Glues and adhesives

[smeg1959]

After an evening where my cyanoacrylate (often referred to as simply CA or by its original trade name "Superglue") failed to stick a resin prop blade to a spinner even after holding it steady for 5 minutes, I went looking for an answer. It appears that, whilst CA glues have a shelf life of around 12 months at normal room temperatures, they quickly deteriorate after opening. This is because cyanoacrylate polymerizes when exposed to air, becoming thicker and curing ever more slowly over time. According to some manufacturers, you should discard the tube/bottle 30 days after opening.

Yes, tonight's CA is now languishing in the bin but, on the positive side, I did get nigh on 3 months of value before it reached this state of uselessness.

[Wege]

I had a bottle that was a thick version.

It was useful for about 12months. (trys to remember the brand)

[erix700]

Are you sure it was just the age of the glue ? 'sounds to me like some mould release agents were left on the resin (some resin casters use silicone oil which is rather hard to remove).

In my experience CA remains 'sticky' as long as it hasn't completely solidified.
I often use old gelled-up CA for filling gaps and shrink marks, 'works better than fresh CA because once gelled-up it shrinks even less when curing.

Shelf life of CA depends very much on ambient humidity as it needs moisture to polymerize.
My tubes of CA usually last me about 6 months, I never noticed much difference between different brands WRT shelf life, the really cheap brands smell a bit stronger (and fog a bit more) though.

HTH,
-- Eric.

[smeg1959]

Hi Eric,

Firstly, a big welcome to the forum!

I always give the resin parts a good wash first, although I agree traces of release agent may remain. It was definitely the glue itself in this case because I also tried to stick some gashapon parts together with the same lack of success. Re: shelf life, I do avoid the El Cheapo brands for precisely that reason. After the recent problems, I've gone back to the smaller 5-mL bottles as I'm likely to use them up completely long before shelf life becomes a potential issue.

Greg

[144flynavy]

Is Tamiya's Extra Thin Cement ok to use on the following company's kits?

Brengun - P-39
Dora Wings - P-63
Kovoazvody - La-5F
Miniwing (plastic kits) - Dragonfly
Mikro Mir - Dassault Falcon 10/100

Thanks in advance!

[Silenoz]

Why wouldn't it be? Although some Eastern European brands sometimes use plastic that hardly can be glued with anything but CA...

[Flying Derpus]

If in doubt, I guess you could always try glueing two pieces of sprue gate together to check how the plastic responds to the glue... if that works fine, then it should work fine on the parts themselves, too.

[MattP]

I NOW buy my CA glue for $1.00 @ 2 per 0.10oz bottles at "Dollar General" (it works the same as the "Lock-Tight" Brand.) In a stupid move, I spent $4.99 at Home Depot for the '"Lock-Tight" brand. only to find out, the DG brand was a better value... Final thought, it's CA glue there is NO difference except the price.. Be SMART people...

[Catherder]

“ Brengun - P-39
Dora Wings - P-63
Kovoazvody - La-5F
Miniwing (plastic kits) - Dragonfly
Mikro Mir - Dassault Falcon 10/100”

Pretty sure I’ve used Tamiya glue on Brengun, Dora & MikroMir successfully. I recollect it works particularly well on MikroMir.
Can’t speak to the other two manufacturers unfortunately.

Andy

[smeg1959]

I hadn't used the stuff until fairly recently and admit that I love the capillary action. As the product (which is essentially a blend of organic solvents) relies upon temporarily dissolving adjoining surfaces then resolidifying as the solvents evaporate, there are many materials - yes, even some plastics - that can't be joined to each other. Even if the plastic is suitable, I also found that the bond may be weaker than that obtained using CA. However, if you are looking for something that allows you some wriggle-room positioning plastic parts, this stuff is the bee's knees.

Since I started using it, I'm finding I am alternating between it and the CA on the same build. If it works, then why not?