been so long since I used MEK myself that I just can't remember if the working time is true for that solvent as well.

I'll bet kjd knows though....
 
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