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Tips On Liquid Glue Use Please

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crw59@earthlink.net - 13 Nov 2007 17:43 GMT
Okay, gonna take the plunge and give it a try.  Reasons why I avoided
it, whether accurate or not is debatable:

evaporates quickly and cannot leave lid ajar to use it repeatedly

comes with huge applicator brush

not enough product attaches to toothpicks, etc to allow precision
placement

will run down the model if over applied

what else ????

I've been a tube man since 1965....    Make me feel at ease with this
liquid stuff.

Craig
Pat Flannery - 13 Nov 2007 18:35 GMT
> I've been a tube man since 1965....    Make me feel at ease with this
> liquid stuff.
>  

The Testors in the triangular black plastic bottle uses a very small
diameter stainless steel tube to dispense the glue and makes putting it
right where you want it easy.
It also cuts down on the fumes a great deal, and if you screw the cap on
after use will last many years without drying out.
A vast improvement over the old bottle type liquid cement.
Try that once and you'll never go back to the tube.

Pat
Don Stauffer in Minnesota - 14 Nov 2007 17:01 GMT
> cr...@earthlink.net wrote:
> > I've been a tube man since 1965....    Make me feel at ease with this
[quoted text clipped - 9 lines]
>
> Pat

The only thing to watch out for is that the tube is so small the
capillary action means it comes out REAL slowly. I sometimes think it
is clogged, but eventually the stuff flows out. I have taken to
turning it upside down a minute or two before I actually need it, so
it is ready to use by the time I actually need it. Once it starts to
flow, it is fine.

But if you turn it right side up again, and it sits for a couple of
minutes, then you have to restart the flow again next time.
Don Stauffer in Minnesota - 14 Nov 2007 17:01 GMT
> cr...@earthlink.net wrote:
> > I've been a tube man since 1965....    Make me feel at ease with this
[quoted text clipped - 9 lines]
>
> Pat

The only thing to watch out for is that the tube is so small the
capillary action means it comes out REAL slowly. I sometimes think it
is clogged, but eventually the stuff flows out. I have taken to
turning it upside down a minute or two before I actually need it, so
it is ready to use by the time I actually need it. Once it starts to
flow, it is fine.

But if you turn it right side up again, and it sits for a couple of
minutes, then you have to restart the flow again next time.
Heinrich Zinndorf-Linker (zili@home) - 27 Nov 2007 23:01 GMT
Am Wed, 14 Nov 2007 09:01:31 -0800 schrieb "Don Stauffer in
Minnesota":

>The only thing to watch out for is that the tube is so small the
>capillary action means it comes out REAL slowly. I sometimes think it
[quoted text clipped - 5 lines]
>But if you turn it right side up again, and it sits for a couple of
>minutes, then you have to restart the flow again next time.

And if it happens to clog permanently because you forgot one bottle
somewhere on a shelf and rediscover it after half a year, just pull
the steel tube out, hold it with a tweezers, use a lighter to heat it
up to orange-glowing, so all stuff inside can burn off and evaporate.
After cooling down (needs just a couple of seconds) re-stick the tube
and all works well again.

As a very occasional builder of plastic models now (other hobbies got
primary ones), I have one about half filled tube of revell contacta
professional already over 3 or 4 years old, and used my procedure a
couple of times when in need, and every time with absolute success.

cu, ZiLi aka HKZL  (Heinrich Zinndorf-Linker)
Signature

"Abusus non tollit usum" - Latin: Abuse is no argument against proper use.

mailto: heinrich@zili.de   http://zili.de

Pat Flannery - 28 Nov 2007 01:41 GMT
> Am Wed, 14 Nov 2007 09:01:31 -0800 schrieb "Don Stauffer in
> Minnesota":
[quoted text clipped - 23 lines]
> couple of times when in need, and every time with absolute success.
>  

And keep those metal tubes when the glue runs out, because you can make
them into great gun barrels or the thicker part of a pitot tube with
another piece of metal tube or sprue inserted into them for the thin end
of the pitot tube.

Pat
willshak - 13 Nov 2007 21:39 GMT
on 11/13/2007 12:43 PM crw59@earthlink.net said the following:
> Okay, gonna take the plunge and give it a try.  Reasons why I avoided
> it, whether accurate or not is debatable:
[quoted text clipped - 10 lines]
> what else ????
>  

Get the Testors liquid glue in the black plastic bottle that sits on an
angle.
http://www.testors.com/catalog_item.asp?itemNbr=1455
I have a bottle that is years old and still works.
Available at hobby stores and craft stores like A.C.Moore and Michaels
(in the kids section).
I just put a couple of drops in a plastic lid or on a piece of aluminum
foil and dip the applicator into that to apply to a part.
It works just like CA glue, only it takes longer to dry.

> I've been a tube man since 1965....    Make me feel at ease with this
> liquid stuff.
>
> Craig
>
>  

Signature

Bill
In Hamptonburgh, NY
To email, remove the double zeroes after @

crw59@earthlink.net - 13 Nov 2007 23:13 GMT
> on 11/13/2007 12:43 PM cr...@earthlink.net said the following:
>
[quoted text clipped - 20 lines]
> foil and dip the applicator into that to apply to a part.
> It works just like CA glue, only it takes longer to dry.

will buy a bottle right away.  so with this stuff you can pour out a
small pool of it to work with and it won't evaporate or start to cure
right away?

Takes longer to dry - can it be held to get a certain tack to it so it
can hold a piece in place while it drys or do I have to hold it all
together until it starts working.  Sorry to be unclear on this but for
some reason the only thing that I keep recalling hearing about the
glue is that you have to work fast with it.

Old Fart with Lots of Tube Glue......

> > I've been a tube man since 1965....    Make me feel at ease with this
> > liquid stuff.
[quoted text clipped - 6 lines]
> In Hamptonburgh, NY
> To email, remove the double zeroes after @
willshak - 13 Nov 2007 23:42 GMT
on 11/13/2007 6:13 PM crw59@earthlink.net said the following:
>  
>> on 11/13/2007 12:43 PM cr...@earthlink.net said the following:
[quoted text clipped - 28 lines]
> right away?
>  

It'll take a few minutes to start to dry, and from the bottom up. I've
never timed it. If you can get it into a small depression where it has
less surface area exposed to air, it will stay longer. Don't spread it
out where more surface area exposed as it will dry faster.

> Takes longer to dry - can it be held to get a certain tack to it so it
> can hold a piece in place while it drys or do I have to hold it all
> together until it starts working.  

It is a plastic melter. I have found that putting a tiny bit on both
parts and then waiting for a few seconds, makes it kinda sticky. If it
is a small part, it will stay by itself. If a larger part, it may take a
little clamping or taping for a few minutes to keep it together.

> Sorry to be unclear on this but for
> some reason the only thing that I keep recalling hearing about the
> glue is that you have to work fast with it.
>  

Not so much. It'll dry faster than tube glue because it is thinner.

> Old Fart with Lots of Tube Glue......
>  

Old fart here too.

>  
>>> I've been a tube man since 1965....    Make me feel at ease with this
[quoted text clipped - 10 lines]
>
>  

Signature

Bill
In Hamptonburgh, NY
To email, remove the double zeroes after @

Pat Flannery - 14 Nov 2007 01:02 GMT
>> Old Fart with Lots of Tube Glue......
>>  
>
> Old fart here too.

Oh yeah? Remember Eagle Brand model cement?
That will certainly show your vintage if anything does. :-)

Pat
willshak - 14 Nov 2007 01:48 GMT
on 11/13/2007 8:02 PM Pat Flannery said the following:

>>> Old Fart with Lots of Tube Glue......
>>>  
[quoted text clipped - 5 lines]
>
> Pat
I can't remember the names of the glue I used 25 years ago. I remember
that after the kids started pouring the stuff in paper bags and sniffing
it for the toluene high, at least one company changed the formula to an
orange smelling glue. I liked the smell of that one.

Signature

Bill
In Hamptonburgh, NY
To email, remove the double zeroes after @

Pat Flannery - 14 Nov 2007 09:41 GMT
>> Oh yeah? Remember Eagle Brand model cement?
>> That will certainly show your vintage if anything does. :-)
[quoted text clipped - 4 lines]
> sniffing it for the toluene high, at least one company changed the
> formula to an orange smelling glue. I liked the smell of that one.

Eagle was long gone twenty-five years ago...we're talking around 45
years ago in my case.
Revell used to have a model cement also IIRC.
Neither was quality glue.

Pat
someone@some.domain - 14 Nov 2007 16:16 GMT
>>> Oh yeah? Remember Eagle Brand model cement?
>>> That will certainly show your vintage if anything does. :-)
[quoted text clipped - 11 lines]
>
>Pat
i had one of the tiny tubes revell out in a kit.
it was basic tube glue and worked ok. wish i had kept the tube.
Mad-Modeller - 15 Nov 2007 06:57 GMT
> >> Oh yeah? Remember Eagle Brand model cement?
> >> That will certainly show your vintage if anything does. :-)
[quoted text clipped - 11 lines]
>
> Pat

I remember the Eagle name but I never had any.  Revell's was Type S for
styrene.  I've been told that they had other types for other materials
but I couldn't guess their letters.  Type S worked fairly well even when
it was old.  I bought a carrier model kit at a church flea market once
that had several bottles of paint and the tube of glue.  Rather than
keep it unspoiled and unopened, I used it.  I donated the squashed tube
to a friend who collects modelling ephemera.
My all-time liquid glue favourite was Pactra's.  I tried Testors and
always got sick to my stomach with it.  Obviously I'm not a fan of
Testors for buying out Pactra and putting so many of their products off
the market.
I've been using Plastruct PlastiWeld since my last bottle of Pactra's
ran dry.  I did buy a bottle of Tenax but never got to use it before it
evapourated.  They guy behind that brand must have worked for Official
Paints. ;)

Bill Banaszak, MFE Sr.
Pat Flannery - 15 Nov 2007 17:02 GMT
> My all-time liquid glue favourite was Pactra's.  I tried Testors and
> always got sick to my stomach with it.  Obviously I'm not a fan of
> Testors for buying out Pactra and putting so many of their products off
> the market.
>  

Although they later made quality products, during the early 1960's
Pactra paints were horrible; they cost ten cents a bottle versus Testors
fifteen cents per bottle, and were full of lumps.
It wasn't until Pactra introduced their "Camouflage Colors" line of
paints that they really pulled ahead of Testors in the paint race, by
deciding to go with quality over economy.
Revell "S" glue was far superior to Eagle's model glue which would go
soft again as soon as the temperature went much over eighty degrees and
would make strings all over the place when you were trying to apply it
to the model.
Really awful stuff.
Here's a blast from the past:
http://cgi.ebay.com/VINTAGE-PACTRA-COLORS-NAMEL-PAINT-SET-IN-BOX_W0QQitemZ270185
302943QQcmdZViewItem

You can judge the age of that by the fact it has the prototype Boeing
707 on the box cover.

Pat
Mad-Modeller - 16 Nov 2007 03:44 GMT
> > My all-time liquid glue favourite was Pactra's.  I tried Testors and
> > always got sick to my stomach with it.  Obviously I'm not a fan of
[quoted text clipped - 4 lines]
> Pactra paints were horrible; they cost ten cents a bottle versus Testors
> fifteen cents per bottle, and were full of lumps.

Hmm.  We used to buy the large Pactra bottles for 15¢ whilst Testors
were going for 10¢.  The only problem experienced with Pactra was the
longer waiting time on drying.  This of course was a major flaw when you
were trying to set speed records building kits.

> It wasn't until Pactra introduced their "Camouflage Colors" line of
> paints that they really pulled ahead of Testors in the paint race, by
> deciding to go with quality over economy.

My first use of those was on a 1/72 Revell Thunderbolt.  The Camouflage
Grey was way too light for WWII subjects but the OD was a revellation.
I later used the Terra Cotta for the exterior of my G8N1 Rita.
'someone' can tell you how that looked 35 years later.  I still have
some of those jars in my paint supply and keep my eye open for any that
might be worth obtaining.

> Revell "S" glue was far superior to Eagle's model glue which would go
> soft again as soon as the temperature went much over eighty degrees and
[quoted text clipped - 5 lines]
> You can judge the age of that by the fact it has the prototype Boeing
> 707 on the box cover.

I'll have to wait to get back to Firefox to see that as E-bay isn't
compatible with Netscape 4 anymore. (techie bastards, said sotto voce)

Bill Banaszak, MFE Sr.
> Pat
Pat Flannery - 16 Nov 2007 07:21 GMT
> Hmm.  We used to buy the large Pactra bottles for 15¢ whilst Testors
> were going for 10¢.  The only problem experienced with Pactra was the
> longer waiting time on drying.  This of course was a major flaw when you
> were trying to set speed records building kits.
>  
These were the small Testors sized bottles from around 1963.
Cast knobby glass (later they went to plastic bottles of the same design).
What you did was get the bottle, pour the paint into another container,
and then re-pour it back into the original bottle through a piece of
fine screen to filter out the lumps.
My older brother taught me that trick.

>  
>> It wasn't until Pactra introduced their "Camouflage Colors" line of
[quoted text clipped - 5 lines]
> Grey was way too light for WWII subjects but the OD was a revellation.
> I later used the Terra Cotta for the exterior of my G8N1 Rita.

"Steel" was a very useful color also.
For once, you didn't have to mix silver and flat black.
>  
> I'll have to wait to get back to Firefox to see that as E-bay isn't
> compatible with Netscape 4 anymore.

It's a very neat looking collector's item in good shape, the black and
thinner bottles are empty, but all eight bottles are there, and the box
looks in fairly good shape.
At the moment, the bidding is at only $3.00.

Pat
Stephen Tontoni - 16 Nov 2007 07:49 GMT
Just got some Ambroid Pro-Weld from Micro-mark. I ordered it a couple
months ago and got a post card saying it was unavailable. Then this
week, I got an email saying it would arrive. Sure enough, I got it today!

It looked like Pro-Weld was gone forever... now the question is if this
is new stock or old stock that they just found!!

---- Stephen
Pat Flannery - 14 Nov 2007 00:45 GMT
> will buy a bottle right away.  so with this stuff you can pour out a
> small pool of it to work with and it won't evaporate or start to cure
> right away?
>  

It doesn't pour out, it emerges from the end of the stainless steel  
tube like from the needle a hypodermic syringe when you  gently squeeze
the triangular plastic bottle.
The bottle comes with a thin wire with a ring end on it to slide down
the tube if it becomes plugged.
Because the bottle is so good at dispensing the glue just where you want
it in in just the amount you need, one bottle goes a very long way indeed.

> Takes longer to dry - can it be held to get a certain tack to it so it
> can hold a piece in place while it drys or do I have to hold it all
> together until it starts working.

One trick is to apply it to both surfaces to be glued, let it set for
around 15-30 seconds and then press the two parts together.
Another is to apply it to one surface to be glued, let it dry for a
couple of minutes, then apply it to the other surface and place them
immediately together.
By and  large though, it's a lot like working with traditional styrene
tube cement but far more precise in its application, so it tends to less
overall drying time because you don't get too much glue on the joint.
A advantage and a warning about it though.
Once dry, heat will make it soften again. This is great if you want to
realign apart on the model that you noticed dried in the wrong position,
like the alignment of a tail surface (it's also superb for assembling
individual link styrene tank tracks, as you can glue them together flat
along a straight edge, paint them, then heat them and wrap them around
the tank's running gear while they are warm before the  glue
re-solidifies on cooling)
But the downside is that if your finished model heats up too much, the
glue is going to go soft.
So if you set your Bf-109 in sunlight on a hot summer day, you may come
back in a hour or so to find the landing gear has retracted, or that the
struts on your Sopwith Camel are no longer attached to the wing.
CA is better for both those situations where the part may be under
stress of some sort once the model is done.
     
Pat
Bruce Burden - 14 Nov 2007 03:38 GMT
: evaporates quickly and cannot leave lid ajar to use it repeatedly

    Tenax, yes, without question. Even if the lid is "tight" it
   will pull a Houdini.

    It is also very "hot", and melts thin plastic. People clearly
   like it, but I think it is too hot and its bad bottle manners
   but it off my list.

: comes with huge applicator brush

    Big problem with the Testors liquid cement. Use a natural
   bristle brush that is fairly cheap (not a synthetic, you might
   melt it in the glue!) or Tamiya Green label liquid cement has
   (again) a very nicely sized brush in the cap. Note that Tamiya
   stopped with the brush in the bottle for a bit, so check if you
   go this route.

: not enough product attaches to toothpicks, etc to allow precision
: placement

    Testors liquid(y) cement in the black bottle has, as has been
   mentioned, a needle applicator. You can also get a needle applicator
   for liquid glues, but I do not recomment it - the hyperdermic needle
   is so fine it can clog with glue. The brush route is the best way
   to compromise.

: will run down the model if over applied

    Amoung other things. Which is why a good brush applicator is
   a good idea. Note that you need to change your technique, I expect,
   when applying liquid glue - the glue will "wick" around the seam
   on its own, except for the Testors black bottle stuff, which may
   be a good compromise before moving to a true liquid glue.

    Testors in the black bottle is excellent if you need to "fiddle"
   with a part, which is something most liquids will not give you much
   time to do.

: what else ????

    Well, you missed that liquid glues will disolve any model part
   that a gust of wind blows the instructions about, when the model
   part AND OPEN glue bottle are on the instruction sheet. Yeah, you
   know how I know this little factoid...

: I've been a tube man since 1965....    Make me feel at ease with this
: liquid stuff.

    One thing about liquid glues is their speed compared to a
   tube glue - no fillers, so they disolve the plastic quickly, and
   evaporate quickly. The Testors glue in the black bottle is more
   liquid than tube glu3, but it is pretty viscous in comparison to
   any "true" liquid glue.

    I use the Tamiya liquid with the green label and the Testors
   black bottle glue primarily. If I am very happy with the alignment,
   or want a fast "tack", I will use the Tamiya. If I need to fiddle,
   or I am concerned with the strength (think weld penetration depth),
   I will use the Testors.

    Small parts - Tamiya. Good, secure bond without a mess. With
   the Testors, you can squeeze a bit too much out of the bottle.

    Narrow gap - I will try to close it with Tamiya, as it will
   generally flow (capillary action) down into the gap, while most
   glues and or fillers will sit on top of the gap.

                                Bruce
Signature

------------------------------------------------------------------------
 "I like bad!"                         Bruce Burden    Austin, TX.
       - Thuganlitha
       The Power and the Prophet
       Robert Don Hughes

Stephen Tontoni - 14 Nov 2007 06:54 GMT
I make a very nice little liquid glue applicator. I go to the drug store
and purchase large bore syringes. In the 'states, you can get the pink
or the green package (they're color coded) BD syringes. Not insulin
syringes.. too damn small. Also make sure it's not the 'one use' kind;
they have a little styrene thing in the barrel that will be attacked by
the liquid cement.

I nip off the tip of the needle itself, then file the end so it's very
blunt. Using an auger that I made from a heavy pin (actually sharpened
probe from a dissecting kit) I open up the hole and file it all smooth.
Repeat as necessary.

Depress the plunger, immerse the tip in liquid glue, then pull back on
the plunger to suck in glue. Apply by gently depressing the plunger.
Practice with it a bit before committing to a kit you care about.

These syringes go for about 25-35 cents each. Eventually the
nylon/rubber (whatever the material) shoe on the plunger puffs up and
you have to toss that barrel. Keep the needle though; it's got a bayonet
mount so you just plop that on a new barrel/plunger. If the tip of the
needle gets gooped up with styrene, and it may, just soak it in liquid
glue a bit...it'll dissolve it away.

I demonstrated how to make this tool at a meeting of NorthWest Scale
Modelers in Seattle. I asked anyone with a sweep second hand to time it.
Taking the syringe out of the package, nipping the tip, filing it down,
and reaming out the needle took 35 seconds. Maybe I should put that
demonstration on YouTube.

Handy stuff!!

(and no, you don't need a prescription to buy them. Not in Washington
State anyway)

--- Stephen
dancho - 17 Nov 2007 02:54 GMT
> Okay, gonna take the plunge and give it a try.  Reasons why I avoided
> it, whether accurate or not is debatable:
[quoted text clipped - 14 lines]
>
> Craig

I'm an old fart but I haven't used tube glue in decades.  You just have
to play with it a little, keeping in mind that it melts the plastic to
weld it together.  I use an O size paintbrush for application.  When I'm
gluing something "big" I apply a coat to the mating surfaces.  Wait
about a minute.  Then apply a second coat and slap em together.

"Capillary Action" is all you need to glue quite a few items.  That
means you hold the parts together, get them just the way you want them,
then touch the brush to the seam and it runs down and gets into
everything.  Use a clamp to hold til dry.

One important thing to know is that if it does run off down the side of
the model--DON'T TOUCH IT.  Just let it dry.  Unless you really spilled
a lot of it, it won't cause any serious  harm, unless you try to wipe it
off!
 
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