when to glue parts

[modelbuilder22]

Hi Guys iam new to the hobby and have a gluing question. Is it better to glue before painting? I am on almost done with my first model which is a 65 chevy step side pick up. I pantied before i glued and had the paint rub off of the parts. I was just wondering how yall do it, really appericate the help. also i used the glue from testors that dries on clear and of course the red and blue tubes. can yall give me some more options. I just need something better for gluing parts. I bought some epoxy but havent used it yet, again thanks for the help.

happy building everyone

Richie D.

[Guest Dr. Odyssey]

It depends on the circumstances. It really depends on the parts or assemblies. I like liquid glue like Tenax and Krazy Glue.

[Erik Smith]

Hey Richie

Take a quick look HERE for a brief discussion of glue.

You can also use the search function on the site - it's not perfect but can direct you to some other posts regarding glueing, etc.

As far as a general rule, I assemble as much as I can before paint - if something, such as an engine block and heads, is going to be all the same color, there is no reason to paint, scrape, glue, and touch up - just glue first and paint it all at once. As David stated above, though, it really depends on what part of the assembly you are working on and what is the desired outcome. There are as many techniques as there are builders, so practice and building will be your best guides.

For glues, I use CA (Crazy Glue, Super Glue) for a lot o assembly. It is fast and strong. If I need more time and/or strength, I use solvent based glue - usually Tamiya Thin or Testors liquid glue. I haven't used tube glue in ages - mainly because it is slow to dry and messy. For clear parts or small parts (mirrors, etc) I use Testors Clear Parts Cement, Elmer's White Glue, or a clear paint (Tamiya clear or Future (which is actually floor finish, but you can search this site and the web for more info there)).

[Tony T]

I use Tenak, Crazy Glue, 5-min epoxy, white glue and even Future and Clear paint to glue parts, depending on what I am gluing. For example, I glue together all the engine parts that will be painted the same colours-the block halves, and cylinder heads generally. I will fill the seams between the engine block halves as well before painting.

For most assembly, I use the Tenak. If I really need the parts to stick together quickly, I use the Crazy Glue - being very careful to not get my fingers involved!

I do sometimes use tube glue if I am going to leave it overnight.

I use white glue, Future or clear paint for the clear parts (windows, light lenses, side markers).

EDIT: Seems Erik has a similar approach and was typing at the same time as I was!! See, there are great minds that think alike!!

Edited February 14, 2012 by Tony T

[modelbuilder22]

thanks everyone for commenting helped me a lot, guess we all gota learn sometime will try some of this stuff on my next build.

[Jon Cole]

As for clear parts, some ideas: Instead of a white glue, such as the typical Elmers brand, find something labeled as Tacky Glue, or Craft Glue. Once you try that, you could move on to 2-part epoxy. The beauty of epoxy is, should any excess squeeze out, wait about 5+ minutes for it to firm up, but not cure. Then just gently slice away with a #11 blade, or use a wooden toothpick to peel away. It can be removed usually without any damage to the clear window.

[modelbuilder22]

Really appericate all the Feed back all ready, thanks for help guys, guess ill be making a shoping trip soon

[Evil Appetite]

You might want to get into the habit of test fitting, putting completed sections together with white glue to see if there are any problems before you paint. it's a pain, but it does save time. Break it back down but setting in warm water for a while.

It's just a suggestion though, I wish I had started doing that when I got back into building. It was hard to get into that habit after I already had a routine.

[modelbuilder22]

i acually was gona try test fitting the parts but iam already 3/4 done with the model, i will test fit the next model which will be a 69 camero ss. i started this build before finding this fourm but have been reading a lot for my next build. Gona take my time on it, i rushed through this one and it shows but its my first full build so i will get better as i do more models. Thanks for the advice.

[bobthehobbyguy]

As far was when to glue. The best is to assemble all of the parts that are the same color or parts that have seams but don't have those seams on the real part. For example and engine block and the heads.

I use Alene's Tacky glue for test assembly.

Also I'd suggest that when you have assembles that have to be glued after painting to mask the area. Say a hole for a locating pin. I use a little bit of white glue to do this. After the paint is dry you can use the tip of an knife blade to remove it. This also reduces having to handle the parts too much after they have been painted.

Hope this helps.

bobthehobbyguy