Glue

[Cody J]

I was watching a video on Youtube made by World's Greatest Hobby and it was on building model structures and they used some special glue but I couldn't see the name. Is there any special glue or anything that I should use when I'm building model structures?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lVtfA88EMhk   The video that I was referring to.

Thanks,
Cody

[ABC]

Well it all depends on what the structures are made of, for example you would use a different substance for wood as opposed to plastic as opposed to metal as opposed to card stock.

[Doneldon]

Cody-

You'll need several kinds of glue, depending on what materials you need to join.  Most often you'll need a glue for styrene plastic.  I find the liquids in bottles easier to work with than the thicker glues which come in a tube, but I keep both on hand in case I need something with a little body. 

Then there's wood glue.  You can use white glue (like Elmer's), yellow glue (basically water resistant Elmer's) or solvent glue, like Ambroid.  There are some other woodworker products you might run across which should also work well. 

Now it gets a little more complicated.  You'll need something to join metals, resin and disimilar materials.  Lots of folks use ACC adhesives (super glue) for these tasks.  These conveniently come in various viscosities so you can choose watery to gummy, and from nearly instant setting to delayed setting, depending on the job.  You can even find a substance which will accelerate the setting speed of super glues.  Not surprisingly, these are called accelerators.  Just don't glue a finger to an eyeball, eeither instantly or slowly.  There are lots of other glues in this category including tubed glues, bottled glues, and even some glues you mix from powders.  Just check at your local hardware store. 

For really tough challenges, consider two-part glues (epoxy) which you mix for the job at hand.  And last, consider construction glues and adhesive caulks which you might need to assemble the layout itself.  Be sure to get foam compatible products if you'll be joining construction foam products like foam insulation.

So it's not like there's a glue to buy.  You will need several, as dictated by the materials you are attempting to stick together.  Good luck with your projects.  We'd like to see some on this Board as you make progress.

          --D

[CNE Runner]

The chemistry of adhesives is extensive and complex. I think Doneldon did an excellent job of briefly summarizing the basics. In my case I use Micro Mark's SameStuff for styrene, butyrate, ABS & Acrylic. Zap-A-Gap by Pacer (also from Micro Mark) is a good CA or 'super glue' product and comes in various viscosities. This adhesive is great for joining two dissimilar materials together. WARNING: CAs do not have much shear strength. Do not use CAs on window glazing as it will cause 'fogging' (don't use SameStuff either for the same reason).

Canopy cement is the product of choice to adhere those clear styrene sheets to the back of window frames. If the window panes are small, use canopy cement AS the glazing. It will go on white and dry crystal clear- and will look much better than that scale-foot-thick piece of styrene that comes with the kit.

I have recently discovered an adhesive by Loctite called No Mess. This stuff comes in a tube (is available from your local box store such as Lowe's) and does a good job adhering many different materials together. The product goes on white - but dries clear...great for gluing down track - although latex sealant is cheaper for large jobs.

For wooden craftsman kits I like carpenter's glue. This stuff is water soluble (when wet...water resistant when dry), is cheap, and is easy to dispense (using a toothpick). The only caveat is to stain the pieces first, before gluing, because stain will not adhere to the dry glue.

For signs and laser-cut shingles I like a permanent glue stick. Glue sticks have a very low moisture content and will stay where you apply it. Occasionally I have a problem with something, applied using a glue stick, staying 'put'. This is a rare event and probably results from incomplete coverage with the stick.

Lastly, one cannot do fine modeling without a spray can of 3M (or other brand) spray adhesive. Spray a piece of plastic, wood or foamcore and then spray the back of a paper overlay and the two are joined permanently!

Like I, and Doneldon, alluded...adhesives are a complex subject.

Ray

[Joe323]

One word of advice on glue.  Buy good quality name brand.  My fiance' tried to save money by buying cheap white glue for me in the dollar store.  It was so think I could not get it to squeeze out of the bottle.  Ended up throwing it out and buying Elmer's

[Jim Banner]

The fellow in the video was using a liquid cement for styrene.  Testors makes one, so do a number of other companies.  Testors' sets a bit slow so you have a few seconds to move pieces around a bit after you put the brush down.  You can also use lacquer thinner for gluing styrene.  It works a bit faster and costs a whole lot less.  When you have a bit more experience working with styrene and can glue up the joints first time every time, you may want to move up to Weldon #3, an industrial product available from plastics companies that sell or work with acrylics and Lexan.  Used with styrene, the bond is almost instantaneous.

Did you notice in the video how the fellow used his cement?  He carefully fitted the pieces together so that there were no gaps.  Then he held them in place and ran a bead of cement along the joint with a small brush.  Be careful doing this.  Gravity is your enemy.  If you apply too much cement, it will leak through the joint and glue the bottom piece to the table, ruining the design moulded into the surface of the plastic.  One trick that can help here is to "tack" the ends of the joint with very small amounts of cement.  Then stand the two pieces up so that the joint is vertical.  Finally, run some cement down the joint.  Now gravity is your friend.  Any extra cement will run down the joint and at worst, will stick an edge of the styrene to your table.

Jim

[Doneldon]

Cody-

Jim's right.  Gravity can be a friend or an enemy.  The same is true of capillary action; the same tight joint that draws your watery adhesive into a joint might draw enough through it to mar a surface you want to show.  So use glues sparingly; it's MUCH easier to add glue after the fact than to correct the damage from an overly-free hand on the glue dispenser inthe beginning.

Joe's suggestion to use known brands is also a good one.  The glue you use on a $100 model won't cost more than a few cents so you really can't save much with a cheapie, but you can do a lot of expensive damage with it.  Plus, in my experience, cheap adhesives seem to have a shorter shelf life, wiping out any savings from the initial purchase.  Too, name brand manufacturers stand behind their products if they cause problems.  That's rarely true with off brands made by companies in places you can't even go without a passport and lots of shots.

          --D