Monday 5 August 2013

Don't Get Stuck - picking out adhesives and glue. Part 2

Types of Glue

The main types of glue that a modeler will need in their armoury are;
  • Polystyrene cement (reviewed July 29/13)
  • Cyano acetate (‘super glue’) also known as cyanoacrylate (CA glue) (reviewed July 29/13)
  • Epoxy Resin (today's item)
  • Clear ‘canopy’ glue (today's item)
  • Gloss varnish (today's item)
  • Clear rubber/silicone cement (next week)
  • PVA adhesive (next week)
  • White glue/woodworkers glue (next week)
  • and there is always a new one coming to the market

Epoxy Resins

These adhesives consist of two parts – the hardener and adhesive – which need to be thoroughly mixed before application.  Sometimes they come in separate tubes and sometimes they come in a double syringe.  
Like superglue, the epoxy resins glue almost anything to anything, but they also need a good clean grease free and preferably roughened surface to get the best bond.

Clear ‘Canopy’ Glues

Sticking clear plastic parts presents problems.  The fumes given off by polystyrene cements and even cyano glues can make the clear parts become foggy.  It is very difficult to use epoxy resin glues on clear parts without smearing the glue on the parts.
For this reason, a few modelling suppliers have produced their own glues specifically designed for clear plastic parts and these are sometimes called ‘canopy’ glues.


Gloss Varnish

It may be surprising to find gloss varnish in a list of adhesives because clearly it is not intended to be used as a glue at all.  However, gloss varnish is surprisingly useful for holding very small parts, such a photo etch buckles in place.



Continued Next Week!

The items pictured on this page are available at Chinook & Hobby West!

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2 comments:

  1. Thanks for the feedback! Happy Hobbying!
    ~Valerie

    ReplyDelete
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