Jonj238 Posted February 21, 2015 Posted February 21, 2015 I build model trucks and have read about a hundred topics on what type of glues to use and where. I've been using CA to glue on detail parts like mirrors, emblems, and other parts that are hard to glue to a finished paint job. I read where CA glue is real big in model building, and even read where one guy builds his models only using CA glue. So here is my question. Why do my parts keep breaking off? I just touch them a little and they fall off. I'm using a gel type glue. I figure if some guy can build a whole model out if it, it should be able to hold on a cab grab handles.
martinfan5 Posted February 21, 2015 Posted February 21, 2015 Dont use the gel, use the liquid type, I dont think the gel has as strong of a bond.
Jonj238 Posted February 21, 2015 Author Posted February 21, 2015 Dont use the gel, use the liquid type, I dont think the gel has as strong of a bond. I tried it on a steering wheel, and it fell right off the next day. Thanks I will try liquid kind.
trick my mixer Posted February 21, 2015 Posted February 21, 2015 Sorry to hear about your super glue problems...I use super glue on some parts and not on others. When I do use ca I use the medium one which suppose to bond in 10-15 seconds. I also use accelerator. Are you using accelerator? If I use accelerator I usually dip a tooth pick style stick or a piece of sprue to dip in the kicker ( accelerator ) and put a drop where the ca is applied. Hope that helps
1930fordpickup Posted February 21, 2015 Posted February 21, 2015 How old is the glue? It does have a shelf life.
Russell C Posted February 21, 2015 Posted February 21, 2015 A suggestion for making small parts a permanent feature of the model: zap glue and wire-peg the part to the model. Do this by first purchasing a micro drill set and pin vice, then you hand-drill matching holes in the part and the surface it goes to, and stuff in a short length of wire, scribing it with an Xacto blade to create a rough texture. The wire can be something as simple as a paper clip, a staple, or whatever other wire you find in scrap electrical devices. My mirrors and other such items are all on that way. I place the part onto the model (making sure it doesn't move easily), then I place a small drop of CA on the end of a wire applicator, and I touch the drop to the base of the part and it capillaries into the touching surfaces.
Art Anderson Posted February 21, 2015 Posted February 21, 2015 A suggestion for making small parts a permanent feature of the model: zap glue and wire-peg the part to the model. Do this by first purchasing a micro drill set and pin vice, then you hand-drill matching holes in the part and the surface it goes to, and stuff in a short length of wire, scribing it with an Xacto blade to create a rough texture. The wire can be something as simple as a paper clip, a staple, or whatever other wire you find in scrap electrical devices. My mirrors and other such items are all on that way. I place the part onto the model (making sure it doesn't move easily), then I place a small drop of CA on the end of a wire applicator, and I touch the drop to the base of the part and it capillaries into the touching surfaces. Great suggestion! I do that a lot with not only small parts, but even larger parts where I want a more positive, secure joint. With CA, just as with any other type of glue--the size of the gluing surface matters a lot! The more area for glue to contact, the stronger your joint will be. Also, CA glue bonds much more tightly to the surface of paint than any paint will bond to your plastic model kit's surface--so whenever possible, glue unpainted surfaces. Art Art
Tom Geiger Posted February 21, 2015 Posted February 21, 2015 (edited) Maybe not the greatest photo, but these mirrors have been drilled and pegs installed for mounting. I do this with all my exterior mounted parts...mirrors, door handles etc. I drill a small hole in the part and insert a straight pin. I do cut off the point first, then insert the pin with some CA glue. Once that's dry, the part pretty much will stay in place in the corresponding hole drilled into the body. Once in place, I will glue the pin on the inside of the body. That way you never get any glue on your painted exterior surfaces. With door handles and mirrors with two mount points, you only need to insert one pin. One the part is in place, if it's not sitting flush against the body, I may sneak a bit of CA onto the other mount point. As far as CA, I mostly use the stuff that has some body to it like Zap-A-Gap. The really thin stuff is like water. Edited February 21, 2015 by Tom Geiger
Guest Posted February 21, 2015 Posted February 21, 2015 I use crazy glue to temporarily put parts together for mock up and to fill any gaps when I do top chops etc. But, I never use it to permanently glue any part on a finished model. For small parts like door handles, mirrors and wiper blades, I pin them with .020 styrene rod and drill a corresponding hole in the body. I drill the part and glue the styrene pin with Tamiya Extra Thin Cement. I then dry fit the part to the body and hit the styrene rod from the inside with a touch of the same glue. No risk of messing up the paint and the part will never fall off.
Jonj238 Posted February 21, 2015 Author Posted February 21, 2015 Thank you for all the great suggestions. I have a micro drill bit set and pin vise, so I think I will try to pin some of my parts. Now all I have to do is figure out how to hold the small parts while I drill them.
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