Model Boat Mayhem
Technical, Techniques, Hints, and Tips => Glue etc. => Topic started by: craggle on April 29, 2016, 08:17:30 am
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Hello all
Sure this has been asked before but searching the forum didn't seem to reveal the answer.
Last night I was thinking of making up some of the superstructure parts in my Speedline Severn kit and got a bit stuck (or not stuck) when it came to glues.
The parts are machined out of a flat, white sheet of material and I assumed it may be styrene sheet but it's a lot harder than that, more brittle and MEK / Plastic weld does not affect it. Looking at the instructions it looks like "Perspex" or acrylic sheet.
Any suggestions on a glue for it? I guess good ole super-glue would work but I would like something that melts the material and really bonds it together like MEK does to styrene sheet.
Thanks
Craig.
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Hi Craig,
Have a look at this data sheet ref glues for perspex.
https://www.google.co.uk/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=1&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=0ahUKEwiw5tHYsbPMAhWEtxQKHZXeBM0QFgg7MAA&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.theplasticshop.co.uk%2Fplastic_technical_data_sheets%2Fhow_to_glue_perspex.pdf&usg=AFQjCNH7umWt5jpxgFQpJtKH6v9LKgzEmQ&bvm=bv.120853415,d.d24 (https://www.google.co.uk/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=1&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=0ahUKEwiw5tHYsbPMAhWEtxQKHZXeBM0QFgg7MAA&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.theplasticshop.co.uk%2Fplastic_technical_data_sheets%2Fhow_to_glue_perspex.pdf&usg=AFQjCNH7umWt5jpxgFQpJtKH6v9LKgzEmQ&bvm=bv.120853415,d.d24)
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I am not so sure CA glue will work, at all.
There is a special acrylic adhesive, comes in two tubes (A and B) and is cheap as chips.
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Go straight to the organ grinder & ring Adrian at Speedline, there is a pretty fair chance he would know....
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Many thanks chaps.
I will go looking for some Tensol 12 I think as that sounds like the stuff to get. Not something I'll find in town this weekend though so superstructure will have to wait until next week, still, plenty of other things to do. :-))
Craig.
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Go straight to the organ grinder & ring Adrian at Speedline, there is a pretty fair chance he would know....
Great idea.
Adrian may also be able to recommend some readily available glues that will be easy to find, and not to expensive.
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I do all my models in 3mm acrylic sheet (some can be found on here) and I use weld on No 16 http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/IPS-WELD-On-16-Adhesive-146ML-5oz-Glue-for-Plastic-acrylic-polycarbonate-/262170374531?hash=item3d0a927183:g:fX0AAOSw7FRWXcRy
and I absolutely swear by it, quick grab, quick dry and gap filling (although it may give you cancer if you live in California)
Phill
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I have been using Plastic Weld on my Severn build and find it works well. If you need to beef up the joint a bit UHU Acrylit is good stuff but seems to be a bit hard to find at the moment
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Thanks again everyone
I have managed to find some reasonable price Tensol 12 now and got it ordered. I'll let you know if it does the job.
I tried Plastic Weld, well, actually I tried MEK from the local plumbing centre but I believe Plastic Weld is simply re-branded MEK? Anyway, It didn't seem to mark the surface of the bit I tried.
Thanks
Craig.
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Tensol is definitely the only adhesive to give a really high quality bond to Perspex, a good source for this and other high quality adhesives is www.lasaero.com
Trevor
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tensol is the way to go as long as you realise it is not "instant". takes a while to cure. Try it on a few scraps first. nemesis
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Another one is Stabilet Express, it is methacrylate based, bit messy to use. Ok for out of sight applications and creating fillets, as before test before use, nemesis
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Got my Tensol 12 today in the post
Jeez does it smell but boy does it stick! :D
It melts the parent material just like Plastic Weld does to styrene sheet then the solvent evaporates to leave a permanent joint.
It's true that does take time to set but tape or block the bits together and leave for an hour and all is good. I applied it using a small syringe and plastic nozzle and it's pretty easy to work with.
Thanks all
Craig.
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Best liquid solvent for Perspex is chloroform, but chemists don't tend to like supplying it these days...spoilsports, but it's what we always used to use for making Perspex cases for larger models.
Plastic Weld is a lot more than rebadged MEK. Smells quite different and will solvent weld Perspex, but Tensol gives you a bit of bulk to play with. Most glues are not instant, so it's no big deal to have to wait while they set.
That's where a bit of planning helps.
Martin
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Got my Tensol 12 today in the post
Jeez does it smell but boy does it stick! :D
It melts the parent material just like Plastic Weld does to styrene sheet then the solvent evaporates to leave a permanent joint.
It's true that does take time to set but tape or block the bits together and leave for an hour and all is good. I applied it using a small syringe and plastic nozzle and it's pretty easy to work with.
Thanks all
I used to use this stuff back in the 60's repairing old aircraft transparencies, and a properly executed repair is indistinguishable from the rest of the panel. If you ever put drips where you did not intend, it's better to leave it alone to set then sand/polish away when it's hard, wiping it across the Perspex will almost certainly leave a (bigger)smear
Trevor
Craig.
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You can buy Tensol quite easily, you cannot buy chloroform. QED. Come to think I have a 2pint bottle in the shed left over from when I was at work. nemesis
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MEK and Plastic Weld are very different beasts. MEK is Methyl Ethyl Ketone while Plastic Weld is Dichloromethane. The former seems to be effective on a smaller variety of plastics than the latter. MEK seems to be the preferred choice of the railway modeller...I prefer the quicker working time of Plastic weld.