Alternatives to toxic glues?

[Zarana-X]

That sounds like a pretty severe reaction. If ventilation, fans & respirator don't help, you may need to find another hobby

(If you're compelled to create, I suggest Lego )

Other than getting lightheaded (high?) after a long session. I've never had a problem. I've always had a window open or a fan going.

[Brett Barrow]

I assume that since they're non-toxic, they don't actually melt and "weld" the plastic together, but just stay on the surface. So how strong is the bond? Comparable to "regular" liquid cement?

No, they weld just like liquid cements. Citrus based, I believe, since they smell like a orange grove. Some might find it pleasant, but I don't - reminds me too much of when I was in marching band in high school and we'd get our shipment of citrus fruit in for our annual fundraising sale. The bandroom stunk for weeks and my parents always helped store some of the excess stock in our basement...

I did an experiment years ago where I built a model using nothing but water-based or non-toxic products and used these cements for that. The seam line can stay soft for a while with these glues, but you get really good "ooze-out" of molten plastic. I still use them occasionally for smoothing out file marks and mold lines in hard to reach areas, they work really good for that because they're not as aggressive to the plastic.

[Harry P.]

No, they weld just like liquid cements. Citrus based, I believe,...

Interesting. I've tried the non-toxic Testors tube glue, also smells like oranges, but doesn't work... because they took out the nasty stuff that actually did the job. I guess they've found a way now to actually melt the plastic without the toxic chemicals that do the job in "regular" cements.

[jbwelda]

try super glue and/or epoxy. unless you are a total hypochondriac or ultra allergic to everything, you probably wont have a reaction to either of those.

jb

[my66s55]

Interesting. I've tried the non-toxic Testors tube glue, also smells like oranges, but doesn't work... because they took out the nasty stuff that actually did the job. I guess they've found a way now to actually melt the plastic without the toxic chemicals that do the job in "regular" cements.

Ah, Harry. Limonene, for your edification, melts styrene. In the 3d printing world you will see fdm printers with two print nozzles. This has a two fold effect. One, it allows for the printing in 2 different colors. The other is that it allows one print nozzle to print in abs and the other in hips. That's high impact styrene for those not familiar with the termonology. The hips is used for support material on angles greater than 45 degrees.

The actual print is made from abs. Why use hips? Because when left in a bath of limonene overnight, it desolves styrene the same as acetone. The result is a finished print and no need for the p.i.a. of removing the support material. My common sense assumption to this is that if it works the same as acetone on styrene, it should weld the pieces together. It might take longer though as I can't comment as I have no first hand experience . Keep in mind that limonene is found in food and cosmetics. Web M.D. says that is may destroy cancer cells. If I'm looking for an alternative to the potentially harmful glue available, a limonene based product makes sense. It does not fit into todays microwave society real well if the result are not instantanious, but is a good alternative to those health conscious souls with concerns.

[charlie8575]

"Mustard gas" isn't made from actual mustard, it was just named that because the odor resembled that of mustard plants.

Well...I never knew that.

I feel completely silly now!

Meh...point's still valid.

Charlie Larkin

[Vince Nemanic]

My wife is very sensitive to glues and paints. BUT, I can use acrylic paint all day, and I found that she is not bothered by Plastruct "Bondene" liquid glue. Hope this helps.

[Mark]

I remember years ago trying to assemble a model with the No-tox glue they had. Was it Testors ? Anyway, it was darn near impossible to put a model together using that junk.

Notox was marketed by MPC. They had a massive ad campaign to launch the stuff, but it wasn't around long. Even today, I've heard people say that when they disassemble an old builtup that was assembled with Notox, they can detect a lemony smell from the parts...

[Bernard Kron]

I'll take a swing at it from the point of view of someone who developed a very bad reaction to a glue they were using. In my case it was Cyanoacrylate or CA based cement (Super Glue). Like you, onset was very sudden. In just one day I developed severe allergic reactions - like the worst hay fever anyone could ever imagine. No amount of antihistamines would shake it. I didn't get better or worse with the pollen count, just super-bad all the time. At first my doctor couldn't diagnose it either. After a friend of mine stumbled on a comment on a modeling site about CA "rejection" I consulted with my doc who was able to confirm Cyanoacrylate as a good candidate. I stopped using the stuff and, rather slowly, I'm afraid, I was cured.

What followed was a long process of determining substitutes. The point being that while I work in well ventilated areas, it was a severe intolerance to a specific substance, even in small amounts, that was the problem. Nowadays I use various solvent based cements for styrene and also epoxy for dissimilar materials and for on-plastics. In the case of non-styrene.

So I would say discuss a plan of attack with your doctors. What exactly happened to make you so sick? How general is your intolerance? What are the risks of being exposed to other types of cements? Which pose the least risk? Will they interfere with your recovery?

Incidentally, I tried the limonene based solvent cements. They work fairly well, much like MEK (Methyl-ethyl-ketone or butanone) based liquid cements (Tenax, Plastruct Plastic Weld, Ambroid Pro Weld, Tamiya Thin, etc.). The difference is that the non-toxics dry more slowly but are initially more aggressive. So they're a bit messier than the toxic kind, but the final bond is quite strong.

Edited June 10, 2014 by Bernard Kron

[Harry P.]

BTW... that citrus smell of non-toxic glues isn't added in to deter glue sniffers. It's the natural smell of the active ingredient (limonene). I know that because I looked up limonene after reading Doug's post (#31).

[montecarlo1980]

I remember few years back at my brothers we were working on some kits, I forgot to bring any of my glues over. He had regular Krazy Glue and this other stuff called Rapid Fix. It's a two part glue, one being the actual glue like a super glue, and the other a powder hardener. Basically like using super glue and baking soda. But the stuff actually worked really well I was surprised, I had used it on a front and back suspension so I gave it a good testing. The stuff held the parts with lots of prying on it to see if it would break. Now I don't remember the stuff smelling at all like Testors or other Superglues on the market, it was very light only smelled if I was sticking my nose in to look at the bonds. I wonder if this stuff might work for you Chris? I've included a link to a pic of the glue and a MSDS link to read whats in it. Maybe it'll work for you. Also the stuff worked really well as a filler for some body work, sanded excellent.

Good luck!

http://www.youngautoprofessionals.com/storage/new-products/rapidfix/RapidFix-YAP-Web-Image-sm.gif?__SQUARESPACE_CACHEVERSION=1360330417372

http://www.rapidfixaustralia.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2013/01/MSDS-RapidFixAust2011.pdf

[AC Norton]

I would try just a basic painters mask...the small ones that you can get almost anywhere. before wearing it, take a small cloth or even a paper towel , dampen it,... not soaked, with water...tuck that around your nose area, then put the mask on making sure the metal nose clamp is snug as you can get it, and try that. they are inexpensive and I use them maybe 10 times before tossing them out, but in your case, I would use a fresh one for every job. all I can think that may help...........good luck..

[samdiego]

I've used the Microscale stuff and it seems to work just fine. It is super thin though.

[Bob Ellis]

Unfortunately, glues with MEK and (toulenol?) are the only ones that work well.

The NO-TOX glue of the early '70s, to prevent glue sniffers, didn't work at all.

I used to put some kits together with a soldering iron. Actually worked. Like they used to build promos.

You might consider building outside.

[Rusty Irons]

I have been using the non toxic testors cement in the blue tube with very good results. The big disadvantage is slow cure time. The tack up is also much slower than the red tube. But it is non toxic. And it is strong , as it melts the styrene. I tend to work on a couple kits at once, And I have lots of little clamps. I don't move that fast anyway. I prefer the red tube stuff.But now I am used to the non toxic type and I like the smell mmm lemon.