Glues I Choose

I enjoy going to those big hardware stores with tons of stuff for wannabe DIY guys like me. And whenever I'm there, I make it a point to look around for products that I can use for my models and miniatures. That day, I found myself wandering the aisle where they sold different kinds of glue. And nope, I don't sniff glue...it's just that I, like every modeler I know, am on a constant lookout for materials and glues that can help us whip out our modeling projects faster, cleaner and with much less hassle.

Case in point -- although I still make the occasional plastic scale model, I haven't touched my bottle of plastic model cement for some time. For most of the work, I find Pioneer Mighty Bond Instant Glue as sufficient enough. The instant glue doesn't melt the plastic unlike model cement of both tube and liquid types. This leaves room for modification and scratch-building using materials other than plastic. Plus, it bonds fast. For heavier stuff that needs bonding, I also use Selley's Liquid Nails. Loctite's Super Glue Gel is also a toolbox favorite because of the added benefit of it being a sandeable and paintable filler too.

Working with metal miniatures though of either lead or pewter requires a more full bodied glue. I've found that while superglue works sufficiently with smaller metal parts, trying to attaching heavy metal parts together can be quite tedious and messy. Superglued your fingers before? I have... and its happened way too many times to keep track off. And I hate the feeling of dried superglue on my fingertips -- they feel abrasive and scaly. They take a day or two to get rid off even with thorough washing.

For jobs like this, I end up using Pioneer Epoxy. It's a 2 part resin adhesive that dries to a really hard pink finish, much like automotive body filler with the separate hardener in a tube. The downside is that it cures very slowly, maybe in 2 or three days. Using this entails breaking down each model assembly into many smaller sub-assemblies, with the final big units assembled for the final stage. Otherwise, it'll take weeks to finish a big multi-part model.

I recently purchased 6 multipart models from the Mageknight line and they have been a bother to assemble. The insect-like legs were engineered to have the three foreleg parts casted as a whole and connected to the body with small locator pins. Each leg end is connected to this with NO locator pin, making it very difficult to attach and pose effectively. I ended up attaching the foreleg assemblies on the torso and letting them dry on a jig for a day or two. If all the bother was for just one model only, I'd wouldn't have minded it, but try doing all that work over and over again -- believe me, it's boring and tedious work.

Now back to my hardware story. One of my biggest gluing problems was with the 1/72 soft plastic figures that I like very much. I've tried a variety of glues, gluing techniques, etc but haven't really found a good solution. I normally use PVC glue ( Elmer's glue to you ) before priming to attach parts like shields, spears, riders on horseback etc, and the results seem okay. The problem is when I try to convert the figures. For attaching putty-made parts to soft polyethylene plastic, I've used 3M's Super Strength Adhesive.

For the most part, it works adequately enough and retaining its adhesion but it still cannot really weld the parts together. It's effective though in bonding other stuff such as foil paper on the plastic. So there I was, standing in front of the glue section when I saw THIS:

Selly's Plastic Glue claims to be able to bond all kinds of plastic, including polyethylene! Knowing I would kick myself in the head for not having bought at least 5 sets ( why at least 5? I dunno, maybe cuz I like multiples of 5...hey, I got boxes of little plastic men to assemble!), I got an armload and headed to the cashier.

It kinda hurt my wallet because each set has a primer pen and the adhesive tube and costs around 4x the price for a 10g bottle of superglue. When I got home, I did a search on the net and found this. I'll be using these soon on my 1/72 figures, mwahahahaha!

Man, I really love those hardwares...