"Best Glue for Plastics?" Topic

I've had a little problem with the local super market superglue. Any suggestions on what works best with Victrix and Perry plastics?

Not a constructor of Airfix kits then?

Polystyrene cement is what you need. Brush on, not tube.

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I always use the Revell Polystyrene cement (there's also a Humbrol variant which works just as well). Comes in a bottle with a long needle applicator, so it's really easy to use.

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No, just the Perry, Victrix sets at this point. I can't get the supermarket brand to work well.

The one with the long applicator is not a "brush". Is that still what you mean?

Is the setup time fairly quick?

Any applicator is likely to be better than just squeezing from the tube – squeezing leads to applying too much, then when the parts are eased together there's an unsightly oozing from the crack and you end up with the outside all stained and melted.

That sounds filthy, doesn't it ?

Superglue has very little sheer strength, especially if the contact area is small. Polystyrene cement melts the plastic, and effectively 'welds' it together. Curing time is fairly quick, but not instant. Don't overdo the application, and practice on some scrap sprue first.

And yes, the Revell poly cement is 'liquid' rather than 'tube'.

Liquid poly always does the trick. Humbrol GW any really. Strong bond but can be cut off clean with a knife if you've fudged it

That sounds filthy, doesn't it ?

You disgust me <unlike>

Another vote for liquid poly.

For years I used Plastruct Plastic Weld and I loved it. But one day I went to my hobby shop to pick up a bottle because I was out, and I was deep into a project and needed it badly. The shop clerk, who I have known for years, knew I was in need, and he wouldn't be resupplied for several days so he told me to go to Home Depot (my nearby hardware store) and buy a quart can of Methyl Ethyl Ketone (M.E.K.). He assured me it I would see no difference from the Plastruct as Methyl Ethyl Ketone is the active element of the plastic weld glues. He was right. For about $8 USD I bought a quart and now use it to refill my Plastruct Plastic Weld bottle.
The only difference is the price. MEK is $8 USD a quart and Plastruct Plastic Weld is $4.40 USD for 2 oz. Richard

You really don't want to see the COSHH sheet for methyl ethyl ketone

PDF link <that is a Safety Data Sheet. It misses out some juicy bits.

I suspect, though I have no proof, that MEK produced for hobby use is 'doctored'. Hence its 'premium' price.

Yep, the big white jug sitting on the floor under my painting desk is MEK:

BUT!!! Only use it in a very well ventilated area. It is double plus ungood to inhale. I transfer a small amount to a sealable glass bottle with a narrow neck, apply it with a paint brush, and keep the bottle closed when I'm not actually assembling bits. And that room is *very* well ventilated.

Allen

"I suspect, though I have no proof, that MEK produced for hobby use is 'doctored'. Hence its 'premium' price."

You are correct, if by "doctored" you mean that it's a fairly pure product. Just as several other "solvent" type polystyrene glues are methylene chloride with a few impurities. And that's another chemical you don't want to slam a few shots of.

Many of the things we use in our hobby are potentially hazardous. But the risk is reduced by knowing the hazard and taking appropriate action to minimize the risk.

Tube polystyrene cement sales are controlled these days because so many old geezers like us are so likely to secretly "huff" it. But nobody's all fired up about the other hazards: you don't see warning labels of craft (X-acto) knives saying "Do not stick this tool in your eye."

Allen

It doesn't have to be doctored. Just sold in a small bottle so they can charge a premium price.
People who buy industrial quantities know what it's cost should be. Hobbyists think it's something special and magical, and see no problem with paying 100X its true industrial value.

There was a moron on TMP a few years ago who objected to my designation of toluene as a "hazardous substance".
He informed me that when he was in grad school "Me and me mates used to wash our hands with it all the time!" Having been a grad student in chemistry I was not surprised to hear that. I would also not be surprised to hear that he had children with two heads.

For my Wargames Factory hard plastic I am using Testor's

Ah, the happy days of using toluene or trike to degrease electrical switchgear.

Who needs drugs when you can get off your face at work?

"Hobbyists think it's something special and magical…"

See also: Games Workshop sand.

Allen

Any applicator is likely to be better than just squeezing from the tube – squeezing leads to applying too much

If you treat it like a tube of toothpaste, probably. Been using the same tube of poly cement I used for model kits years ago (nearly done now), and I've few complaints.

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Warren B.
minisculpture.co.uk

Yes for plastic kits, e.g. polystyrene plastic kits, use polystyrene solvent cement which welds the plastic.

Most brands are similar although some are stronger than others, probably the percentage of MEK in the bottle.

Worth mentioning if the hazardness of the chemical is a concern, is that Plastruct actually has 3 different plastic solvent cements of varying strength/toxicity:

Weldene is non-toxic and smells nice and is only for styrene.

Bondene bonds like plastics to each other (styrene to styrene, ABS to ABS, Acrylic to Acrylic).

Plastic Weld which is so strong the plastic goes immediately tacky, and you can weld disimilar plastics to each other (ABS to Styrene etc). Most toxic obviously.

Plastruct Solvent Cement (and other glues): PDF link

John the OFM: There was a moron on TMP a few years ago who objected to my designation of toluene as a "hazardous substance".

I think I remember that. Funny / scary as all heck to read.

GHG has a nice polystyrene glue with a tiny needle tip. It lets out very small quantities. Great stuff for the new plastic figs.

I just use Testors in the tube.

For plastic models I use Tenax-7R and an old paintbrush. Apply to both sides, let sit for a sec, and press together. It should create a bead of plastic in the seam that you can scrape away. Not many fumes compared to others, especially Testors with the black brush (which is horrible).

Tenax-7R is methylene chloride. It doesn't evaporate as quickly as MEK, so gives the impression of less fumes. But use it in a well-ventilated area, too.

(I switched to MWK when I found that my Tenax had actually evaporated in the bottle!)

Allen

I use MEK professionaly as a solvent when printing on glass and it really should be used by grown-up adults only in a very well ventilated room. Or as I do at work, in a chemical flow cabinet. It literally makes insects drop dead from the sky..

And in case you're wondering why I say grown-up adults, well you haven't met some of co-workers… Suffice to say it melts all sorts of plastics including telephones, refrigerator doors, computer screens, calculators and the linoleum on the floor.

My son (100's of plastic figs if not 1000's) says super glue is the way to go. The Plastic welding stuff will permanently bond but if you mess up, the results are not reverse able.

Ian says superglue may not be the end all but it is good enough for his purposes (Warhammer fantasy tournament play with a fair number of unique figures created by Ian).

mjc

We reccomend Testors Model Master Lquid cement.

It comes in a very nice easy to use needle bottle, is relatively easy to find, and works well with a minimum of fuss.

Its readily available in most hobby shops, the internet, and even Hobby Lobby.
Just make sure you buy the Model master brand. Testors makes a variety of glues but the Model Masters stuff is the best of the lot. Beware the glues for the kiddie model market.

There is Tenax7, Plastruct plastic weld, and a host of others that work ok and in some cases faster,but most don't have decent applicators.

MEK and other solvents are not really appropriate for the average hobbyist.

Earthdog is spot on in his warnings. The fumes are deadly.

Unfortunately, here in Canada, MEK is deemed a "Class B precursor" (of illicit drugs), so its production is controlled to some extent.

Moreover, chemical suppliers are very leery of selling to ordinary consumers, even though "Class B" status would not seem to impose any restrictions on its sale.

GW liquid poly works fine – have used it for hundreds of Perry , victrix and warlord games plastics. £4.00 GBP a bottle it lasts for ages. Also it doesn'r 'gunge up' like the old tubes of poly cement I used as a kid on my airfix models

I use Testor's in the black triangular bottle. The metal needle applicator is a life saver!

I like the GW glue as well but hate paying the price. Now I know they are just putting their lable on some companies glue but I have not been able to narrow it down. Does anyone know what it is they are selling with their branding on it?

Not a fan of metyhl-ethyl-death, but it'll work if you like that sort of thing. I've never seen a well-vented room for painting wargames miniatures, but if there's one out there, good luck with your minis and wear the right gloves.

Flamethrower…

Funny, the warning on my bottle of Testor's liquid cement says 'tolulene,' not Methyl Ethyl Ketone, Methyl Propyl Ketone, or Methylene Chloride.

You do NOT want to mess with methyl-ethyl-death. First, it is skin-absorbed. Second, you cannot wear latex gloves and work with the stuff (I actually developed a latex allergy because all the shop had was latex gloves). Third, it kills brain cells at a high rate of speed, even through a VOC-rated respirator (because it's skin-absorbed).

At the risk of sounding silly, and I genuinely mean no offense, why would anyone use MEK if it's so hazardous? There are plenty of other glues to use that aren't as risky.

Personally, I used krazy glue for years, but found it didn't work all that well on my WF zombies, so I switched to GaleForce Nine glue,and it's swell if you don't mind paying 6 bucks a bottle.

Piper, cause it freakin works GREAT. Back when I used to build plastic models I would dip a brush in Tenax and touch the seam and it would weld the entire seam. I would just keep the bottle closed. I also had it in a big gob of clay so it wouldn't tip over.

I still use Testors liquid plastic cement, though I prefer the type that comes in a glass bottle with a bruch applicator in the lid.

Recently, I've discovered Loktite gel super glue. It has a unique applicator bottle that helps control the flow. I only use it, however, for gluing metal to plastic, etc.

For plastic to plastic, it's Testors.

Whatever happened to melted horse's hooves?

Can't see them if you apply some Vallejo basing gel (or equivalent). Besides, hooves really sink into the ground when they're galloping along.