Thinned tube glue

[Kit Basher]

10 hours ago, Richard Bartrop said:

Yes, liquid cement is not kind to paint, and neither is CA glue.  My goto adhesive for small stuff where I don't want to damage paint or plastic is five minute epoxy

I totally agree. I wouldn't even consider using solvent cement to glue a chrome door handle to a painted body. Epoxy for sure.

[SfanGoch]

A.4 or .5mm wire can be used to attach a door handle through a pre-drilled hole on the door and CA can be applied from the back side of the hole to secure the door handle without damaging the painted side.

[Bugatti Fan]

MEK by the gallon.

Would not want to be in the same room if I accidentally knocked an open can of MEK over, nor some of the other chemicals mentioned! The fumes were bad enough to make me feel light headed when I spilt a little hobby sized bottle over once.

How flammable is it?     Similar to petrol (gasolene)?  Vast savings I agree but are the risks worth it? For practicality it would need to be regularly dispensed into smaller bottles to use on the bench in any case. Storing larger containers of toxic and possibly flammable chemicals may be a bit of a risk. If something bad were to happen, would your house insurance company pay up?

[Richard Bartrop]

If you really need to thicken your styrene cement, seeing how the thickening agent in tube glue is dissolved styrene, wouldn't you get the same result just dissolving some scrap styrene into your liquid cement?

[SfanGoch]

Not good. The "sprue goo" takes a very long time for the solvent to evaporate and is always softer than the styrene parts it's applied on. Personally, I don't understand wanting to use thicker glue/cement to attach parts. It's messy and takes to long for the parts to weld. Methylene chloride or MEK cements accomplish the task much better.

[Richard Bartrop]

 

2 hours ago, SfanGoch said:

Not good. The "sprue goo" takes a very long time for the solvent to evaporate and is always softer than the styrene parts it's applied on. Personally, I don't understand wanting to use thicker glue/cement to attach parts. It's messy and takes to long for the parts to weld. Methylene chloride or MEK cements accomplish the task much better.

I definitely wouldn't recommend it for anything large.   When I have used it, it's for filling a very small divot,  or for casting small parts like taillights.

Also something to watch out for when using solvent based cement to glue a bunch of sheets together to make a block, or something like a finned cylinder head.  The solvent does soak into the surrounding plastic, and as it evaporates over time, you do run the risk of shrinkage.  It can take months, even years, but it does happen.

Edited May 18, 2023 by Richard Bartrop

[SfanGoch]

You're better off using a two-part epoxy, like Magic-Sculpt, to fill in sink marks or small holes. I wouldn't recommend Milliput. Even the fine is too coarse to my liking.

[StevenGuthmiller]

4 hours ago, SfanGoch said:

Not good. The "sprue goo" takes a very long time for the solvent to evaporate and is always softer than the styrene parts it's applied on. Personally, I don't understand wanting to use thicker glue/cement to attach parts. It's messy and takes to long for the parts to weld. Methylene chloride or MEK cements accomplish the task much better.

I use basically nothing except Plastic Weld for bare plastic, and 2 part epoxy on everything else.

The whole build from start to finish.

 

I have very little use for super glues, or anything else any more for that matter.

 

 

Steve

[Bills72sj]

I am patient. I use Testors red for 80% of my build. I use Plastruct Bondene to thin it sometimes. CA glue is for stuff that I need to be able to let go of rather quickly and has no shiny surfaces to fog. I have purchased some clear 2-part epoxies but I have not actually used them yet.

[Bugatti Fan]

Joe mentioned Magisculpt  a very good product very popular with figure modellers.

Some time ago there was an article that I read about dissolving sprue in CTC (Carbon Tetrachloride) to make a gloopy solution that could be sculpted onto figures. CTC is a liquid chemical that was used in those little refillable brass pump action fire extinguishers mostly fitted in commercial vehicles.

[stitchdup]

For filling large areas, or gaps in chops I've been using powdered finger nail filler. it works like the sprue goo but it sets hard in less than an hour. Its not much use for small areas but for large bits its great. It basicly a 2 part plastic and when its sets it is acrylic plastic the same as false nails. I dont recommend using it if you dont have good ventilation though, the fumes are very strong but its tough stuff. I use fairly course full size files to get it close then finish off with smaller files. Diamond files also dont work well with it. I've even used it to build up most of a body for a 37 lincoln

[Miatatom]

18 hours ago, Bugatti Fan said:

Carbon Tetrachloride

We used to use that stuff to clean the radar gear aboard ship. Found out later that it was highly carcinogenic.

[Bugatti Fan]

That's interesting Tom.

Many chemicals that were used daily way back turned out pretty evil stuff to be using without precautions.

Read somewhere that blackened burnt toast is carcinogenic too!

[peteski]

On 5/20/2023 at 3:29 AM, Bugatti Fan said:

CTC (Carbon Tetrachloride)

Now that is a chemical name I have not heard in years.  I thought it was banned worldwide long time ago. The "safer" replacement for it is I believe Dichloromethane.

[Miatatom]

11 hours ago, Bugatti Fan said:

That's interesting Tom.

Many chemicals that were used daily way back turned out pretty evil stuff to be using without precautions.

No gloves, no respirator, just "here, take this stuff and go clean the radar gear".

I was performing this task aboard the USS Norfolk DL-1 while we were off the coast of Columbia. The Captain came on the 1MC and made the announcement that President Kennedy had been assassinated. Everyone that was alive and old enough to remember it knows exactly where they were and what they were doing. I was alone and walked out onto the signal bridge. Everyone was speechless. We immediately broke off from operations with the Columbian navy and went on alert status. An unforgettable moment on an unforgettable day.