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[boatmadman]

Hi,

When gluing styrene parts together using the appropriate solvent, I often find that they stick to the work surface below, whether its a cutting mat or wood.

What do you guys do to get around this?

Ian

[Shipmate60]

I use a galvanised plate and gently prize off with a modeling knife if stuck.

Bob

[CGAux26]

Maybe use less solvent.  Or put down some wax paper over your bench.  I recently finished a styrene model and did not have the problem.

[oldiron]

Yup, wax paper under the work,  works great.

John

[colin]

A piece of glass works for me and you have a good flat true surface to work from.
Colin

[essex2visuvesi]

I have always used greaseproof (Wax) paper glued (Pritt stick) to a large bathroom tile.

[boatmadman]

Great stuff, thanks guys.

New there would be an answer out there! 

Ian

[Martin (Admin)]

Would using talk or chalk on the work surface help?

[malcolmfrary]

Certainly use less solvent.  That which is going through cant be doing the rear surface any good. 
Since a straight solvent works by dissolving the styrene so that the two surfaces run together and weld, and wood is not soluble in normal styrene solvent, the only way that the workpiece can stick is by a lot of it dissolving and keying into the wood.  Same for the cutting mat.
As I have yet to manage to glue styrene to my cutting pad with solvent, I have to wonder just what your solvent really is.  I tend to use MEK which has absolutely no sticking ability whatever on anything other than styrene (quite capable of making a mess of plenty of plastics, though), and whatever the shop has in a tube as cement, which has only very marginal non-styrene sticking ability.

[Tug-Kenny RIP]

I find the best way is not to get the styrene flowing onto the table in the first place.

I have done a little drawing to indicate the flow of the 'glue'  if you ensure the flat is on the bottom then it doesn't leak around so easily as malcolm says.

Hope this helps

Ken

[boatmadman]

I am using the proper solvent (cant remember the name just now) and a small brush. I get ths problem when sticking 2 bits together that have an angle cut in them. Eg 2 bits of angle to make a 90deg angle.

Ian