which glue would you recommend?

[kid]

OK, this is something that has perplexed me for a while now...

 

When I've looked at professionally crafted physical models where they're glued together many pieces of clear plastic to represent lightweight glass structures like the image at the bottom, they never have that white residue form on the plastic. Any ideas what glue they use.

 

I've tried most, zap-a-gap, PVA (too slow drying = useless for plastic), glue gun (no white residue but so messy, I can't believe they could be so neat using a gun).

 

 

 

Any ideas?

[mbr]

Zap-A-Gap will work well, you just have to get the syringe applicator.

 

There is also plastic specific glues/boding agents that work really well. They 'melt' the plastic together, making it much stronger than simply gluing the plastic.

Elmer's and Sobo (my over all fav) won't work too well becomes the plastic is not porous, like wood.

 

You can call GraphAids in LA (Santa Monica and somewhere else) and they'll mail you any supply (it's where I bought all my goodies while in LA - great store, good prices, wonderful selection).

[mbr]

I've got a lamp that the shade is made of 1/4" plexi and it's held together for 5 years now, 4 moves, and shows no sign of breaking. That's all that holds it together, is the plastic bonding stuff.

 

So it's great and strong, but once it's done (usually a few seconds), that's more or less it - not like ELmer's/Sobo.

 

It all depends on the scale, too. If it weighs a lot, and you are using tons of plastic, go with the specific glue, if it's tiny, like 1/32-1/64" plexi, anything will work.

[kid]

I'll look into those bonding agents that melt the plastic together.

 

I use zap-a-gap for 90% of my model making, but always have this problem of it creating a white residue around where it's been applied on the plastic.

 

I usually don't care because most of my models are rough design study models but this has to be a neat presentation model.

 

Cheers.

[xgarcia]

Use plexi solvent with syrigne squeeze bottle. I too, like MBR, built a lamp for school using 1/4" and 3/8" thick plexi slabs and this solvent is extremely stronf - it basically melts the two ends together forming one piece. Be careful with it though because if you drip it will stain the plexi a "clear" color (clearer then the plexi itself...sounds weird). Also, you have to hold the peices in place for about 15-25 seconds in order for the bond to form. I bought a 8 oz. can of this stuff and it's about halfway done after 4 years. Best of luck Kid. Post photos of the final model for us!!

 

---edit---

 

Here is the lamp I was taking about. I built it for my two little kids, for them to insert Pooh Bear blocks into the grid where a couple of the cells when pushed turned on different colors behind the sanded plexi. It was a big hit with them!

 

[ October 04, 2003, 01:17 PM: Message edited by: xgarcia ]

[kid]

plexi solvent. cool. I'll do some ringing around in the new week.

 

cool lamp aswell. I bet the kids got a real kick out of that one.

 

I've started with the (relatively) easy parts of the building. The plastic comes later. Luckily we only have to make part models, not the whole thing.

 

 

boba fett just happens to be scale 1:20

[William Alexander]

Hey Kid,

 

FYI - Off topic- Like the model, have a suggestion or technique. Ever see or hear of a "cedar strip canoe". The stripping method could be applied to your model with imho, great success. Really giving it the smoothe... free form feeling in your sections. Heres a quick drawing.

 

 

http://www.cgarchitect.com/forum/filepush.asp?file=y.jpg

 

All you need is a router and the matched router bit set. Can not remember the profile name or where to purchase. Drop me an e-mail or post and I will go rummage through a couple hundred router bits to refresh my memory, if you'd be interested.

 

The the plexi-glass glue is good stuff, clean & really long lasting. Still have a ball & maze toy from high school... it's been around about 87 percent of your humble existance... I just don't want to say how long, it makes me much older than I feel.

 

rgds

WDA

[xgarcia]

heh! Kid - I just noticed in that photo I posted...the can I'm talking about is right at the corner of the drafting desk on the table. It's white with tin top. Man - they have those --edit: huge ass green cutting mats----even in Australia! They're everywhere - same color green with white lines!

 

[ October 05, 2003, 03:34 PM: Message edited by: xgarcia ]

[Frosty]

Kid, we just had a lecture by one of the worlds leading model builders. I cant, for the life of me, remember his company...his name was Andrew and the firm was Chicago based - they're doing the new Trump tower. I was slow to reply because I was trying to find his link. Anyway, as others have stated, he uses not a glue, but a bonding agent. As he told us, this was to make the model stronger for shipping. I have his card in my studio space...I'll post a link on Monday.

[kid]

thanks for the information guys.

 

WDA- funny you mention that technique. My professor has had me researching all kinds of boat building methods to find out how to build this for real - we have to do working drawings aswell as the design (talk about taking all the fun out of it )

 

I wouldn't mind that router info if it's not too much trouble.

 

Xavier- Forget about Bill Gates ruling the world. It's always the little things that lead to world domination. Like green cutting mats and YKK zippers

 

Frosty- cheers for sending that link my way.

[William Alexander]

Kid,

 

Router bit info... 1/4" Bead cutter, for the outside diameter. 1/4" cove bit for the inside diameter. Try PriceCutter . These bits are basic and avialable at most retial hardware stores. If you have any questions drop me an e-mail.

 

This is an interesting project. Boat building techniques - huh? The application to your project is really captivating. Please post some where, your final solution and or soulutions in progress. I'd like to see what you come with.

 

Good Naval Architecure to ya!

 

WDA

[Bishop]

Hey Kid,

 

You a student at Curtin Uni? Talk to Richard Hammond the other day, heard good stuff about you.

 

Anyway about the glue stuff, try getting the glue/cement that they use to build model cars and planes. They are quite easy to find at Hobby Model shops.

 

Chan.

[kid]

Yeah, I'm at Curtin. I had Richard Hammond for design last semester. He's a pretty inspirational guy. It was the first time I had made the social impacts of my architecture a driving force instead of a sort of afterthought.

 

I found some pretty good glue. It says on the side that it's specially for balsa wood but I tried it with plastic and although it takes around a minute to bond it leaves a very neat join.