Please help the new guy...

[Huntington Beach Al]

I'm new to this site and haven't built a model in over 40 years. I need a little help. I am building the Guillows 1004 F4UCorsair and need some basic help. The glue I purchased is KWIK Bond 1 Thin. It's like super glue and haven't used it before on a model. I am assuming I hold the parts together and let the glue seep between the parts rather than applying the glue to the surfaces then touching them together. Does that sound correct and am I using the correct glue?

[lukebozek1]

Sounds like Cyano glue, which I use on occasion. The thin stuff will flow by capillary action into a tight joint. I would rather use Testors, Ambroid the old standby or right now SIGMENT a SIG product. The CA will attach you to anything you work on and the thin stuff will flow uphill to my fingers, really. This thicker, or gap-filling stuff doesn't flow as bad and it seems easier to put a spot on parts than the other thin material. A lot of people are using white glue, Elmers, and they get great results. But if I hadn't built a plane in 40 years, you are starting off with one interesting kit that I just finished (4 months). Go to Virtual Airodrome and check out some of the other builds. To get the CA off you fingers use a flat fingernail file, the flexible ones from CVS. I use them to sand balsa, but they clear my skin from the dried CA which I always get between fingernails and on fingers.

[lukebozek1]

By the way, you are using it correctly. Keep the parts together and this is drawn into the tight gap. Hold for about ten seconds and it should be solid, but it takes about two miutes or more to completely dry, so don't handle it for a bit. I use this to set ribs or parts where I need alignment and can't pin pieces together.

[SteveM]

If you search this forum for "glue" you'll find a few threads discussing the various glues people use and why. Here is a link to one of them: http://balsamodels.com/phpBB/viewtopic.php?t=1511

I personally have cold-like symptoms to CA glue fumes if I breath in too much over a period of time so I limit my use of CA glue to instances where the parts are difficult to clamp well or I'm in a hurry. When gluing metal to wood I use epoxy. When gluing wood to plastic I'll often use a canopy glue (dries clear and won't frost your canopy like CA will).

For general wood to wood assembly I prefer PVA type glues such as Elmer's white glue or Titebond wood glue. They are cheap, strong, sandable, and give me lots of time to get the parts positioned. I've tried Ambriod and the Testor's wood glues like lukebozek1 mentioned but struggle to get strong joints with it.

Grab a few scraps of wood and try some different glues and see which you like best.

[Huntington Beach Al]

Thanks a lot for the help. I am done with this glue. Got lots on my fingers and ended up using scrubby pad to get it off. The smell got to me also. Even indoors with good ventilation was a problem.

[Scott67]

Sounds like Cyano glue, which I use on occasion. The thin stuff will flow by capillary action into a tight joint. I would rather use Testors, Ambroid the old standby or right now SIGMENT a SIG product. The CA will attach you to anything you work on and the thin stuff will flow uphill to my fingers, really. This thicker, or gap-filling stuff doesn't flow as bad and it seems easier to put a spot on parts than the other thin material. A lot of people are using white glue, Elmers, and they get great results. But if I hadn't built a plane in 40 years, you are starting off with one interesting kit that I just finished (4 months). Go to Virtual Airodrome and check out some of the other builds. To get the CA off you fingers use a flat fingernail file, the flexible ones from CVS. I use them to sand balsa, but they clear my skin from the dried CA which I always get between fingernails and on fingers.

CA is what Kwik Tite Bond I is. If you look at Bob Smith CA, there are several kinds of CA from super thin to flexible CA. They also make an odorless CA. I find the medium viscosity useful with balsa kits, at least on RC airplanes. It is good for quick repairs. I always keep a bottle of debonding agent or nail polish remover if some gets on my fingers. Also, I try to were displosable latex gloves with super glue. I also use Insta-set so CA cures in a blink of an eye. I would image the files could hurt after awhile. Use the de-bonding agent, Acetone, or fingernail polish then wash hands immediately.

[Scott67]

Sorry about typo, I meant finger nail polish remover with acetone, I think it comes in the yellow bottle.

[Scott67]

If you search this forum for "glue" you'll find a few threads discussing the various glues people use and why. Here is a link to one of them: http://balsamodels.com/phpBB/viewtopic.php?t=1511

I personally have cold-like symptoms to CA glue fumes if I breath in too much over a period of time so I limit my use of CA glue to instances where the parts are difficult to clamp well or I'm in a hurry. When gluing metal to wood I use epoxy. When gluing wood to plastic I'll often use a canopy glue (dries clear and won't frost your canopy like CA will).

For general wood to wood assembly I prefer PVA type glues such as Elmer's white glue or Titebond wood glue. They are cheap, strong, sandable, and give me lots of time to get the parts positioned. I've tried Ambriod and the Testor's wood glues like lukebozek1 mentioned but struggle to get strong joints with it.

Grab a few scraps of wood and try some different glues and see which you like best.

Steve, Bob Smith Industries makes an odorless CA glue. The PVA glues are okay but they are not very strong. If you have the patience for glue to set the wood glues like Titebond II is very good for woods. I like the CA's with a skirt of Instra-Set or accelerant. When applying CA I go to the hobby shop and get little pipettes or eye droppers with fine tips. They help in putting the CA exactly where you what it and there is a chance of your fingers getting stuck.

[SteveM]

Steve, Bob Smith Industries makes an odorless CA glue. The PVA glues are okay but they are not very strong. If you have the patience for glue to set the wood glues like Titebond II is very good for woods. I like the CA's with a skirt of Instra-Set or accelerant. When applying CA I go to the hobby shop and get little pipettes or eye droppers with fine tips. They help in putting the CA exactly where you what it and there is a chance of your fingers getting stuck.

I've used the odorless CAs, including the one from Mercury which is truly odorless and not just low odor. The problem with these glues is that they take a very long time to cure, so much so that I often feel the need to use kicker which comes with its own issues. So now you have yourself a type of glue that is expensive, has fussy application (fine tip applicators), foul odor (from CA and/or the kicker), has a short shelf life, sticks your fingers together or to the wood, makes a brittle joint, sands poorly, and easily wicks all over, adding undesirable weight and rigidity. Some of the above shortcomings can be remedied with proper application using a fine tip applicator, but that goes back to my complaints of expensive and fussy application. In reflecting on these disadvantages, why does anyone use CA outside of emergency field repairs? Impatience? Misinformed? Independently wealthy? Single?

I'm not sure why you think PVA isn't strong, it is very strong. I've used Elmer's white glue and wood glues like Titebond II and have found they all work well. The only drawback I can think of is a slow dry time (which can also be a benefit).

That said, glues tend to be good or bad for certain applications so using 2-4 types of glue on a single model isn't unusual for me. I do from time to time resort to CA for a joint that I am having difficult aligning properly and defies clamping.

[cliffm]

My first kit on return to the hobby was also the 1000 series corsair and it was a very enjoyable build. Elmer's was my first choice because of odor and clean-up, it also makes the strongest joints when compared to some of the more expensive alternatives. Using it for covering is also one of it's many good points. I never realized how sensitive I was to the "superglues" until I got these mysterious headaches that were about as bad as a severe Migraine. I only use the c.a. glues for in field quick repairs and when nothing else works. It requires very good ventilation for me to use it as I think it is a health risk if used otherwise. Have an enjoyable build.