Glue/adhesive recommendations?

[D&J RailRoad]

The welding type glue actually melts the plastic a bit so when it sets up, the parts are actually melted together, i.e. welded.
The CA type glue adheres to the part surfaces then dries hard. Plastic is not an ideal surface to try to get something to adhere to.

 

[trailrider]

For some applications, metal to metal, metal to wood, leather to leather, I've use Walthers Goo. I have an OLD passenger car that had metal sides and wood chassis that I assembled using Goo about 60 years ago. It is still in good condition! Not saying Goo is the best for all applications, but it certainly works for some.

 

[Snowman]

I did get the MEK after all. Minimum size was one quart.

I will split it up into smaller bottles myself, and won't need an applicator brush top for any of them. When I used the stuff before an applicator brush always put on way too much. A 0/00/000 type brush (or similar) worked well enough in the past I see no need for anything else.

Also available in the oh-so-convenient 55 gallon size for a mere $1,372; 220 gallons for just $5,264; and the 144 gallon size for...$7,560. You read that right: About 2/3 as much as the largest size for about $2,000 more.

Maybe all the 55 gallon cans for the 144 gallon size each have an applicator brush tip, while the other two don't?

 

[GGNInNScale]

I’m getting ready to pivot from weathering rolling stock, to working on my layout.The next phase is building some bridge kits to, to allow me to finish my track plan.

I’m figuring cyanoacrylates, and I’m familiar with the different viscosities, but I want to know if there are any brand recommendations specifically for the styrene plastics, etc., used in bridge building kits?

Does anyone recommend anything besides a cyanoacrylate?

Hi For styrene and similar plastics, I mix 50:50 MEK and acetone. Keep it in a glass jar with a good seal. It evaporates very fast. You may need two or three passes with a small paint brush, but it is cheap and easy to use.

 

[GGNInNScale]

Like some of the others above (kjd in post #9, for example), I was going to recommend MEK--Methyl Ethyl Ketone. I don't need to explain its particular advantages as it's already been done well enough above. I also do like his method of locating things temporarily with CA adhesives, and there are some super-thin versions of those, useful for their wicking properties.

The problem for me is that I probably can't get MEK now in Colorado, and I'm pretty sure you can't get it in California either (true of some other places too), but it might still be available here for certain uses, of which I have several. Not just for welding styrene to other styrene or even other plastics. It has some other uses with inks, and potentially ink printing.

Supposedly a bottle is on its way my way, and if it shows up, I'll be very careful with it. Else I'll have to find that old can from days gone by, which I might actually be able to do too. We'll see. But I'd rather not have to.

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Back in the day, John Nehrich, who made regular use of styrene solvents when making sub-shells for his well known brick structures used Solvent Weld (As I recall, SW was then, and still might be even now Testors liquid cement). He did point out in a video description of his method that you could "nudge it to get it just where you want it," so it did have at least some working time. Assuming that matters. It's been so long since I used MEK myself that I just can't remember if the working time is true for that solvent as well.

I'll bet kjd knows though....

Hi You should be able to get the "MEK substitute" at Ace Hardware or Lowe's or Home Depot. Works almost as well as real MEK. An alternative is the really strong paint stripper stuff (forgot the name). It has a bunch of solvents, but usually is hard on the plastic and dries slowly.

 

[Smudge617]

I’m getting ready to pivot from weathering rolling stock, to working on my layout.The next phase is building some bridge kits to, to allow me to finish my track plan.

I’m figuring cyanoacrylates, and I’m familiar with the different viscosities, but I want to know if there are any brand recommendations specifically for the styrene plastics, etc., used in bridge building kits?

Does anyone recommend anything besides a cyanoacrylate?

I use Slow-Zap & Zap-a-Gap both work well, Zap-a-Gap also fills any gaps in structures, Slow-Zap is from the same family but takes longer to bond so making any adjustments is easy.