I hate super glue

Sir out of curiosity is that the same club that a couple of hooligans (I mean members) have a semi decent podcast out of.

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Yessir! It is the very same. The club just had its 50th anniversary. It was started by Brian Bunger (among others) who was and still is the proprietor of the one of the best full-line hobby shops in the USA, Scale Reproductions, Inc. We didn’t move from Bucks County, Pennsylvania for the hobby shop. We did that to be near the grandkids, but having such a wonderful resource here, means I don’t ever want to move away. The club has, I believe, 145 members and we’re getting some younger members. The level of skill within the membership is staggering.

One of the reasons that SRI is so good is Brian is a terrific model maker. I actually knew of the shop before we moved when I visited with the grandsons. I knew that, at least for me, Louisville, KY was going to be a pretty good place to live. We also have a terrific train store, Roundhouse Trains. I am both an avid model maker and a model train operator.

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awesome stopping out there is on my list if I’m ever traveling thru the area and maybe see if Mike and Dave are available for a drink I’d love to sit down and talk to them.

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Soup or glue…?

I’ll have the soup… :wink::winking_face_with_tongue:

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I stopped using CA superglue years ago for various reasons. One, CA superglue has to be bought in a hobby store and most of the ā€œBrick and mortarā€ hobby stores have since gone out of business. Two, have you seen CA superglue dry at the nozzle tip? It’s essentially a crystalline structure liquid, meaning that it expands as it driesā€¦ā€œgap filling.ā€ The problem with this is that CA superglue’s crystalline structure expands microscopically, dries out, and breaks at the join many years later. The crystal matrix isn’t strong anymore because CA superglue joins via superglue nano crystals. That is CA superglue’s fundamental flaw, and expert modelers mention this that parts will become ā€œungluedā€ years later and what’s left at the join is a dried crystal mess of remnants of CA superglue. One has to scrape and sand off the crystals to reglue it again and run into the same cycle of the CA superglue breaking apart many years later. I had this happen to resin figures, and I washed my figures beforehand to remove oils and mold release. It’s the tendency of CA superglue to form nano crystals that makes superglue a problem because it’s like akin to gluing on ā€œsnowflakes.ā€

I use Gorilla Glue for years, which can be found in many hardware and drug stores. Gorilla Glue superglue (not the slow setting one) has one issue…CA Debonder will never ever work on debonding Gorilla Glue. There is no debonder for Gorilla Glue. Once Gorilla Glue dries and is set, it is permanent. It’s not a gap filler…Gorilla Glue’s job is to join parts and it works, and I never had any join break or separate because Gorilla Glue doesn’t form nano crystals. I drop a little Gorilla Glue on a card stock and I use a toothpick to slather on Gorilla Glue. Also, it never dries as crystals on the tip of the bottle’s nozzle, but it will dry in the bottle over time, meaning unlike CA superglue, the nozzle tip hole won’t get clogged with crystals and dried superglue. Finally, Gorilla Glue often doesn’t get stringy like old CA superglue. It’s the stringy old CA superglue that can really ruin a model because you can’t control the CA superglue strings if you use a toothpick…like super cheesy pizza cheese pull…the CA superglue strings will fall unexpectedly on the surface of a model and stick there forever.

Photo from Amazon…

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I will try. I have a paperclip taped to an old brush handle which I often use for CA application.

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You could try to sharpen it, maybe hammer it to a chisel edge

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I feel this in my soul! Super glue seems to have a mind of its own—sticks to everything except the parts I actually want bonded. And then suddenly it fuses fingers like it’s performing surgery. :sweat_smile:

Have you found any alternatives that work better for small PE parts or fragile joins? I’ve tried some UV glues and contact cement, but nothing’s perfect yet!

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FWIW Ive been using craft ā€œstickyā€ glue for small pieces of pe. I think its just thick PVA but it seems to work. Dab a small dot on the surface and give it 20-30 seconds then put on the part. In most cases it will hold well enough and dries clear.

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I always wear gloves when using superglue or Gorilla Glue…and a respirator too.

Gloves are so cheap and so plentiful that they’re worth the expense and investment. Furthermore, they act as a barrier to prevent cuts, nicks, and paint from getting onto your bare skin.

Amazon.com has a wide variety of disposable gloves to choose from.

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Thanks for sharing your experience—sounds familiar! I’ve had a few moments where I thought the glue had cured perfectly… until I picked the part up and it popped right off.

I might try using a bit of accelerator next time, though I’ve heard it can sometimes frost the surface. Have you had that happen? Or do you apply it with a brush?

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Since I switched to Starbond Black CA glue, super glue and I are good friends.

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In France is he called the Marquise de Voyager? Are those workable by chance?

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I think they could be workable if they are assembled correctly …

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…and the great things about the padded cell to assemble them in is (a) there’s no carpet monster (b) nobody can hear you scream.

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I wonder if they allow knives in the padded cell? Although I never been into a padded cell, I think the floor is also padded. Padded floor = Carpet monster²

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If the floor isn’t padded, surely the floor is painted a brass color…

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I’ve heard great things about Starbond Black CA! It’s supposed to have less odor and be less brittle than other super glues. How’s the drying time and strength compared to standard CA? I’ve been thinking of switching too.

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I agree, proper assembly is definitely key. When all the parts fit well and are aligned, these kits can really come together nicely. Have you had any experience building one yourself?

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