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What adhesive for chopping up a diecast?


LDO

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I have a crazy project idea for a customized diecast, but I have no idea what to use for putting it back together. What adhesive can hold it together and be strong enough to be handled during body work?

Thanks. Lee

Edited by LDO
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Lee

for a temporary hold on the model you can use goop clear plumbing cement. just clamp or hold it in place a couple of minutes and you can continue on. you can just peel it off if you need to and start over with no mess at all. i actually use this on all of my models for both temporary and permanent holds. you can get it at home depot or Lowes for about $4.00 tube. blue tube usually in the paint dept. goop also makes clear craft glue which is the same thing just costs more.lol this stuff works on metal or plastic with the same results. this might not be for everyone but it works for me.

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I've gotta chime in here, having had much professional experience with a wide range of adhesives.

First, you'll probably have pretty good luck with JB Weld if it's fresh, and mixed right (but entirely dependent on the area of the bond). I've used it successfully, on the road, to glue a fitting into a radiator on a car that HAD to go another several hundred miles. It was exposed to fairly high temperatures and a little pressure (16psi) and held for years. Thoroughly sand (180 grit) and than clean the area to be joined with 90% isopropyl alcohol for best results (which goes for any epoxy based product).

5 minute epoxy, in my experience, has almost zero strength, and it's really only good for temporary holding while a real adhesive is prepared.

If you want to actually glue diecast-potmetal together permanently, and have sufficient strength to do bodywork (and all the sometimes rough handling that implies), which I think is the actual question you're asking...the minimum you're going to need is model aircraft 30-minute epoxy, and you'll need to reinforce the joints inside with some fine fiberglass cloth.

In general, the LONGER any epoxy product takes to cure, the STRONGER it will be. AND, un-reinforced epoxy has very little shear-strength when used on a butt-joint, such as you get when chopping up a model. JB Weld can be disappointing if the bond area is small, as on a butt-joint.

I personally use a high-strength epoxy made for structural repairs on real aircraft, which I have access to for free after it's gone out of date (still works fine, but can't be used on aircraft). The longer-is-stronger relationship is why I recommend the 30-minute RC airplane stuff as a minimum. It's generally the strongest stuff you can get at the LHS...and it will have to be reinforced with some very fine glass cloth on the backsides of the joints if you really want to insure against disappointment.

I don't know about you, but nothing ruins my day faster than having a crack appear in finished bodywork.

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  • 5 weeks later...
  • 2 weeks later...
5 minute epoxy, in my experience, has almost zero strength, and it's really only good for temporary holding while a real adhesive is prepared.

I have been using 5 min for probably 15 years with good luck. I put the two halves of a diecast tractor together once and and realized the next day I forgot to put in the steering shaft. I broke the diecast trying to get it pried apart. This was a thin butt joint with no reinforcing.

Can styrene sheet be used as a seam backing instead of fiberglass?

I have used styrene with good results.

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I agree with Bill Engwer. Overall I think JB Weld is best because it is strong, easy to get, and cheap. Sometimes I will drill holes into each piece being glued and pin them together before gluing. A little piece of piano wire is pretty strong!

5 minute epoxy is pretty useless.

Edited by Modelmartin
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