Total newbie question I know. I searched and never saw anything specific for putting together plastic buildings. Also, any other little items to have on hand (other than an exacto knife)? Thanks!
I used to use Testors liquid model cement for plastics but recently have started using super glue (known also as CA, or Cyanoacrylate). I'm happy with the results of the CA so far.
Medium or Thick Viscosity CA works well (gives you a little more time than thin). Some machined metal block with 90 deg. corners helps to get the structure square. Micro Mark has a metal tray with magnets that works well. Some people use legos, though I worry about the CA sticking everything together (not a problem if you use the legos as the bracing). Some files and fine sandpaper to remove the flashings, though tacking a sheet of medium grit sandpaper to your workbench works well: you just move the whole wall section across it while keeping it upright and it levels the ends, which usually are beveled for release from the molds.
Wow...that was fast! Thanks. For glue I guess something like this: http://www.hobbylinc.com/htm/hlc/hlc111.htm
That's what I use (not that I'm a MMR or anything). Make sure you get the "Un-Cure", too (my finger tips would still be stuck together if I didn't have it handy)
I'd try a platics solvent type glue. The advantage is that the platics melt together to prvide a welded bond. Testor's cement for platic models is one option, but even better are Tenax 7R or Plastruct Bondene. These all work great, but the latter are a little less messy than the Testor's.
I really liked the Tenax 7R. You hold the pieces together and use a small glass rod (included) you dip in the glue jar. Just touch the glass rod to the seam of the joints to glue...and the stuff wicks up...down...sideways into it !! Amazing stuff ! The only problem I have...I accidently broke the glass rod :-( Now I have near a whole bottle of Tenax 7R and no glass rod to apply it with....bummer :-( .
Testors and a 000 brush. CA will pop apart at some point. Remember gluing stuff with Testors tube cement? Models would start re kitting themselves after a few years.
Both Plastruct Plastic Weld and the Bondene. The Plastic Weld gets the nod more than the Bondene. I've used Tenax but not totally enamored of it. Its evaporation rate is way too fast sometimes to get a good weld of the plastic. I've started using more of the Ambroid Pro Weld. It has the same capillary action of Tenax but in my book better welding. Incidently I have another use for the Plastruct Bondene in that I use it to smooth out small little imperfections in some styrene joints. I found that brushing on a quick coat in the area and then following with another will smooth out a small ripple or ding in the plastic. I've gotten rid of many a oops fingerprint left on plastic by my ten thumbs using this method. As far as application goes, when the bottle applicator is just too big I have been using a small fine point paint brush to apply a nice controlled amount to an inside corner.
Yes I know it is bad stuff but I use MEK. I pour from the quart can into an old Tenax bottle for working with. It wicks up and down the seams and melts (bonds) the pieces together real quick. You do have to be carefull when using MEK ! ! ! I have a feeling that some of the brands mentioned are nothing more than a re-brand of MEK ? ? ? Carl
I'm not sure what you mean by plastic. There are two types of building kits out there that I would call plastic. One is made of resin and is usually a tan or beige color. For that, you need CA glue. The other is styrene. For that, you need a styrene solvent that actually dissolves then welds the parts together. (Bondene is the one I use). Any resin kit should be scrubbed thoroughly with warm water and soap before using. The parts also often have to be squared by sanding, which you do by tacking down sandpaper to a hard surface like MC said. Your exacto knife should have a brand-new blade. If your knife is sharp enough, you will find it easy to trim off all the flashing without carving into the model. A metal ruler works as a good guide for your knife if you have to cut shapes out of styrene, and a ruler with cork glued on the back will keep it from sliding. With styrene, after you finish and have waited overnight for everything to dry, you will often see little flaws caused by the solvent going where you didn't want it to go. And there may be seams here and there from the casting process. You can remove all of these by balling up a little bit of steel wool the size of a peanut, holding it with tweezers, and gently rubbing over the area. Scrub clean with soap, water, and a toothbrush, because you don't want the little steel particles mucking up your paint job. Be careful picking out a glue to attach your windows. Some of them cloud the plastic.
My hobby shop carries "extender tips" that were actually made for CA, but work perfectly for applying Tenax and Bondene. Not all extender tips work for this. I don't know what brand the ones they sell are, because there is no label on the package, but to me these look like the same ones: http://www.hobbylinc.com/htm/paa/paapt21.htm
Carl- I wanted to buy some a few years ago but the label scared me bad. Gizzy- Any of the other products mentioned will do the trick. Some, like Tenax, seem to dry as soon as applied. There is no set up time, which is needed. Without disparaging anyone's skills, I would suggest a longer set up time for the whoops factor, especially for a newbie. As to tools, aids, etc., hunt around at our advertisers' sites or pick up a Micro-Mark catalogue. You will see items that will help. Don't believe John Moore and his ten thumbs comment. We have seen pictures of his work and it is about at the top in quality.
For styrene, acrylic or ABS, I vote for Ambroid ProWeld, which dries fast and makes a strong bond. Apply with an artist's brush--not the stiff brush that comes attached to the cap. If you use CA, I have two tips. First, it has a limited shelf life. Fresh super glue works better than stale super glue. With experience you will be able to tell the difference from the odor. Second, get a bottle of CA accelerator. When you spritz it on the CA hardens immediately. I had nothing but frustration with CA until I tried accelerator.
The thing about the CA type of glue is that more is not better. On tight fitting joints the liquid CA glue can be applied using an applicator made from any size sewing needle. Just remove the top of the needle's eye so you have basically a 'Y' then stick the point into a wooden dowel and you have a precision CA applicator. Make several using different sizes of sewing needles. Works with other glues like Tenax and Testors too. I keep a bunch of them. If you reall want to get fancy about it drill out the end of a piece of square plastic rod and glue the needle in. The square rod will keep it from rolling. Size of rod does not matter but I think the larger sizes are easier to pick up and use.
That is one of the coolest tips I've seen in a long time. And I have a wooden dowel the right length just sitting there waiting to turn into a new tool! Never throw anything away...
If you are gluing together plain white styrene, then Tenax works best. Plastruct Weld is for ABS plastics. I found that Testor's (bottle not tube) with a brush is best for standard kits. Small complex (especially the ones that require awkward holding to stay together) bits can be put together quickly with CA and accelerator. One note on CA - if you use it infrequently it is best to buy the 99 cent small tubes from the local store instead of the $7 bottles from the hobby shop. It is the same stuff and you can get it in thick or thin in the small tubes. It just doesn't feel as bad if you discover it dried up! Peter
Good point, Peter. I buy Krazy Glue in tubes from the grocery store. Once I've opened a tube, I store it with the open end down and it never seems to dry out. It's a lot less painful than buying the expensive kind, using it once, and then finding the whole bottle is hard as a rock.
If you use "Super Glue" (CA) in your modeling, this is the BEST stuff there is!!! Shelf life and holding power is incredible. I've had one bottle for six months plus with no problem, just keep it closed properly. http://www.drmikesglue.com/
