Model Boat Mayhem
Technical, Techniques, Hints, and Tips => Engineering Techniques and Materials. => Topic started by: Tbone on February 24, 2013, 06:27:06 pm
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I'm building a kit and the majority of parts are styrene. For models I've used Tamiya plastic cement in the past but not sure what to use for this project. The local guy suggested CA instead of plastic cement, just wanted to get some feedback from people here.
Thanks
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I'm building a kit and the majority of parts are styrene. For models I've used Tamiya plastic cement in the past but not sure what to use for this project. The local guy suggested CA instead of plastic cement, just wanted to get some feedback from people here.
Thanks
I believe I saw your question on DickyD's Al Kubar build. I use Testor's liquid plastic cement. Works well. CA will work on plastic provided you roughen the plastic a little to provide a surface the CA can adhere to. The plastic cement, however, welds the plastic together. I'm building a Model Slipways kit at the moment I'm using Testor's exclusively except for the cast metal bits where I use CA.
John
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Thanks John. I did ask the question in the other thread too.
Have you got a part # of the testors you're using? The tamiya stuff works pretty well but doesn't always make the strongest bond from my experience.
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This is what I use:
http://www.testors.com/product/136635/3502X/_/Liquid_Cement_for_Plastic (http://www.testors.com/product/136635/3502X/_/Liquid_Cement_for_Plastic)
John
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Great, thanks.
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MEK, Methy Ethyl Ketone. A quart is about US$ 7. I built my MS Loyal with it.
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A cheaper alternative and it doent fall over is to go down to your plummers merchant and get some plastic pipe cleaner same stuff as the stuff you use for modeling at a fraction of the price
Dave
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To an extent styrene is styrene, so any of them should work. But they each have pros and cons.
I keep three styrene 'glues' to hand. MEK solvent for brush/pin application (though I also have a Humbrol liquid on the go for some reason - has it's own brush in the cap), a thinnish fast glue (Revell Contacta) which has a needle applicator, and a standard Humbrol poly cement or similar in a tube. The latter is good for large areas like decks as it's fairly slow drying and can be dispensed in volume quite quickly.
And of course thick and thin CAs and slow and fast epoxies for sticking styrene to other materials and any non-styrene jobs.
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I find loctite flex gel to be one of the best CAs around at the moment
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I go to my local P V C window company and buy a 1Lt bottle of solvent cleaner costs about £5 lasts years and have found it as good as any of the rest Same stuff as Stavros uses but big bigger bottle and cheaper I think.
Regards Howard.