Using Insta-set ??

[cobraman]

Silly question perhaps but I will ask anyway. Is it possible that using a solution that speeds up the dying time of a super type glue will/can make the joint brittle ? Thanks.

[peteski]

You mean CA accelerator fluid?  Yes, I have seen some brands of accelerator result in more brittle joints than others.  My favorite is Bob Smith Industries (BSI) accelerator.  It is fairly mild-acting, low-odor, and will not attack polystyrene (many other brands are acetone-based and do).  BTW, CA-type adhesives harden by a chemical reaction - they do not "dry".

In my experience, the thinner consistency the CA glue is, the faster it will set using accelerator, and the more brittle it will become.  The thicker CA glue is less brittle when its setting is accelerated.  But I have not find the brittleness to be a problem in my modeling experience.

Also, I think this question would have been better fit asked in one of the General sections.  It is definitely on-topic for this forum, and modeling related.

Edited October 8, 2019 by peteski

[1930fordpickup]

I was talking to someone at the Detroit model show last year, and he was telling me how when doing body modes he did not like using the accelerator on glue joints. He said that the joints became to brittle, his point of view from working with it.