Thursday, July 10, 2008

Super Glue and Random Thoughts

Let me just say one thing about super glue, I hate it. Yea, that's right. I hate super glue.

When gluing plastic to plastic, I always choose plastic cement. When gluing metal to metal I (almost) always use two part epoxy. But with plastic to metal I use the despised super glue. I think it may be that I feel mislead by super glue. There used to be television commercials in which a man was suspended in the air clutching his hard hat that had been super glued to an iron beam. I think it's much more likely, in hindsight, that he could be held aloft by a ferocious jet of flatulence that would make Grandfather Nurgle say, "wow..." than any amount of super glue. My experience with super glue is as follows; I glue two pieces and hold them together for about 30 seconds, I let go and the free piece falls and is permanently attached to the first thing it touches. Whether that thing be my finger, a bit of paper towel, the table, or a piece of nonstick teflon, it is stuck. Luckily, even the best bit of super glue can be undone with same amount of pressure it takes to fold a piece of toilet tissue... one ply toilet tissue. I hate super glue.

If anyone has any tips, suggestions, or would just like to poke the poor freak who can't use super glue with a stick, please feel free to leave a comment.

In other completely unrelated news... My local GW store called me today to confirm that there was to be a midnight release with events and fun stuff Friday night the 11th of July. "That's great" I said, "but I have to go now to get my teeth drilled as I'm at the dentist." And so I did. Big fun. Then a few hours later whilst recovering from the Dental Adventure they called again. This time to inform me that there would be no midnight release and as it turns out I'm welcome to swing by Saturday the 12th to pick up my Gamers Edition 40K rules. Life seems so unfair at times... I know there are children in Africa starving, but this is about me damn it!

Oh well, Hellboy II comes out tomorrow. They can't take that from me... or can they?

10 comments:

Anonymous said...

*poke* :D

No really, what kind of glue are you using? The GW superglue does take a while to set, and I would generally not use it without a pin.

Have you tried Loctite superglue? I find it amazing, though a bit annoying. It's like sticking a magnet on a piece of iron. You have to make sure you put it in the right position from the start because the bonding happens so fast. It's well wroth a look at.

I believe there is also an accelerator-type product you can use, it speeds up the setting time of the superglue.

Hope that helps...

Very nice blog by the way, that wraithlord is mighty tasty!

Space Hulk Enthusiast said...

Superglue is all I use really. And the cheap stuff at that. I don't buy any brand name stuff either.

Plastic to plastic, plastic to metal, makes no difference to me.

I live by it. Sure it has some problems here and there but I don't use any accelerants or anything like that either.

Don't know what to tell you about this one... sorry?

Unknown said...

Experiment with how much superglue you use, thats the best tip I can give. If you use too much the glue joint will be inherently weak, and you can always do more then one pass. A trick I use is a gapfilling superglue to get the joint set and then a thin penetrating superglue to seal the edges.

I personally prefer Zap a gap for most gluing, and I have a bottle of GW super glue and a bottle of water thin superglue that I use for specific purposes.

Watch using Accelerators like ZapKicker - they HAVE to used with enough ventilation as they are extremely unhealthy to inhale. And you'll be attempting to assemble minis high as a kite...

Eric said...

Hi there!

Ironically enough, you mentioned toilet paper. I heard a rumor on 40k Online that you can put a tiny piece of toilet/tissue paper between the join, and it helps the super glue stick. Never tried it myself, but perhaps there's some truth to it?

With the metal Westwind heads I'm using on my (plastic) Blood Pact Guardsmen, I found out that they don't join well. So unfortunately I have to pin every single head or I just know some will break off in the future. It's a pain, but it definitely solidifies a metal-plastic join.

As mentioned above, I'd also recommend the use of accelerant.

Unknown said...

"Less is more" is a lesson I learned the hard way when putting together some Necron Flayed Ones I got for free at Games Day Baltimore a few years ago. I use cheap Super Glue too and haven't had any problems...

Admiral Drax said...

Hey, Matey!

I have to say: I'm a massive fan of superglue too - and less is definitely more. Funnily enough, (though I've not read owt about it,) I've sometimes pondered using a medium like toilet paper between surfaces myself. I reckon it might just work...

Why do I like superglue? Because a day, month, year or decade later I can go back to the join and break it cleanly. For someone like me who likes fiddling with little conversions (far better than painting the bloody models!) this is essential. Yes, I love superglue.

It's a particular frustration when I buy a beaten-up old model from eBay for salvage/bits/scenery and go to carve it up...only to realise with horror that every bit is chemically bonded to every other. With big smeary lumps and trails of poly cement from the inept 12 year-old who made it.

There is one exception: recently, I realised that poly cement's weetabix-like adhesive properties is far more useful for Cities of Death buildings.

C'mon, Inner Geek - give superglue another chance!

- Drax

CrusherJoe said...

I use both kinds of both kinds of glue (super and poly). The superglue I use I got from Hobby Lobby, and it's called "Extreme Power Thick Advanced Performance Instant Adhesive". It was $2.99. It works like a champ, mainly due to its thickness (and the fact that I put it on very sparingly). There are different viscosities available if you want to use something thinner.

I don't know about the toilet paper trick, I'm a little dubious about that one myself. One thing I can tell you that works is using very thin piece of greenstuff between the surfaces you want to bond.

Also, ZipKicker makes short, short work of superglue drying times. However, it can leave a little "crazy" (that annoying white "frosting" effect) on the adjoining surfaces (which paint will cover nicely).

Anonymous said...

Apologies in advance for blatant marketing here, but I came across this post today and thought I'd offer some alternatives to super glue.

I work with Eclectic Products, Inc. and we make all kinds of products to glue stuff together. Take a look: www.eclecticproducts.com.

The GOOP line works well for a lot of misc household projects. It dries slightly rubbery, which means it works on a lot of things super glue doesn't. The set time isn't instant, but the durability of the hold can't be beat.

Feel free to swing by our blog, too, if you're so inclined: http://eclecticproducts.wordpress.com

Anonymous said...

@weiss
Thanks for stopping by! I'll check into the Loctite...

@ron
Perhaps I'll start prepping all my minis then send them to you for assembly? Seriously though, I only get frustrated because building is one of my favorite parts of the hobby.

@evernevermore
I'm liking the idea of your two glue method...

@techpriest
This potty paper idea seems sound, I'll probably give that a shot sooner rather than later!

@ian
Less is more is counter to the way my brain works, but I know you are right, so I'll try to keep my amounts in check...

@Drax
I understand that you like the 'undo-ability' of super glue, but I like stuff to stay put when I glue it... forever!

@crusherjoe
Crap! I was just at Hobby Lobby yesterday too. I'll check it out again next time I'm in there.

@kelli
Um... thanks for stopping by? You do seem to be a big fan of the goop...

Unknown said...

The joint breaking with superglue is nice because its controllable, at least mostly.

Tissue or toilet paper will do well because, 1 it soaks up excess superglue, and 2 it becomes a sort of composite material with the paper acting as a matrix and the glue a binder. It wont stop bullets like a Kevlar composite would, but Ive seen incredibly small, incredibly strong paper airplanes made with the same basic process.

Goop is actually good for when you need a flexible joint. It also wont crazy clear plastic - so Eldar players might find some use for it

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