Zap-A-Gap for resin kits

[Didymus]

Under perfect conditions, Zap-a-Gap might dry in 15 seconds, but you never know. As somebody else mentioned in this thread, it's unpredictable. Applied thickly, or sitting in a puddle, it can take half-an-hour or more to set. With accelerator, it pops almost instantly. The idea is to apply the glue and position the pieces perfectly before applying the accelerator. Of course, any movement can spread glue around - not good. I usually try to drip the accelerator on to avoid disturbing the glue or the pieces. But, as I said, I'm a long way from perfecting the art of gluing.

For mixing palettes, I use squares of .100" Teflon sheet. Great stuff; I got it at a surplus store, but have no idea where else you can buy it. When the glue on the palette dries, it can be easily peeled off and the palette re-used. It even works for epoxy! OTOH, tape sticks to it just fine, so I also use Teflon pieces for painting paddles. The paint can be wiped off with lacquer thinner. Highly recommended stuff, if you can find it.

I'll be getting some Tamiya Extra Thin at my LHS today. Hopefully, that will reduce my messy joint rate.

[Foxerjr]

I too use Zap-A-Gap for almost all my needs ... and the best part about it is they have figured out how to make a proper top! I have about a quarter bottle left and it is still flowing and the top still sealing! It's about 15 years old now I believe.

I just got a tube of the original super glue for some thin stuff I needed and the cap is already unremovable after only 2 uses.

[klutz_100]

Originally Posted by Didymus

I'll be getting some Tamiya Extra Thin at my LHS today. Hopefully, that will reduce my messy joint rate.

The brush in the bottle is pretty good but picks up quite a lot of the cement. You will be better served on most joints if you dedicate a couple of old, thin tipped paint brushes to the job. You will have more control on dosage and precision.

[Didymus]

Originally Posted by klutz_100

You will be better served on most joints if you dedicate a couple of old, thin tipped paint brushes to the job. You will have more control on dosage and precision.

Thanks! Like my friend Spanky says, beats nonsense every time. He also says that there's nothing better than a good joint.

Oh, and if the "aftermarket" brush dries out, how can I bring it back to life?

[klutz_100]

Originally Posted by Didymus

Oh, and if the "aftermarket" brush dries out, how can I bring it back to life?

I've been using the same pair of brushes for 2 years now so I don't suppose it really is a problem. :twocents:

However, if you do find yourself needing to reanimate a brush, maybe try mouth-to-bristle resuscitation? :nonsense:

[Didymus]

Since it's a solvent, I guess it dissolves... itself.

[chato de shamrock]

Originally Posted by ZoomZoomMX-5

It doesn't cure that fast on it's own (though it is faster than ancient styrene tube glue), and if you use the accelerator the fogging will not happen (I've been using it for nearly 2 decades this way, fogging has not been an issue whatsoever). For small filling jobs it's much better than waiting for putty to dry, doesn't matter if it's plastic or resin you're filling. You don't have to have glue on parts to test fit them. Dry fit first to see how it fits...then use glue...

I used Zap A Gap to glue the coilovers when I chopped them to lower the height of the ride. I drilled in the center of them and inserted a piece of aluminum/metal. Everything was glued with Zap A Gap but I test fitted everything first so I know exactly how to apply them once i used the glue. Perhaps its the fact that I was using small amounts of the glue but everything bonded within seconds, in some cases including my fingers. Great product though. Wont get dumped in the trash after 2 uses like original CA.

[Didymus]

A minor miracle:

Yesterday, a support strut broke off my Speedster frame while I was working on the cockpit. The strut is attached only by a couple of .010" rods inserted into a hole and notch in the frame. I've never had much luck repairing broken styrene rods, even with epoxy, so it looked like I'd have to re-create the entire strut assembly with brass. That would have involved a lot of time - and soldering.

So I took a wild swing. I just stuck the strut onto the frame, flooding the scraped joints with some of my newly acquired Tamiya Extra Thin Cement. It seemed like mission impossible, but I let it cure overnight anyway.

This morning I expected to find a couple of weak, soft joints, but I was amazed to find that the joints are solid!

Tamiya Extra Thin to the rescue. Thanks, Klutz. This is great stuff!

BTW, the Fujimi Speedster is not the easiest model I've ever built. The instructions aren't very clear about some of the attachment points. The parts are abundant and nicely made except for one small detail - many of them don't line up quite right. Just about everything has to be carefully fitted and trimmed before final gluing.

[TurboGuru]

I received my first Studio27 kit today...

Upon reading the instructions it says that the epoxy glue is essential for metal parts.

The rear wing on my kit is made entirely out of metal so will Zap not work when joining the rear wing to the resin body? ... Should I buy an epoxy glue?

[klutz_100]

Originally Posted by TurboGuru

... Should I buy an epoxy glue?

Yes!.

As I wrote earlier...

Originally Posted by klutz_100

212,34%
Adhesives are like paintbrushes - sure you can paint everything and anything with just the one brush, but in reality there are individual brushes best suited for certain painting jobs so you get the best results if you have a selection of brushes.

Same story with glues. Better to have a selection of types of adhesives at at hand (especially that they are about the cheapest supply material you will buy )

You really need a whole battery of adhesives to build models IMO regardless of whether it's resin, plastic or metal. I mostly use all my types of adhesive on every build.

At the very least it would be best if you had:
Plastic cement eg Tamiya thin and optionally a tube version
2-part epoxy resins (5-minute and 15-minute)
PVA glue ; wood glue or similar for clear parts
CA glue: thick and thin, fogging and non-fogging
CA accelerator
I have even found that liquid mask makes a useful adhesive for test fitting

[TurboGuru]

Thanks klutz

Well I have about 3 of those already so yes I will stock up on the others.

I tried out Zap-A-Gap the other day and I am begining to understand the need for the accerlerator. I found that whilst holding the pieces in place they were sliding around a lot, it was like the glue wasn't curing as fast as I expected.

Will pick up a bottle of zip kicker!

[Didymus]

I would add both glossy and flat clear acrylics to Klutz's list.

[Didymus]

Originally Posted by TurboGuru

...I am begining to understand the need for the accerlerator. I found that whilst holding the pieces in place they were sliding around a lot, it was like the glue wasn't curing as fast as I expected.

ITYS. See Post #16, this thread.

Ddms

[pedrop]

As a general rule, I don't use CA for air bubbles in resin kits because it is some much harder when it dries. You risk sanding away kit trying to smooth out the CA. Try Squadron putty or 3m Acryl blu - both are stinky yet effective

[Didymus]

Originally Posted by pedrop

As a general rule, I don't use CA for air bubbles in resin kits because it is some much harder when it dries. You risk sanding away kit trying to smooth out the CA.

Well, that's what makes horse races. In my experience, cured thick CA (I use Gorilla Super Glue) and styrene seem to sand at about the same rate. Never had a problem sanding away too much plastic.

OTOH, I have had problems with Squadron Putty cracking when cured.

Ddms