Attaching Small PE Parts

[Greif]

I use a tiny piece of blue tac on a flat toothpick to attach very small PE parts.  Pickup the PE part, apply cyno, place the part and wait a few seconds.  Once the cyno bonds you can remove the toothpick from the part. 

Ernest

[Rokket]

Nice tip - you don't prefer the "glue your fingers together and stick to the model, all while losing the part" method? 

[Mike K]

Thanks, Greif. I've been using rokket's method for years. The only other method, I knew, was to use tweezers.
1)Pick up part with tweezers.
2)Place small drop of cyno on part.
3)Press part to model and let set.
4)Pry tweezers from model.
5)Discover part had dropped from tweezers and is now firmly attached to , work bench, model box, note paper, directions, ship's drawings, etc.
Very similar to fingers method, but with out the bleeding.
Your idea sound much more promising.
Mike K.

[Greif]

Hi Mike, I used your technique until a more experienced modeller pointed the blue tack trick out to me several years ago.  Glad I can help others by passing on knowledge.

Ernest

Thanks, Greif. I've been using rokket's method for years. The only other method, I knew, was to use tweezers.
1)Pick up part with tweezers.
2)Place small drop of cyno on part.
3)Press part to model and let set.
4)Pry tweezers from model.
5)Discover part had dropped from tweezers and is now firmly attached to , work bench, model box, note paper, directions, ship's drawings, etc.
Very similar to fingers method, but with out the bleeding.
Your idea sound much more promising.
Mike K.

[Rokket]

Hi Mike!

Ya, the younger guys can use their fancy-schmancy stuff, but we know how to glue parts to not just models!

[Mike K]

Right ya are, mate. And we got the scars and missing finger prints to prove it.

Mike K.

[Pat]

If you do use the "glue your fingers together and stick to the model with CA method", one way to get the fingers apart is to just spit on them.

Saliva in large quantities, is a solvent for CA, albeit a slow one.

(I found this one out by gluing my tongue once.  Working hard on the tiny part I was gluing and didn't notice that I was sticking my tongue out as I concentrated.)

[Siara]

Humidity is the factor.
It speeds up the process.
Best wat to solve the CA on the human flesh is sweat. If you sweat it just falls away.

PS: I use Ernest`s method to attach small PE parts- blue tac on the toothpick works.

[robtmelvin]

You might also want to take a look at a product called "Gator Glue".  It's not CA, more like a white glue.  Holds nicely when you first mount the P.E. part but still gives you time to work before it sets.  Excess can be cleaned off with a paint brush dipped in plain water.  Shear strength is good after it dries to.  It's marketed by a guy named Kenny Loup in Louisiana, U.S.A..  Great guy to do business with, excellent customer service and prompt shipping.  He also sells masks and other supplies, including precision applicator tips for the Gator Glue.  Here is the hyperlink: www.gatorsmask.com/index.html

Hope this is of help.

Bob

[Greif]

Hi Bob, welcome to the forum!  I have a bottle of Gator glue and do use it from time to time to attach small PE parts.  Kenny is indeed a great person to do business with.

Ernest

You might also want to take a look at a product called "Gator Glue".  It's not CA, more like a white glue.  Holds nicely when you first mount the P.E. part but still gives you time to work before it sets.  Excess can be cleaned off with a paint brush dipped in plain water.  Shear strength is good after it dries to.  It's marketed by a guy named Kenny Loup in Louisiana, U.S.A..  Great guy to do business with, excellent customer service and prompt shipping.  He also sells masks and other supplies, including precision applicator tips for the Gator Glue.  Here is the hyperlink: www.gatorsmask.com/index.html

Hope this is of help.

Bob

[robtmelvin]

Ernest, thanks for the welcome.  I'm looking forward to learning from you guys and maybe making a useful contribution or two of my own.

Bob

[Rokket]

Hi Bob,
thanks. I bought myself a bottle a while back, it's great stuff. I did a direct comparison to CA for strength. I THINK I can perceive a bit more resistance to the yank-off test with CA, but certainly not much, could be diff force used (I only tested with my fingers). My biggest problem is I haven't had much time to model and I'm far away from gluing thing!

[iceonaboy]

Just a quicky Wink. When you talk of CA glue, are you talking about superglue?

[Rokket]

Yes - "cyanoacrylate" - easier to type CA than supergue or cyano...

Bob above is right about Gator Glue, works very well. My unscientific, subjective comparison test is that the gator is not quite as strong as CA, but in modelling it is fine (you're not TRYING to rip parts off the model you just want them to stick forever).

[GlennCauley]

Here's the method I use to attach PE parts... especially small ones:

CA "pool" :
To keep a fresh "pool" of CA, I take a small piece of alum foil and use it to line one of the shallow indents on a cheap paint tray... then add a few drops of CA.  The CA doesn't dry out very fast. 

CA application :
I use a very fine piece of brass wire and dip it into the CA pool to get some CA.  Hold the PE part with very fine-tipped tweezers.  Apply the CA to the PE part, then put the PE part in place.  If possible, try to "seal" the edges of the PE with a bit more CA glue.  Then squirt the PE part with some CA accelerator to flash harden the CA, then carefully scrape away excess CA with the tip of a very sharp hobby knife.

When the CA builds up on the end of the brass wire, I just use an old hobby knife to scrape it off again.