Friday, January 19, 2018

Britfix balsa glue


Brought in with an old wooden boat kit recently, this tube of glue takes me right back to my first modelling days.

I can't remember how old I was, possibly 5 or 6, when my Dad presented me with a carrier bag full of balsa wood offcuts, a knife and some glue. Britfix glue to be precise. For that bag of bits, an entire modelling career was born.

This glue is still in mint condition. I've not opened the tube, but it's still squishy so I bet it would work.

How many others remember this range? As I recall, there was also a plastic cement with a yellow ended tube, but I can't be sure. When did Britfix disappear?

4 comments:

Duncan Young said...

Yes, recall it well at Beatties, Woolworths and locla model shops (all gone now). Was it linked with Humbrol? I also recall the polystyrene cement Weldtite

Alec said...

Re Britfix. It morphed into Humbrol. The colour stayed the same, blue for balsa and yellow for polystyrene.
Do you remember Joy balsa cement in the orange tube? A lot of customers preferred it. They also did polystyrene I think also in an orange tube. They also did a range of enamel paint in tinlets also dope and sanding sealer etc.

Unknown said...

It is still available from Italy via ebay.

Mike said...

I found this info, showing the yellow tubes in a photo: https://www.modelkitcollecting.com/humbrol-britfix-t1814.html

I remember using the balsa cement and polystyrene glues as a child in the '70s.