Better alternatives to GW plastic glue?

[Axineton]

So I’ve bought two pots of GW plastic glue cos I like the metal needle like tip, but the problem is they keep blocking up and I can’t unblock them so is there any alternatives that come with a needle like tip out there that are better and don’t block up so much?

[Marshal Loss]

http://res.luckymodel.com/img/PI00000079430.jpg

 

Revell has never let me down, been using it for longer than I can remember.

[m0nolith]

http://res.luckymodel.com/img/PI00000079430.jpg

 

Revell has never let me down, been using it for longer than I can remember.

I second this.

This is the best glue iv used when it comes to plastic.

[Axineton]

http://res.luckymodel.com/img/PI00000079430.jpg

 

Revell has never let me down, been using it for longer than I can remember.

I’ve never seen that glue in the UK mate.

[Subtle Discord]

Tamiya Extra Thin is my goto glue for styrene. I've used many products over 30+ years building models (never used that Contacta, I'll admit) and Extra Thin is just... better. It's water thin so it pulls into gaps like a charm, it evaporates and dries very quickly, it's just 'hot' enough to do the job without melting the plastic like crazy, and it comes with a fine brush built into the cap giving you lots of precision in how you can apply it.

[Marshal Loss]

 

http://res.luckymodel.com/img/PI00000079430.jpg

 

Revell has never let me down, been using it for longer than I can remember.

I’ve never seen that glue in the UK mate.

 

 

A quick google indicates that it isn't hard to find in the UK, and I remember buying some myself from an art/model store in Nottingham when I was there last.

[Axineton]

Right then I’m gonna have look at both suggestions. Cheers guys

[Spiny Norman]

+1 for Contacta in UK. I also find you can clear the needle applicator by heating it with a lighter so might be worth trying that before you buy a replacement.

[sockwithaticket]

 

http://res.luckymodel.com/img/PI00000079430.jpg

 

Revell has never let me down, been using it for longer than I can remember.

I’ve never seen that glue in the UK mate.

 

You can get literally anything and everything from amazon even if you can't find it in a hobby store. I'm in the UK and I have that exact glue sitting in front of me.

[NovemberIX]

On a really slightly moronic side note, my solution to the blocked metal tube isssue was to remove it from the bottle, hold it in a pair of needle nose pliers and apply flame. On one hand it does make for a slightly entertaining display and irked in incredibly well, on the other I can’t imagine the fumes being good to inhale.

[Bung]

If those small metal tubes block, just take a lighter and hold it to the tip.

This will burn out the plastic glue blocking it.

Noneedto purchase another bottle.

[feuer_faust]

 

Testor's Model Master is my go-to. Thin, metal applicator, and comes with wires to clear up the occasional blockage.

[Magos Takatus]

If those small metal tubes block, just take a lighter and hold it to the tip.

This will burn out the plastic glue blocking it.

Noneedto purchase another bottle.

My pot blocks up so often that I have permanent scorch marks on the end of the tube. It's a handy bit of real world inspiration when I want to paint muzzle burn on weapons. :p

[m_r_parker]

I've had multiple people tell me to take a cigarette lighter to the tube to clear blockages, but it doesn't work so well when 1) you don't smoke, 2) you don't want to do it in the kitchen on the hob, and 3) you're paranoid about fumes.

What I have been able to do is find some very fine wire (0.315mm copper wire from Maplin) and use that to push the solidified glue out. Depending on the wire it may buckle as you push, but if you use a long pair of needle pliers you can feed it through.

 

I've used Humbrol before and seemed to be on a par with the GW stuff. Although I've not used Revell brand I have seen it in the UK in branches of Hobbycraft.

[Aramis K]

I'm in UK and get the revel contacta glue all over. Easy to find.

If the tube gums up I use the gas hob to burn it clean. Takes a second, barely a smell.

[Elzender]

Like Mr_parker said, I use a fine copper rod to unblock the metal tube when it gets blocked, if I recall correctly it is a pinning rod from greenstuffworld, the smallest diameter (I use GW plastic glue, haven't really tried anything else since I most often use cyanoacrylate).

[Subtle Discord]

Aaaand, the brush that is built into the cap of Tamyia Extra Thin never needs to be unclogged with a lighter and/or other methods. Additionally, you can use the brush to not only control how much glue to apply, but also to smooth surfaces with a small amount of glue brushed over it, or fill gaps by softening the plastic into a 'soup' and then working it with the brush to refine it and close the gap. I've used adhesives with needle applicators in the past and never liked the lack of control of how much adhesive I can add when I'm trying to be very careful, and what options I can employ once the adhesive is in place. Naturally, it's completely subjective but I've found the brush applicator easier to use, offering more control, and more options of how to work with the glue as you apply it.

[Calyptra]

Testor's Model Master is my go-to. Thin, metal applicator, and comes with wires to clear up the occasional blockage.

This is the glue I use as well. I couldn't say if it's the best, but I think it's so good that I have zero motivation to try to find something better. It does everything I think it should.

[Radiation]

Tamiya extra thin is very good stuff.

[Axineton]

Managed to get the revell glue at a model railway shop in town today. So I take back not seeing it in the UK

[Stoic Raptor]

Testor's Model Master is my go-to. Thin, metal applicator, and comes with wires to clear up the occasional blockage.

 

 

I recommend this product very highly.  It's what I've been using for many, many years.  It flows nicely, the applicator is very precise and it's easy to handle.

[Xenith]

I have a thin piece of guitar wire that I poke down the metal tube when it blocks.

 

I use the revell contacta, available in the UK, hasn't let me down.

[Major_Gilbear]

I must be the odd one out, as I use EMA Model Supplies Plastic Weld, and apply it with a small synthetic brush. This stuff will melt a wide range of hard styrene plastics together, and is as thin as alcohol so it gets into even very small joints without gunging them up.

 

Like Subtle Discord says, you can also work the stuff with the brush over joins to simply make them disappear. You know those awful old plastic kits like the Catachans and Chaos Marauders, and the newer snap-fit Khorne Blood Reavers? By using this stuff and a brush, I have made invisible arm-to-torso joints without the use of putty.

 

My #1 top tip if you go for a plastic weld product like this is to use a generous piece of poster tack to stick the bottle to your worktop when you open it - it avoids accidental mishaps like knocking the bottle over (this stuff will dissolve protective tablecloths, varnish, lacquer, etc., so don't spill it! And yes, I did spill it once; that's how I know...).

[Stoic Raptor]

Like Subtle Discord says, you can also work the stuff with the brush over joins to simply make them disappear. You know those awful old plastic kits like the Catachans and Chaos Marauders, and the newer snap-fit Khorne Blood Reavers? By using this stuff and a brush, I have made invisible arm-to-torso joints without the use of putty.

 

I've done that from time to time - but the best way is to apply a thin bead to both surfaces to be joined, give it a moment to work, and then press the parts together as tight as you can.  This should create a bead of melted plastic along the join - and when it's dry it's no different than a mold line.  Once you scrape/sand/file it down, it's literally a single piece of plastic.

 

It's a technique that is used by larger-scale plastic model builders, and personally I find it easiest to do with a needle applicator on this small scale.

[Arkhanist]

I must be the odd one out, as I use EMA Model Supplies Plastic Weld, and apply it with a small synthetic brush. This stuff will melt a wide range of hard styrene plastics together, and is as thin as alcohol so it gets into even very small joints without gunging them up.

 

My #1 top tip if you go for a plastic weld product like this is to use a generous piece of poster tack to stick the bottle to your worktop when you open it - it avoids accidental mishaps like knocking the bottle over (this stuff will dissolve protective tablecloths, varnish, lacquer, etc., so don't spill it! And yes, I did spill it once; that's how I know...).

 

Another tip I've seen suggested for that particular product is to hotglue or epoxy a small square of wood/mdf to the bottom of the bottle; stops it tipping over, and catches any accidental drips down the side as it is a really 'hot' solvent.