Tuesday, February 17, 2015

Resin Kit Building 101: Part 3 - Glue

NOTE:  You can click on most pictures to get a larger view of them.

I decided to write a couple small helpful hint articles to serve as footprint references in my Resin Kit Reviews.  This will save my more experienced readers having to read the same stuff over and over again, yet give my first time readers some extra help and advice when I feel it is necessary to give it.

This next article should be a relatively short one as it involves gluing resin.

My experience is that you can not use your standard modelling cement.  It just does not bond well to the resin like it would to styrene.

My best results have come from using super glue.  And it doesn't even have to be brand name stuff.


A little glue goes a long way.  You don't need a lot to get the parts to stick together.  In fact, I've found that if I've applied too much (the glue pools), it takes longer for the parts to stick.  If you are concerned about not having enough bonded areas, go back afterwards and fill in the gaps with more super glue.

And here is a very helpful hint that will save you lots of headaches trying to get your parts to stick together.  Don't paint the area where you will be applying the glue.  Or, if you have already painted that area, you should scrape away the paint where the glue will be applied.  The super glue bonds the resin better without the paint layer in the way.

Although I said that your standard model cement doesn't work well for gluing parts together, I have found that it works well for very minor seam or air bubble fill jobs.  I found it especially nice at filling gaps on parts that have been super glued on.  Just be sure to use an applicator tip to cut back on the amount of glue applied.

 

DO NOT USE Gorilla Glue!!!


Luckily, I've never learned about Gorilla Glue the hard way on my models.  I did learn about it with a pair of sneakers.  You see, Gorilla Glue, although a very powerful bonding agent, also is a foaming, filler agent as well.  That means that it foams and expands before it hardens.  That means, a little, goes a LOOOONG way, especially in terms of expansion.

 

If you made the poor choice of using this stuff, then you would be in for some major clamping and waiting for at least 15 minutes for the stuff to react and set.  After that, you are then in for some extra trimming.  In my opinion, it is not worth the hassles.

And that really is all I have to offer on the subject of gluing.

I hope you found this article as useful and informative as I did while writing it.  Please feel free to leave any comments, questions or suggestions below.

So for now, "Live Long And Prosper!"

No comments:

Post a Comment