# Best "Overall" glue?



## LateStarter (Mar 12, 2016)

I'm holding off buying and building kits, i.e., Accurail cars, (and some old Suydam structures) for only one reason...
I'm not sure about what's good/better/best in the world of glue.
Back in the day, we used a messy slow-curing glue-in-a-tube, that required clamping and "set aside to dry", and if not applied _very_ carefully, caused oozing, crazing, and ruining of plastic parts. Then we graduated to cyanoacrylate Super Glues, which generally had an applicator tip for better control, but required frequent un-clogging.
I've read reviews, and looked into opinion articles, but I don't see a definitive "best for all occasions".

So I'm asking because I simply don't know...

Is there a best _"overall"_ glue for an Accurail kit?
Or kit-building in general?
Wood/Plastic/Paper/Metal.


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## Genetk44 (Feb 26, 2016)

LateStarter said:


> I'm holding off buying and building kits, i.e., Accurail cars, (and some old Suydam structures) for only one reason...
> I'm not sure about what's good/better/best in the world of glue.
> Back in the day, we used a messy slow-curing glue-in-a-tube, that required clamping and "set aside to dry", and if not applied _very_ carefully, caused oozing, crazing, and ruining of plastic parts. Then we graduated to cyanoacrylate Super Glues, which generally had an applicator tip for better control, but required frequent un-clogging.
> I've read reviews, and looked into opinion articles, but I don't see a definitive "best for all occasions".
> ...


I like this


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## DonR (Oct 18, 2012)

There's as many best glues as there are
Forum members.

I use a lot of Harbor Freight's 'super glue' GEL.
It's much easier to handle, sets almost
immediately and takes very little amounts. That's
for kits, and scratch built work.

I use Elmer's white glue for track and
ballast work.

If I want a semi permanent glue, just
plain old 'airplane' glue...the kind the sniffers
like. They often want to see an ID to
buy it now.

Don


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## Old_Hobo (Feb 20, 2014)

No need to put off buying Accurail kits....plastic model cement (liquid version) will work great......I swear by Testor's....:thumbsup:


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## gregc (Apr 25, 2015)

I just started using MEK on several styrene kits such as Accurail. Fortunately, someone in the club bought a gallon and put it in smaller bottles.


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## leadsled (Dec 25, 2014)

MEK as glue, are you sure ? lol!


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## santafewillie (Feb 13, 2016)

MEK like Testor's (which I use), is really a solvent not a glue. It melts the plastic together.
Willie


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## Bkubiak (Oct 20, 2013)

santafewillie said:


> MEK like Testor's (which I use), is really a solvent not a glue. It melts the plastic together.
> Willie


I have heard that you can use MEK as a harder for resins and epoxy, any truth to that???


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## cv_acr (Oct 28, 2011)

I would not say there is one "overall" best glue. Different glues or cements for different purposes.

For plastic to plastic, plastic solvent cement is the best and cleanest. Apply with a fine brush to the joint, and it "welds" the parts together.

For non-plastic joints, a CA type super-glue is usually used.


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## Bkubiak (Oct 20, 2013)

cv_acr said:


> I would not say there is one "overall" best glue. Different glues or cements for different purposes.
> 
> For plastic to plastic, plastic solvent cement is the best and cleanest. Apply with a fine brush to the joint, and it "welds" the parts together.
> 
> For non-plastic joints, a CA type super-glue is usually used.


I found a plastic glue that is about as close to the perfect plastic glue I have ever come across. It is "Faller super expert plastic glue" it has a thin metal spout about three inch's long and dispenses glue in what I would call Micro Drops. If you loose the cap and the tube gets clogged up just hold a match under it until it emits a bubble or two, then wipe it clean with a paper towel and you are good to go again. It is not an instant set like CA glue, but darn close to it, if it gets on your fingers they are not welded together instantly like CA.


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## CTValleyRR (Jul 26, 2014)

cv_acr said:


> I would not say there is one "overall" best glue. Different glues or cements for different purposes.
> 
> For plastic to plastic, plastic solvent cement is the best and cleanest. Apply with a fine brush to the joint, and it "welds" the parts together.
> 
> For non-plastic joints, a CA type super-glue is usually used.


I have to agree with this. I have probably a dozen different things that I use for adhesives, depending on what I'm doing. Even lowly rubber cement is great as a repositionable adhesive, and for joining paper. Cleans up easily, too.


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## Mr.Buchholz (Dec 30, 2011)

WeldBond. Cost effective, but one of the best adhesives you can use. I don't just limit it's use to my railroad projects, but other stuff as well. It's around $3.00 - $4.00 for a small bottle. Goes on white, dries clear.

-J.


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## flyboy2610 (Jan 20, 2010)

cv_acr said:


> I would not say there is one "overall" best glue. Different glues or cements for different purposes.
> 
> For plastic to plastic, plastic solvent cement is the best and cleanest. Apply with a fine brush to the joint, and it "welds" the parts together.
> 
> For non-plastic joints, a CA type super-glue is usually used.


I agree with this statement. The proper adhesive depends upon the job you are doing. For gluing clear plastic, such as windows, I like Testors Clear Parts cement. It dries clear and will not craze or fog clear plastic.
http://www.michaels.com/testors-cle...A-_-10133745&gclid=CKeZn6ba7ssCFYKBaQodNsYD0Q


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## traction fan (Oct 5, 2014)

*MEK*



gregc said:


> I just started using MEK on several styrene kits such as Accurail. Fortunately, someone in the club bought a gallon and put it in smaller bottles.


 I also like MEK for gluing plastic. It is the active ingredient in many plastic cements. I buy it in quart cans at Home Depot for about the same price as a few ounces of official "styrene cement"
The MEK is also straight, concentrated, solvent. It works very fast, and makes a strong bond. A word of caution about all these glues/solvents. They produce strong fumes that can make you sick enough to go to the hospital and puke on the doctor! I did! 
So use plenty of ventilation. I keep the garage vehicle and side doors open and use a fan.

Traction Fan


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## Bloomfield Station (Mar 15, 2016)

I bought the gallon of MEK and I use it for all types of glueing as well as cleaning brushes from oil based paints. I added acrylic pieces to a half pint jar of MEK and use it as glue. You can make it as thick as you want. I now add all of my acrylic broken pieces since I'm handbuilding all of my buildings with painted acrylic. When you use straight MEK it drys fast and runs everywhere outside the spot you want to glue. I use it to thin epoxy and if I need more time to apply it I add more to slow down the set up time.


By the way, a gallon costs the same as five 4 ounce bottles.


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## Lemonhawk (Sep 24, 2013)

I guess I need a better explanation of "added acrylic pieces to a half pint jar of MEK and use it as glue" Bloomfield. Are you saying that to make a thicker plastic glue you put pieces of old plastic in a jar of MEK? Which dissolves the plastic? You mean that I've been throwing all those plastic sprunes out when I could have been making a nice thick glue with them?


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## LateStarter (Mar 12, 2016)

Just ordered Tamiya, (thin) Weldbond, and Faller Super Expert.
This should allow me to start on my AccuRail stash. I've got 9 in queue. 

Thanks, everyone, for all the advice!!!
Not sure where I'd be without this site!


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## Eddystone (Sep 2, 2014)

I have also recently returned to the hobby after decades out of it. I have been assembling kit after kit that I had collected over the years. The whole glue thing is, I am sure, something that depends on personal preference as well as what you are actually assembling. Here's what I presently do:

I found that traditional toluene-based plastic cement, which didn't bother me much in my youth, now seems to have horrible fumes that give me headaches. There are some places where a "welding" glue is the only proper thing to use, but it's really bad. If some people are comfortable using MEK, more power to them, but it is extremely toxic.

After trying a few things and several brands, I have settled upon Loctite super glues in the containers with the "ultra control" squeezable sides. You can buy it at Home Depot. Here's a picture:










https://www.google.com/imgres?imgur...d=0ahUKEwi-pvSL7vrLAhWQsh4KHUaiCyUQMwhgKCcwJw

I also use micro-applicator tips that can be bought at hobby shops or on Amazon. These fit over the end of the Loctite bottle with no problem and seal properly. I leave them on the bottle and just sit the original bottle cap on top of them when I an done using the glue, and this must keep the air out because the tubes do not clog. (It's the moisture in the air that hardens the super glue.)

These Loctite bottles with the squeezable sides give you extremely fine control of how much glue leaves the bottle, and the micro tip allows you to apply the tiniest drops of glue exactly where you want it or pump out a good stream of glue when you want it.

I use the thin and fast-setting liquid super glue for most things and the slightly slower-setting GEL glue if I need more positioning time or am joining two surfaces where a GAP-filling glue is better.

The other glue I use is plain old Elmer's white glue. Used in appropriate quantities, this can be used to glue on some detail parts and windows and be practically invisible. I have some Microscale Kristal Klear for windows but haven't tried it yet.

Sometimes you still need a specialized glue for special situations.


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## Overkast (Jan 16, 2015)

DonR said:


> I use a lot of Harbor Freight's 'super glue' GEL.
> It's much easier to handle, sets almost
> immediately and takes very little amounts. That's
> for kits, and scratch built work.


Don, I got some Loctite super glue gel, which is probably the same thing:









I want to build plate girders out of styrene and then adhere those plate girders to a piece of Mediaum Density Fiberboard (MDF) as the structure for a bridge. Would this work for both gluing styrene-to-styrene (building the plate girders) and then styrene-to-MDF (mounting the plate girders to the structure)?


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## DonR (Oct 18, 2012)

Yep, Overcast,

Loctite Super Glue is the same stuff as the
cheaper knock off from Harbor Freight. Use the GEL
version. It's easier to apply tiny dabs than
the liquid.

I use it for styrene, balsa,and basswood. It
will work with just about any material. I like
it because it sets very quickly and you don't
have to wait around. You can go on with
the model.

Don


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## Overkast (Jan 16, 2015)

Awesome, thanks Don! I'm excited to get started with it 

Sent from my SM-N910V using Tapatalk


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## Bloomfield Station (Mar 15, 2016)

Yep. Guess I could've done that better. Yes I use my pieces I cut off too small to use and drop them in the jar of MEK. In fact I call it Methyl Ethyl Kryptonite since it melts most anything. In fact when I do add acrylic pieces, I leaved them until the next day. When I check them the next day they look as if nothing has happened. Then I shake it up and walah. They are disolved. Makes the best glue for acrylics and I use it for everything except metal.


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## Overkast (Jan 16, 2015)

Don, help me out here... I started working on a bridge using styrene and the Loctite super glue and the glue melted the styrene:















I used woodland scenics styrene to try and make the plate girders:








Am I using the wrong glue or wrong materials to make my own plate girders?

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## Eddystone (Sep 2, 2014)

The pieces of styrene sheet are surely not melting from Loctite super glue. If you are talking about the foam to which you are gluing the styrene strips, I am not the least bit surprised that it is melting. You can't apply any sort of solvent-based liquid to something as fragile as that flexible foam. I would have suggested either plain white glue or an adhesive intended for foam insulation for what you are doing.


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## CTValleyRR (Jul 26, 2014)

I agree with Eddystone -- those WS sheets are a form of extruded foam, and not suitable for use with any solvent-based glue.

Tacky glue would work for that bond, but my opinion is that you should get yourself some sheet styrene (probably right next to the WS stuff in your hobby shop) and build the whole bridge out of that. I'm not sure what you're using the WS product for, but I'm willing to bet there's a styrene product that is better suited for it.

I really like a lot of WS products, but not everything they make is either as useful or as necessary as their marketing would make it out to be.


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## LateStarter (Mar 12, 2016)

CTValleyRR said:


> I really like a lot of WS products, but not everything they make is either as useful or as necessary as their marketing would make it out to be.


Well said.


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## Overkast (Jan 16, 2015)

Thanks guys. Yeah, it was my bad thinking the WS product was the equivalent of a "styrene". I ordered 2 sheets of evergreen styrene today that I'll be able to use for the bridges. Bummed though I have to wait a week for them to arrive now.

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## LateStarter (Mar 12, 2016)

UPDATE:
I got the Tamiya glue... both regular and ultra thin.
I really like the tiny brush applicator. It worked great on the first kit I just finished (a 'bashed' Life Like General Store).
Don't much care for the smell though. Whew!!


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## CTValleyRR (Jul 26, 2014)

Overkast said:


> Thanks guys. Yeah, it was my bad thinking the WS product was the equivalent of a "styrene". I ordered 2 sheets of evergreen styrene today that I'll be able to use for the bridges. Bummed though I have to wait a week for them to arrive now.
> 
> Sent from my SM-N910V using Tapatalk


Not really your bad. Mistakes are how we learn.

Just always take WS (or anyone's) marketing claims with a grain of salt.


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## LateStarter (Mar 12, 2016)

Also got Weldbond.
Pretty good stuff!


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## LateStarter (Mar 12, 2016)

Has anyone used Great Plains Pro CA glue?
It comes in Thin, Medium, and Thick.


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## Overkast (Jan 16, 2015)

Yep, got some official "styrene" from Evergreen and the super glue is working wonders for my plate girder scratch build now!









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## Viperjim1 (Mar 19, 2015)

I use plastistruct glue as well as tenex7 r it works real well if you don't like using ca glue.


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