Miniature Tip of the Week – 4
Which Glue Do I You Use?
We are going to take a quick look at 2 types of different glues out there for assembling miniatures and make sure your using the correct one.
There is a lot of different glues. The two most common for miniature building are Super Glue (Cyanoacrylate) and Plastic Cement/Plastic Glue (Butyl Acetate). Both of these come in many different brands. Let’s take a look.
Super Glue (Cyanoacrylate)
These are the most common. Everyone should be familiar to some degree with them. Apply and they dry fast. You can use accelerator to speed up drying time if you like. Each company seems to be a bit different and everyone has a favorite they use. Yes, it will glue your fingers together.
This type of glue is used on resin, metal, and all around general purpose. One of the great things is this kind of glue can be used on just about anything. It is very versatile. Not so good side of things is that in cold temperatures it becomes brittle. Also over time it may weaken.
Plastic Cement/Plastic Glue (Butyl Acetate)
These are the types of glue most of us used as a kid to build a model car. The older style was in a tube and a thick, stringy gel. Flash forward to the 21 century and it’s super thin. Applied out of a small tip or a brush application.
These types of glues only work on polystyrene or ABS plastic. (mostly models on sprue) This type of glue works by actually melting the plastic together and basically welding it. Good thing is once dried the model should not come apart at the glue point because it is melted together. Bad thing is if you mess up and need to take a model apart, its melted together. Another issue is if you accidently get this on the model in places that you are not gluing it may affect the appearance of the model. Because it is melting it.
General rule of thumb I go by is if it is on a sprue then I use plastic glue/plastic cement. Everything else I use super glue. Don’t be scared! Try out different brands and types till you find the ones you like. Even then still always be trying new ones out to find glues that suit you better.
Just a quick tip to think about!
Written by Justin
