Good modeling products

[BIGTRUCK]

I bought some Tamiya thin liquid glue and love this stuff, it cost the same as Testors at Hobby Lobby. Testors , although I dont have a problem with the glue itself, they changed the applicator from a metal needle point to a plastic spout, I didnt like the change. Tamiyas brush applicator for me is perfect in size and easier to use.  Tamiya 40 ml vs Testors 29.5 ml

Another great item from Tamiya is this panel scriber. Scribes out a plastic curl each time with an easy touch, found for under 9 bucks shipped on E-bay . Two thumbs up for these items..

Edited December 12, 2016 by BIGTRUCK

[espo]

I'll have to look for the scriber, The Tamiya glue has become hard to use since the applicator fell off the cap.

[ChrisBcritter]

I have the scriber; the blade is a bit too thick for cutting out doors and trunks but it's good for scribing into smooth plastic, or making the first cut if you want to deepen a shallow panel line. I really like that cement and its small brush applicator (mine hasn't fallen out - yet...).

[Ace-Garageguy]

Thanks for the reminder on the panel scriber.

I've been meaning to pick one of these up to figure out exactly what kind of curve and point I need to grind on a thinner piece of steel stock.

[pharoah]

I saw a Dr Cranky video about a year ago where he was showing the Tamiya glue.

I tried it,and it is good stuff!

[peekay]

Re the Tamiya scriber: I find the handle a little cumbersome and often use the blade without it. It's easier to get round corners etc.

[Ace-Garageguy]

The Model Car Garage #2238 photo-etched saw blades are some of the trickest tools I've come across in a long time. 

They're thinner by several thousandths of an inch than a conventional 32 TPI razor saw, and that makes a real difference in how fine a cut they'll make.

You can hold them in your fingers for precise control, or mount them in the regular small X-acto style handles to cut more aggressively.

Go slow, and they're magic.

 

[BIGTRUCK]

 

 

I never knew about this product, thanks Bill

Edited December 12, 2016 by BIGTRUCK

[peteski]

I bought some Tamiya thin liquid glue and love this stuff, it cost the same as Testors at Hobby Lobby. Testors , although I dont have a problem with the glue itself, they changed the applicator from a metal needle point to a plastic spout, I didnt like the change. Tamiyas brush applicator for me is perfect in size and easier to use.  Tamiya 40 ml vs Testors 29.5 ml

Another great item from Tamiya is this panel scriber. Scribes out a plastic curl each time with an easy touch, found for under 9 bucks shipped on E-bay . Two thumbs up for these items..

 

Tamiya extra thin liquid cement is mostly (or all) acetone.  You can get acetone in large containers (like quart or gallon) in a hardware store. Much cheaper than a tiny bottle.

Most brands and types hobby liquid cements (sold in small bottles) use solvents which can be purchased much, much cheaper in larger quantities at a hardware store.

[Art Anderson]

For my money, when gluing, NOTHING beats the Flexi-File "Touch & Flow" applicator:  It's a thin glass tube, with a hypodermic-sized length of stainless steel tubing fixed in one end.  Use with any of the MEK-based pure liquid cements out there (Ambroid Pro-Weld, Tenax, or Flexi-File's own liquid cement--NONE of these have any of thickens--are pure solvent--much thinner even than water!).  Just touch the tip to the joint to be glued, and the liquid glue flows right into the joint, leaving ABSOLUTELY no residue behind.

 

http://www.flex-i-file.com/adhesives.php

Art

Edited December 13, 2016 by Art Anderson

[blunc]

Thanks for the reminder on the panel scriber.

I've been meaning to pick one of these up to figure out exactly what kind of curve and point I need to grind on a thinner piece of steel stock.

I kinda figured you'd make your own scriber.  

[Ace-Garageguy]

I kinda figured you'd make your own scriber.  

Yeah, I've done some experimenting with modified dental picks, saw blades, knife blades, etc., but so far i haven't come up with anything I'm in love with. The posters assertion that the Tamiya tool pulls out a "plastic curl" with every back stroke sounds like exactly what I'm after, but several also say it's too thick.

I figure if I copy a design that already does what I want it to, but using thinner steel stock, that ought to do the trick. 

[Ace-Garageguy]

For my money, when gluing, NOTHING beats the Flexi-File "Touch & Flow" applicator...

I agree 100% with Art. It's a great tool. 

There is one downside though, in that it can tend to clog...and it can be almost impossible to clear if it does.

I buggered my first one, apparently, by allowing dissolved styrene to accumulate in the bottom of my liquid-cement container. Some of it was introduced into the tip of the capillary tube, and when I allowed the tube to dry out, it solidified (this is my assumption, anyway) and clogged.

I was able to clear it a few times by soaking it with the tip immersed in clean glue for a couple hours, and using a rubber bulb to force-flush it.

It finally clogged so badly that I couldn't clear it, but scoring the capillary tube (which is very hard metal) with a diamond file allowed me to snap off the first 1/4 inch or so, and that removed the clogged part.

The things work great, but can be pricey if you ruin them in rapid succession.

SO, I've started using very fine hypo needles made for insulin (that I get free from a diabetic friend) for the majority of my precision gluing. Take the plunger out and they work just like the made-for-it tool.

Nothing beats the Touch-N-Flow for some applications, though.

[Art Anderson]

I agree 100% with Art. It's a great tool. 

There is one downside though, in that it can tend to clog...and it can be almost impossible to clear if it does.

I buggered my first one, apparently, by allowing dissolved styrene to accumulate in the bottom of my liquid-cement container. Some of it was introduced into the tip of the capillary tube, and when I allowed the tube to dry out, it solidified (this is my assumption, anyway) and clogged.

I was able to clear it a few times by soaking it with the tip immersed in clean glue for a couple hours, and using a rubber bulb to force-flush it.

It finally clogged so badly that I couldn't clear it, but scoring the capillary tube (which is very hard metal) with a diamond file allowed me to snap off the first 1/4 inch or so, and that removed the clogged part.

The things work great, but can be pricey if you ruin them in rapid succession.

SO, I've started using very fine hypo needles made for insulin (that I get free from a diabetic friend) for the majority of my precision gluing. Take the plunger out and they work just like the made-for-it tool.

Nothing beats the Touch-N-Flow for some applications, though.

Bill, I had the very same clogging problem with the Touch-&-Flow, until I landed on a neat, and very EASY little trick!   Seeing as I use mine as I learned to do in HS Chemistry Class and glass pipettes, meaning I used my own suction to draw the MEK up into the tool, why not put the tip of the Touch & Flow back into the bottle of MEK (the tip down into the MEK!) and simply blow all the leftover liquid cement back into the bottle--that has the advantage or removing any melted styrene residue from the needle--the result being, I've used this one for about 2 yrs now, with nary a clog!

Art

[BIGTRUCK]

For my money, when gluing, NOTHING beats the Flexi-File "Touch & Flow" applicator:  It's a thin glass tube, with a hypodermic-sized length of stainless steel tubing fixed in one end.  Use with any of the MEK-based pure liquid cements out there (Ambroid Pro-Weld, Tenax, or Flexi-File's own liquid cement--NONE of these have any of thickens--are pure solvent--much thinner even than water!).  Just touch the tip to the joint to be glued, and the liquid glue flows right into the joint, leaving ABSOLUTELY no residue behind.

 

 

Art

I had bought one and then forgot where I put it. Now its found and I have to try it out. I think Al's Hobby Shop closed its doors a few years ago , so applicator has been lost for a while.

[martinfan5]

Thanks for the reminder on the panel scriber.

I've been meaning to pick one of these up to figure out exactly what kind of curve and point I need to grind on a thinner piece of steel stock.

I have the Tamiya Panel Line Scriber, and it works good, but the issue is that widens the panel lines while making them deeper, so I bought this set, and while doesn't work as good as Tamiya's, is does not make them wider .