Thursday, June 16, 2016

Super glue?

 Using superglue to assemble laser cut wooden kits has been a trick used by the flying aircraft fraternity for years. Ever the traditionalist, I prefer a PVA glue, but a recent project saw me looking for a faster fix. 

My standard superlue is Zap-a-Gap green label but this soaks into the wood so fast, it's gone before the joint is made. 

A trip to the local DIY shed saw me return with a couple of Loctite products. 

Power Flex is a lot of packaging around a small tube of gel glue. Squeeze the grey sides and the plastic squeezes a tube inside. The glue has the consistency of toothpaste (don't mix them up) and sits on the wood perfectly. It certainly did the job, my only complaint is that there doesn't seem to be much glue supplied. I scrapped through the project, but only just. 

Brush on is as it says, a thick glue applied with a brush. It's not as viscous as the gel but more than the runnier Zap. Sloshing it into place with the brush in the cap works well. If it soaks in, the process is slow enough to allow a joint to be made.

I remember trying a Zap version years ago and liked it. The problem was that it dried up in the tube a bit fast. That and I couldn't get any more. 

2 recommendations then. At just under a fiver each, the Zap still looks cheaper, but they work, so I can live with the price. Modellers who like to complain, "I don't get on with superglue, have you anything made from boiled horse" would be wise to give these a go.

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