Super Glue Model/Hobby Glue- Best NOT to use.

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CB2001
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Super Glue Model/Hobby Glue- Best NOT to use.

Post by CB2001 »

I figured I'd go ahead and post this in case anyone else who has used this hasn't posted about it.

A few months back, I bought a tube of Super Glue Corporations' Model/Hobby cement. I figured it was like normal super glue, which is quick drying. I've used it on a few projects, but last night was the last straw for me when it came to it. I must warn you guys about this if it hasn't been brought up.

The Model/Hobby Glue from Super Glue isn't worth the money. According to the back of the tube (after I had my first small accident with it), that the glue fuses plastic together. I found out the hard way when I was trynig to place a car windshield into its proper place after applying glue to the area and the windshield accidentally (which resulted in me having to pay $3 for a replacement of the part). It pretty much melts the plastic when in contact, even if its within three seconds. So, I figured I'd go ahead and finish using the tube, which I am about 1/4 of the way done. Last night, I had a problem with applying the bumper of a 1997 Ford Mustang Cobra SVT to the rear of the car, which resulted in it coming off many of times.

Final judgement: I would not recommend using this, unless you want to give a "welded" type of appearance to the model (by gluing together, prying apart while still fresh, applying more glue and then sticking it together again).

Recommendation: Try original Super Glue (or maybe Testor's qucik drying, though I haven't used it) if you have to use any Super Glue products. Avoid using this one like the plague if you want to make your model look clean.
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Owen E Oulton
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Post by Owen E Oulton »

I just went to Pacer Technologies' site and looked the stuff up. According to the doceumentation, this appears to be an ordinary tube-type model glue - the type all of us used when we were kids, and have long since abandoned in favour of various types of liquid cements and cyanoacrylates. It's a methyl ethyl ketone-based solvent cement, rather than a cyanoacrylate, so it's a good question as to why Pacer used its Super Glue brand name on this, seeing as the name is inextricably linked in the public mind with cyanoacrylates.

However, even if it were a cyanoacrylate as you apparently thought, your tale of woe indicates you were ignoring three of the cardinal rules of gluing - never use a cyanoacrylate on clear parts (or most solvent cements, for that matter), always remove the chrome from areas to be glues (even with cyanoacrylates, as you'd only be gluing the "chrome" plating to your model anyway), and always read and understand the instructions on a product before use. The materials on the site explicitly state that this is an MEK based solvent glue... True, their brand name is confusing, but the First Commandment is "Always read the instructions."
...Only the dead dreams of a cold war kid...
CB2001
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Joined: Mon Feb 14, 2005 9:24 pm
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Post by CB2001 »

Actually, the tube reads "Super Glue Technologies". And it states that clamping off the part after it is applied is recommended. I was following the instructions when I tried to get the bumper to stick on, but the right side come off and stretched out like Norris' head from John Carpenter's "The Thing". The left side stuck as it was meant to, but I ended up having to use five small rubberbands to hold on the right side of the bumper onto the body until it "dried".

I realize the incident with the windshield (from my Domino of TKR model) was a bit of my fault, seeing I had butterfingers (if I hadn't, then it wouldn't have slipped from my fingers and the glue stuck right in the middle of the piece). After I got the piece off and tried to wipe the glue off, it pretty much "ate" the plastic. Of course, this was before I realized how serious the modeling craft knowledge was necessary (which I managed to apply to several other models after).

I would still recommend another type of glue over this one, seeing that it "melts" the plastic when others don't. But if you do use it on 1/24 or 1/25 scale models, it gives a "welded" appearance to them.
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