Any Tips for Building With CA?

[scaledale]

I have some resin parts for my build, most notably a 31 piece motor currently soaking in dilute Purple Power, and will be working with CA for the first time. I would like to know what I'm getting into, so I defer to the experts here at SMA...

I was going to buy some of the stuff until I discovered that it also goes under the name Super Glue, which I have both the household and "professional" variety in my shop. Any difference between Loctite and what I would find at the hobby shop?

I searched the Web in general and this section of the forum in particular but couldn't find anything beyond the basics of cleaning and sanding for part preparation. I know to use lacquer for paint.

Any tips/successes/false hoods/horror stories?

Dale

 

[Elm City Hobbies]

Not really, CA, Super Glue, Loctite, Crazy Glue, etc, etc.

All about the same, just you can different thicknesses from a thin watery type to a thicker almost gel like type. The thinner the CA, the faster it will set up, so sometimes good to have a couple of different thicknesses of CA on hand depending on what you are doing.

Something like a resin engine to put together, a medium is probably what you would want.

As far as difference between Loctite and what you would buy in a LHS. Loctite is something like .14oz or something for $3-$4, where as something like Pacer Zap CA is like $5 give or take for a little more than twice the amount of product. So you get more product for your money.

I used to sell the Loctite thin and gel here at the shop, but the prices on them jumped up awhile back so I switched to the Pacer brands, both work as well as the other.

 

[TiM]

Depends in the hobby shop, some "modelling" glues are simply overpriced.... there are lots of proprietary brands around the world that do the same thing.

My personal preference is Loctite, there are several types and one suggestion I have is not to buy big bottles - the small amounts used for models tends to leave a large bottle open a long time and the consistency changes as the solvent evaporates. This can however sometimes be an advantage - my older glue is thicker and doesn't act instantly.

Some Super glues contain 'filler' to give them some shock resistance, this can be at the expense of overall strength but again can be useful properties.

Thinner - acetone, also cleanup and debonder - careful it won't eat your subject!


Finally, and this is from a personal experience, I would recommend wearing safety glasses - I almost got some in my eye when two parts snapped together as I was assembling a tight joint and the glue squirted out into the area next to my eye and nose. Very lucky to miss a trip to A&E....

 

[TiM]

Forgot to mention, be careful not to use too much or get near clear parts as it can cause fogging - think fingerprint developing on CSI!!!

 

[scaledale]

Depends in the hobby shop, some "modelling" glues are simply overpriced.... there are lots of proprietary brands around the world that do the same thing.

My personal preference is Loctite, there are several types and one suggestion I have is not to buy big bottles - the small amounts used for models tends to leave a large bottle open a long time and the consistency changes as the solvent evaporates. This can however sometimes be an advantage - my older glue is thicker and doesn't act instantly.

Some Super glues contain 'filler' to give them some shock resistance, this can be at the expense of overall strength but again can be useful properties.

Thinner - acetone, also cleanup and debonder - careful it won't eat your subject!


Finally, and this is from a personal experience, I would recommend wearing safety glasses - I almost got some in my eye when two parts snapped together as I was assembling a tight joint and the glue squirted out into the area next to my eye and nose. Very lucky to miss a trip to A&E....

Very good point regarding eye care. My glasses and eyesight are very important to me and I already struggle with proper eye protection with airbrushing. That's a thread unto itself. I have two sets of eye shields for modeling, one is a pair of regular industrial eye covers (clear sunglass type) that I use by taking my glasses off and the other is a pair of low power clip-on magnifiers that I wear over my glasses. They are about 1.5 power and are good for detail painting but not too powerful for long term use in the shop. They would be the best bet for working with this stuff. I already have a fleck of urethane on the lens of my glasses from brushing varnish on a cabinet.

RE Your second post: Add gloves to the list.

Dale

Dale

 

[TiM]

I scared myself with the incident, never would have predicted that happening and when it did I was lucky.

For me gloves are a burden, I tend to be careful not to stick myself to parts, and the acetone is handy just in case...

 

[scaledale]

Adventures of a CA N00B

The motor kit had some parts I might not use so I put the transmission together to see how this stuff works.

1) Liquid Professional Loctite and Household Krazy Glue set way too fast!
2) CA is strong, but the bond doesn't have a ton of shear strength.
3) Resin is harder than the shear strength of CA.

In other words, the glue set before I could do the fine alignment of the seams in the sides of the transmission case. I set it in acetone, but the glue was at the center of the casting and it didn't help. I gave it a good twist and fractured the bond by hand without noticeably damaging the parts. After lunch I'm off to the hobby shop to buy some slower acting glue for this project.

Dale

 

[Glorfindel]

Great tip. Safety googles for CA....I never would have thought of it. Usually only wear them any time I'm using the Dremel to cut something. Funny, I keep them at arms length on the bench at all times and never thought to put them on using even solvents not to mention glues.

 

[sunsanvil]

Heck, forget the CA, too many times have I broken the tip of an xacto with my face inches from it while working panel line or something. I have a pair of clear safety glasses (not "goggles") which are so comfortable and clear I often forget I have them on (and my wife will later ask "why do you still have those on"). Trouble is sometimes remembering to put them on in the first place.