Any suggestions on which superglue to use for assembling Pola/Piko buildings? I have been using Dap Rapid Fuse but seems to leave a white haze that you can see on darker parts. What about the newer gorilla glue, has anybody tried that stuff. Thanks everyone.
Superglue
- Thread starter zman50
- Start date
hi I tried gorllla glue along with other people and just cant get on with it. I brought indusial super glue from tool station great stuff
The Pola glue as supplied is best, I have found.
People have suggested that it is a re-badged glue of various makes - personally I dunno, but it works very well on the buildings
Might be worth looking at the Ruderer L530 plastic adhesive, as sold by Bertram Heyn but also, I've noticed, available via Amazon - claims to be very good for most plastics, including LGB's Luran-S which is known to be a bit of a b*gger to stick. Haven't personally tried it on Pola buildings, but I reckon it would be pretty good?
Jon.
Jon.
I did repairs on a Pola Station, and found that Lacquer Thinner works well, as the plastic is Styrene. Lacquer Thinner is quite inexpensive too...!!
You apply it with a fine brush. It welds the parts together. You don't drown it with the lacquer thinner, and partly use capillary action to get the thinner into the joint. It doesn't ruin the plastic, unless you drown the parts, which is not necessary . It leaves no residue. It cures relatively fast.
You can also use "MEK" which is also a solvent for Styrene. I purchase both in "Quart" cans, at the local Home Depot, or Canadian Tire. Sometimes you need to look for them in the "Auto Body shop supplies section., or the paint department.
Most of the hobby shops sell the same stuff, as liquid plastic cement, in small bottles with a brush, srew on lid...at anywhere up to $4 a bottle (2 oz)… A quart is usually less than $4, in some cases, and lasts a loooooong time. Acetone also can be used.
Another use is for repairing Bachmann plastic parts, even freight and passenger trucks (Bogies)
The least useful is the old tube of Plastic aeroplane glue...avoid it if possible.
DON'T BREATH THE FUMES, OR LIGHT YOUR JOINT NEAR THE STUFF....!!!
You can also use "MEK" which is also a solvent for Styrene. I purchase both in "Quart" cans, at the local Home Depot, or Canadian Tire. Sometimes you need to look for them in the "Auto Body shop supplies section., or the paint department.
Most of the hobby shops sell the same stuff, as liquid plastic cement, in small bottles with a brush, srew on lid...at anywhere up to $4 a bottle (2 oz)… A quart is usually less than $4, in some cases, and lasts a loooooong time. Acetone also can be used.
Another use is for repairing Bachmann plastic parts, even freight and passenger trucks (Bogies)
The least useful is the old tube of Plastic aeroplane glue...avoid it if possible.
DON'T BREATH THE FUMES, OR LIGHT YOUR JOINT NEAR THE STUFF....!!!
I've been using Testors Cement for Plastic Models where there are thick sections to glue and the glue will not be visible. I then follow up with Faller Expert plastic glue (which has a much thinner consistency) on the outside of the joint where capillary action draws the glue into the joint. Sometimes with multiple applications. This does "melt" the pieces together making the glue lines almost invisible. This has been an extremely effective technique for me and produces very strong joints. Many of the Pola building kits I've put together had paint on one or more of the surfaces to be glued. I've found it is essential to make sure to scrape any paint from those surfaces otherwise glues for styrene do not work well.
Another one that works very well outside is UHU Power, used it on all sorts of Sticky Solutions in the Garden and never let me down as yet. Got my first 2 tubes at BnQ but never seen it there since. Managed to source some recently in John Lewis Cambridge of all places. Also well worthwhile to seal the inside of the Joints with Silicone Adhesive.
Superglue ? Never. Has no place in this application for a number of reasons. A solvent based adhesive sold to work on styrene/ABS is the best. Of course, nothing will work long term, as suggested above, if you don't do one thing to start with before assembling - remove the "paint wash" weathering effect that is applied to most (if not all) Piko/Pola kits parts at manufacture on any of the surfaces that are to be bonded. Sanding with a medium grade, say 800 grit wet/dry, would be the best to remove this finish. As most surfaces will be flat and need to remain that way for a good bond use a sanding block, not your fingers 
For an effective long term bond, where the building is to be left out in all climate conditions year round, apply a bead of silicon sealant to the inside (unseen) seams of any structure that have been bonded. Max
For an effective long term bond, where the building is to be left out in all climate conditions year round, apply a bead of silicon sealant to the inside (unseen) seams of any structure that have been bonded. Max
I use Ruderer L530 it is very good and as Jon says works on LGB plastic. You can get it on ebay as well. On Pola / Piko buildings the supplied cement works well enough or UHU Allplast is also effective.
I use Model Masters or Testors plastic model glue with works a lot like MEK but a little thicker, melts the plastics together, the only draw back that I have found is it isn't instant like super glue and has to be clamped until dry
The white haze is caused as "CAs are prone to blooming or frosting, a cosmetically unappealing phenomenon that manifests itself as a rainbow or whitish haze surrounding the bond line. Blooming occurs when unreacted cyanoacrylate monomers evaporate and become airborne." (I lifted that quote) Solvent glues do not do this. But.........
Be aware that solvent type adhesives used to bond plastics can cause discoloration/opaquing of clear plastic parts and to any finishes applied to them if not applied sparingly. A lot of modellers use a refined very clear drying PVA glue to fix clear plastic parts in place, it's known as "canopy glue". Problem is it will turn white if exposed to moisture and may discolour with prolonged exposure to sunlight.
So, it's very careful application with the Ruderer & Allplast on the clear windows then. Try applying with a cocktail stick or a fine brush if fluid enough. Max