Break down/explanation of different glue/adhesive types?

[pjgtech]

As I'm still relatively new to the bobby, I am sometimes confused by the plethora of glues and adhesives out there!

Is there a guide somewhere on what glue does what and when such glues should be used, etc.
Eg:
Poly cement - most common type of model glue - tube versions, liquid versions?
CA Glue - I know its also known as super glue, and its Cyanoacrolate, but when should it be used? what is flexi CA?
PVA - PolyVinyl Alcohol, when to use this?
Super Glue - see CA above - thin versions/thick versions?
UHU - all purpose adhesive?

Also which types/manufacturers would you recommend?
Cheers

[PaulTRose]

Personally i only use 2 glues.......thick CA.......dries quick....no waiting so can get on with next bit.....cheeapest stuff i can get.....bottle lasts for7 or 8 or more kits

And clear pva for attaching clear bits like canopies or windscreens since CA fumes cause those bits to fog........unless you know the knack ?

Cant remeber last time i used tube or jar poly glue

But thats just me.....what works for me might not for someone else

[Jim R]

OK Peter. These are my thoughts regarding your query.

Poly cement/styrene cement - This works by slightly dissolving the plastic and as it evaporates the styrene is effectively welded together. In my opinion the stuff in tubes is too thick and gloopy to be much use. Basically there are two types - fast and slow. The fast type tends to be very thin and bonds/evaporates quickly to give a speedy bond. Very useful if parts can be held/clamped together and using a brush the cement is wicked along the join. The slow stuff tend to be a little thicker and gives some wriggle time. it can be painted onto one surface and then the two surfaces can be brought together and held until the glue grabs. Tamiya Extra Thin and EMA Plastic weld are fast whereas VMS Slow and Revell Contacta are slow. Because of the way these glues work they only work on styrene. No good for resin, photo etch and lots of other plastics
CA/Super Glue - a true glue. Makes a strong but brittle joint. Again comes in thin and thick. The thin tends to be almost instant whereas the thicker stuff gives a few more seconds wriggle time. Again the thin can be wicked into a join using a bit of thin wire. CA works for styrene but also works for PE (brass), resin etc. Flexi CA, VMS do it, is reckoned to give a less brittle joint - not sure there is much advantage though.
PVA - polyvinyl alcohol/ polyvinyl acetate/white glue - this is useful but gives a weak join on resin/PE/styrene. It dries clear and so can be used on clear parts. I often use it to fit PE parts, it gives time to postion the part carefully and then when it is right i wick thin CA along the join to strengthen the join. Can also be used, when thinned, to seal porous surfaces like paper, cloth and wood.
There are specialist model glues for clear parts. Poly cement and CA can "fog" clear parts. Micro Krysal Klear and Canopy Glue are examples. These dry clear. Can be used to make lenses and the glass of instrument panels.
UHU - never use it.

I hope thats some help Peter. Others may have more knowledge and give their thoughts.

[pjgtech]

Jim, many thanx, thats exactly what I was after.
I have so far used the Tamiya extra thin and it seems great.

Bearing in mind my last modelling exploits were about 40 years ago, where all we had were those horrible little tubes of glue that came with kits!

I do have some micro krystal clear for any clear parts, not used it yet though. (My next build is a torpedo boat and it does have some clear windows in the cabin, so will try it out on those).

In the past I've used super glue, not for models, and it was always in the little tubes, and always seemed to dry up after a couple of uses, but I see you can now get some pots of the thin CA stuff, so I might invest in one of those as an alternative to use.

Once again many thanx for the comprehensive explanation.
Cheers

[PaulTRose]

Dont firget theres 'alternative' uses for glues

Mix ca with talc powder to make a fast drying hard but very sandable filler

pva watered down a little is good to use with pigments for weathering

[Tim Marlow]

Another worth thinking about is five minute two part epoxy (TPE), such as Devcon or araldite. It gives a really strong bond, far superior to cyanoacrylate super glue (CA), so is useful if you have large items of resin or etch to attach to a model. I actually cheat with it, putting it in one face of most of the joint and putting a couple of spots of CA on the joint to hold the assembly in place while the TPE dries. I find CA has no shear or shock strength on joints that need to be handled, so only use the loctite gel type, and only on small components. I find it stays useable for months, but don’t apply it straight from the bottle. I put a drop on a smooth surface, such as a scrap of polythene bag, close the top immediately, and transfer it to the model with a wire.
I use two types of plastic solvent. I use Tamiya’s extra thin (TET) for close fitting joints because it is a pure solvent and dries with no residue. However, I use Revell Contacta on joints with gaps because it has some filler in the formulation.

[Jim R]

Tim's right about Two Part Epoxy being good to have in your armoury. His way of using it, combined with CA, is new one on me but sounds like a very useful idea. Thanks Tim