Super Glue Gel

 

Recently I have been building filament printed 3D models.  I find this glue works well on them.

This particular package seems to provide the best way to squeeze the most super glue out of the tube.  It also has a great lid.  I have used three of these and have never had the whole tube harden like I have had with those little, tine metal tubes.  And I have never had the tip of the applicator clog up either.

This is expensive and there are a couple different versions with different colored applicators.  They are both gel type glues.  They come in a blue and silver or a black and silver bottle I have not noticed a difference.  These glues cost vary wildly from store to store so shop around.  

I found that I use more glue on these 3D printed models than I would use on other applications.  The individual amounts of glue I squeeze on any give part is larger than normal.

Glue

These are my five top go to glues that I keep on my desk top all the time.  This is the gell type CA glue.  It does not run, and it does not smell bad.  The tiny tubes help prevent it from going bad before it's all used up.  Sold where ever glue is sold, it seems.  Great with metal, or resin, and okay on soft plastic.

Bob Smith Industries 5 minute Quik-Cure Epoxy.  Two parts, very strong.  Sold in hobby shops and on line.  Check out their website, they make lots of different glues.  Sometimes your local hobby shop will sell it with their own name on top.  But read the label, it will say BSI someplace on the package.  Great for metal or resin, also for gluing two different kinds of materials together.  Not great on plastic.

E6000 is a very sticky tube glue. Has very good grab so it holds things pretty well even before it dries.  I use it for resin or metal when I am gluing something small and don't want to fool with mixing the epoxy.

Basic go-to for model kit building.  Use the white stuff for clear parts like canopies.  It dries totally clear and won't fog the canopy.  The red label in black bottle works great for any regular plastic model kit and it lasts a long time.  I always keep at least one bottle often two as back up, never run out.  Sold at most anyplace that sells models.

I mix epoxy glue on aluminum foil.  I keep a variety of toothpicks, round and flat, wooden sandwich picks, and coffee stirrers and such handy so I can tailor the tool to the job.  Normally I use a much smaller piece of foil for mixing than this one.  I keep a stack of about 2x2 inch pieces of foil on my workspace ready for important glue jobs.  My wife makes cornbread in a glass pan, and when it's gone, usually about one day, maybe two, I take the foil,so it's repurposed for hobby stuff.  I get all the little sticks at the supermarket.
 

Epoxy

One drop of glue holds the axle back in place.

Part A.

Part B.

Put equal parts on aluminum foil.

Mix the parts with a coffee stirrer.

Apply with a toothpick.

All ready for action.

Temporary Bond

One problem I have with buildings is the furniture.  You place furniture inside and every time you bump the building the furniture falls over or moves.

This is a repositionable glue.  Put some on the models, let it dry and then it can be used to keep parts in place on a temporary basis.

Then you just pick it up and move it away, without stain or mess.

It works on anything including paper.  It is a sort of rubber glue.

This product is for long term display items.

Put a little daub of it on the bottom of a figure or vehicle that you display on a shelf.  Then when a slight earthquake happens, the figures or vehicle don't fall off the shelf.  Yet it is easily removed and does not stain. 

Epoxy & Resin Models

Some people are a little intimidated by resin kits. Resin kits don't have to be difficult to put together. Using the right glue can be very helpful. Most resin kits can be assembled with CA type glues, Superglue for example. It's great for the small parts. Models with larger parts are better assembled using a two part epoxy adhesive.

Epoxy works just like the old fashioned model glue in a tube, but you have to mix it first. I like to use 5 minute epoxy because it dries quickly. Take a small square of aluminum foil. I like to use the heavy duty type because it is less likely to tear. One roll of heavy duty foil will last you about 20 years, so it's a good investment. Then get some barbeque skewers. They kind that are used for a kabob. I buy them at the dollar store and they cost about a penny each. One pack will allow you to build about 50 models or more.

Epoxy is a two part glue. Squeeze out equal parts of each half onto a small bit of the foil. Use the skewer to mix the two halves. Once mixed up you apply to the model parts just like regular glue. The glue will harden in five minutes, which is plenty of time. Make sure you mix very well, I usually mix for about thirty seconds, failure to mix properly may cause the epoxy to fail to harden. Sometimes the parts to be joined are very smooth you can scruff up the surface with a bit of sandpaper for a better join.

Epoxy comes in several drying speeds, but most of the others are longer than five minutes and for model building longer times are not necessary. After about 24 hours epoxy can be cut, sawed, drilled, primered, and painted just like the resin. Epoxy is also gap filling so if the parts don't quite fit together the epoxy still works. I also use epoxy to fill in imperfections in the model caused by air bubbles.

Epoxy

I have been using some epoxy glue recently.  These items are all that is needed .

I use heavy duty aluminum foil for mixing the two parts of the glue.

Bamboo skewers to mix the paint with.  A hundred of them for a dollar at the dollar store.

Bob Smith Industries makes this two part epoxy.  Mix a bit of each of the two parts using the skewers.

Epoxy

Five minute epoxy hardens well in only five minutes.  In 24 hours it is hard as a rock and can be painted, cut, sawed like resin.

Two equal parts of epoxy.  Measurement needs only to be close, no perfect.

Mixing is most important.  It must be complete, I mix for about 30 seconds or more.

Then apply with the skewer.  Toss the foil and skewer once you are done.  I mix very small qualities and these two bottles will last for a very long time.

Epoxy Quik-Cure 5 Minute Glue

Bob Smith Industries, Atascadero, CA distributes a very nice epoxy glue. I use it all the time for large resin parts and certainly for white metal parts.

Their website, www.bsi.inc.com can be used to contact them and find out more about their extensive lines of glues.

Epoxy is easy to use. I take a small square of heavy duty aluminum foil and put a small quantity of each of the two parts onto the foil.

I use a toothpick to mix the two part together. I get the extra long pointy ones as they are easier to work with than regular ones. The pointy end allows me to place a tiny amount of glue on the model in a precise location.

Once I am done, I can wrap it up and toss it out. A drop of superglue can hold the part in place until the epoxy can be applied. The epoxy comes in several versions, I like the five minute for model use, but they have 15 and 60 minutes versions too. Longer dry times allow for more working time with the glue. I often leave it for a couple minutes so that the glue will grab sooner after it is applied to the model parts. The glue dries pretty hard and clear. It can be sanded or painted easily. I use it a lot.

Even More Sticky Stuff

Epoxy glues are two part glues, with a resin and a hardener. The two parts are mixed together and then applied like regular glue. I take a small square of heavy duty aluminum foil and mix the glue on that using large tooth picks or BBQ skewers. I usually squirt two equal amounts about the size of a small coin and mix them together. The resin is very clear and the hardener is a little cloudy. When mixed there is a subtle color change. Apply with a toothpick, a sturdy one.

This is a five minute epoxy, meaning it typically will stay usable for about five minutes. Longer if it is colder, shorter if is it hotter. Expoy is very good for soft metal kits and resin kits. It gap fills well, especially if you wait for four minutes before applying. Both surfaces should be a little bit rough for best adhesion, even just a tiny brush with a fine sandpaper is fine. It holds very well and I also us it to fill air bubble holes in resin models.

There are many brands, and many price ranges and they all work a bit differently. Most cure slower than five minutes, 20, 30 or even 60 minutes being typical, but I find when model building I want the parts to join quickly so I can go on to the next one.

GOO from Walthers is sold at model railroad stores. It is a very strong rubber cement. It will hold soft plastic figures reasonably well for years but is it a brick brown color and looks bad unless the glue and figure are painted over. It is cheap and very sticky, so it grips very well. This also works pretty well for larger resin parts. Goo can be used as a contact cement, put a bit on both parts, press them together, pull them apart, wait 30 seconds and then press them together exactly as you want them because they are not coming apart again easily! Very good for large metal or resin parts that you want stuck together without much holding.

Insta-cure, odorless, gap filling super glue is very helpful. It is very good for small resin parts and very good for soft plastic figure conversions that are made of plastic that does not glue with regular model glue. Gap filling helps to fill in spaces between to parts that don't match up well. Odorless is nice because I hate the smell of superglues.

While the tube was purchased at Brookhurst Hobbies, in Garden Grove, CA is is actually distributed by another company that re-marks the package. Bob Smith Industries has a great website that will tell you more about superglues than you ever want to know.

The rumor is that the superglues made for plastic use an activator made of N-Heptane to prepare the surface and then a regular formula superglue can affix the two plastic parts. I purchased some Bestine solvent at an art supply store and used it with my superglue on plastic and it worked fine. Simply paint on the odorless, colorless, clear, very flammable N-Heptane on both parts, using a cheap brush, in the spot to be glued. Then apply the superglue as normal. Seems to work fine. It is way cheaper than the special plastic glue.

As with all these glues, read the directions, heed the precautions, wear eye protection, get plenty of ventilation and be careful of fire, pets and little kids. Finally keep this hobby prayer in mind when working with glue: What has just been joined, let no man put asunder.

Sticky Things

With so many glues out there how do I know what glue is right for my application? I go to the hobby shop, or hardware store and there are whole sections of glue.

The old standby. Testors liquid cement is the first glue to buy. It is the best glue for regular styrene plastic model kits. The applicator is very tiny and it allows precise placement of the glue on the model. It is very strong and it is very inexpensive. One bottle like this will glue dozens of Roco Minitanks. The little metal pipette applicator keeps the fumes down and the small wire keeps the pipette clear. This glue causes the plastic to chemically melt and the two plastic parts them melt together. It drys very fast and strong. I use this glue for all my plastic models.

The clear brother of the black bottle of styrene plastic glue. I use this to glue all clear parts. Perfect for airplane canopies and window glass in buildings. Like the black bottle it dries strong and firm. It does not fog canopies, and can also fill the gap between a clear plastic airplane canopy and the fuselage of the aircraft.

This glue can also be used to make window glass. Run a bead of this glue along a firm surface and build it up. I have made windows for buildings and windshields for vehicles with this glue. It works very well for Roco Minitanks, the older ones don't often have windshields. It goes on cloudy but drys perfectly clear.

The old standby, Elmers Glue-All. Sold everywhere, hobby shops, supermarkets, toy stores. It is dirt cheap. I use this for many jobs. Gluing paper, gluing wood, and gluing terrain powders. The ground cover, grass or dirt, is easy to glue with diluted white glue. This glue is also good for temporary uses. I sometimes glue troops to stands using this glue. ACW troops glued to a strip of cardboard with white glue can be removed during the game as causalities are taken.

Loctite makes a special glue to attach soft plastic to soft plastic. It uses an activator to prepare the surface and then regular superglue type glue is used to affix the parts. The activator is dispensed using a felt tip marker type applicator. It works reasonably well to glue plastic soldier parts together.

There are more glues that I use and I will discuss them in another article.