Forum adverts like this one are shown to any user who is not logged in. Join us by filling out a tiny 3 field form and you will get your own, free, dakka user account which gives a good range of benefits to you: No adverts like this in the forums anymore. Times and dates in your local timezone. Full tracking of what you have read so you can skip to your first unread post, easily see what has changed since you last logged in, and easily see what is new at a glance. Email notifications for threads you want to watch closely. Being a part of the oldest wargaming community on the net. If you are already a member then feel free to login now.

Hello, I'm getting started in Warhammer 40K and had a few questions on glues.

1. I've seen the Games Workshop Plastic Glue but I'm not sure about paying so much for so little. Is there a kind out there in Liquid Form that I can brush on that would work?

2. The set I got was the Assault on Black Reach beginners set and I noticed that some have straight slots to put the pieces in. Should I just glue the feet themselves or should I try to put glue on bar below the character?

3. Typically after using the glue, how long should I let it cure before doing anything else with the pieces?

Thanks, that's all I really had questions for. I appreciate any response on this.

Thanks.

1. You can buy your basic model glue from any hardware or craft store for much cheaper and much more. Note that you'll need super glue for metal models.

2. Not sure what you mean, but if you have a slot that you can put the glue on, do that. Makes any extra glue less visible.

3. I've never had any problems with having to wait for model glue to dry. It shouldn't take very long.

soulman901 wrote:Hello, I'm getting started in Warhammer 40K and had a few questions on glues.

1. I've seen the Games Workshop Plastic Glue but I'm not sure about paying so much for so little. Is there a kind out there in Liquid Form that I can brush on that would work?

2. The set I got was the Assault on Black Reach beginners set and I noticed that some have straight slots to put the pieces in. Should I just glue the feet themselves or should I try to put glue on bar below the character?

3. Typically after using the glue, how long should I let it cure before doing anything else with the pieces?

Thanks, that's all I really had questions for. I appreciate any response on this.

Thanks.

1) buy plastic cements , myself use Testors brush on cement . Its in every form better then the GW plastic glues. More control + it seriously melt the 2 sides together.

2) if you want , you can glue the top edge , just a thin amount of glue , it should spread itself out when you push the tab into the slot. Another reason why brush on cement is better.

3) every glue is different, you can experiement, give it a little tug, push etc etc and see how it reacts. Do it on the plastic frames you clip the minis off from.

Welcome to Dakka btw, make yourself home and feel free to ask anything you want.

Thank you guys for the information. That will help me out a lot. I'll get some practice in on the Ork set before I work on the Space Marine which will the Army I am planning on building.

soulman901 wrote:Hello, I'm getting started in Warhammer 40K and had a few questions on glues.

1. I've seen the Games Workshop Plastic Glue but I'm not sure about paying so much for so little. Is there a kind out there in Liquid Form that I can brush on that would work?

2. The set I got was the Assault on Black Reach beginners set and I noticed that some have straight slots to put the pieces in. Should I just glue the feet themselves or should I try to put glue on bar below the character?

3. Typically after using the glue, how long should I let it cure before doing anything else with the pieces?

Thanks, that's all I really had questions for. I appreciate any response on this.

Thanks.

1. Lunahound is dead on with the Testors Plastic Cement. If you decide to use it make sure you run the brush up the inside edge of the bottle to remove excess cement. Too much cement at once will run all over the place.

2. I just put cement on the bottom of the feet, it works fine.

3. Let the cement set for a few minutes. It won't be dry but you will be able to manipulate the model without pieces falling off.

I've used plastic cement, and I must say I wasn't a fan. I was meh on the brush, and I really dislike having to switch back and forth between glues when doing a part plastic part metal model. Mostly, it was the brush, i just don't feel that they're accurate enough for many of the smaller bits I glue. I've also accidentally knocked over a pot of it (granted I was much younger than I am now, and rather less coordinated), and did a fair bit of damage to some of my models. Also, I'm a bit of an anal-retentive perfectionist, and I oftentimes find myself repositioning glued arms, or replacing bits. I've found that plastic cement holds very poorly the second time around, or is very difficult to unglue. I also get frusterated waiting for plastic cement to dry, whereas superglue dries immediately

That being said, it's mostly personal preference. The glue I use I buy from my local hobby store. Not having any luck finding any on google, though I can tell you that I've found it to be similar but superior to the superglue GW used to sell (or may still sell), though in a much larger bottle. I've found that medium strength works great for plastic without drying too quickly in the bottle, or being useless on metal.

I pretty much now use it for everything. The point on the spout is very fine, which makes precision gluing easy. You can use a toothpick to spread the glue around as well. Just be sure not to use too much, as it looks ugly when it runs and ruins details, and also dries in a white film (bad for painted models!).

I also use superglue for basing, just applying liberally then spreading with a toothbrush. I like the texture I get with superglue+sand much more than PVA+sand.

fakeedit: found a pic thats similar

Bottle looks like that, though a different brand. The pointy spout is what it's all about. Just be careful that you don't glue the spout to the lid! Trick is to let any excess glue on the spout dry, then chip it off with the back edge of an exacto knife. Just make sure to never ever ever let the glue stay on its side for any length of time, as it WILL leak and glue the lid firmly to the spout (very annoying to deal with). So far, my last bottle has lasted a good 2 years, assembling my entire SM army, my new doublewing army, and likely whatever army I choose to do after (probably tomb kings...all those skeletons might do it in though ).

My favourite part about the glue (and probably the reason my impatient ass uses it) is that it dries super quick no matter what you're glueing. Within 30 seconds it's usually dried enough to glue on the next bit, except with really tricky gluing jobs where I usually wait around 30-40 minutes for the piece to properly set. If you're regluing a bit you didn't like, or the bit breaks off, make sure to scrape off the excess glue before regluing to get extra hold.

It's been a long day, so sorry if not all of that made sense . Also didn't mean to be critical of the plastic-cement crowd, it's just personal preference. Didn't mean to come off as a douche

For plastic to plastic, cement is the best way to go . no arguments there.


for plastic to metal, i highly recommend Zap a Gap to OP.

many metal miniatures does not fit perfectly, zap a gap actually dries to fill it ( hence the name ) If you dont like dealing with runny liquid glue, zap a gap also have a
thicker gel formula .

im planning on getting the gel ones http://www.miniaturemarket.com/inc/sdetail/239941
when i figure out what else to get.

I use the following glues (or cements.)

Revell semi-liquid polysterene cement. This comes with a thin metal tube that lets you put drops of it exactly where needed. It has a small amount of plastic dissolved in it, so it's thinner than the GW version and easier to spot on. This kind of cement is useful for bonds where the mating surfaces are not closely matched.

Liquid plastic cement -- there are several makes on the market. This is applied with a brush. You assemble the parts and let the cement flow into the mating surfaces by capillary action. Used carefully, this provides a very strong bond with minimum effect on surface detail.

Slotta bases -- I slot the figure in and flow in some liquid poly cement from below. It flows under the feet and around the slot part.

10 minutes is usually enough for the bond to get rock hard.

Superglue is useful for metal models. Like poly cement there are gel and liquid types and they both have uses.

I use two-part epoxy cement for heavy metal parts. It's harder to work with the Superglue and takes longer to set, but it provides a stronger bond.

I fill gaps in models with putty such as Milliput after all assembly is complete. Milliput has a degree of bonding and support but it is not primarily intended as a cement and can't be relied on by itself.

soulman901 wrote:Hello, I'm getting started in Warhammer 40K and had a few questions on glues.

1. I've seen the Games Workshop Plastic Glue but I'm not sure about paying so much for so little. Is there a kind out there in Liquid Form that I can brush on that would work?

For plastic-plastic bonds, I've always used Revell glue. See here. The bottle has a long capillary tube (like a syringe needle but not sharp at the end) meaning you can apply small amounts quite precisely and quickly, more so than with the brush you get in Liquid Poly. Humbrol do a similar bottle. The only snag is that the tube occasionally clogs if you don't keep it clean, but that's easily cleared with a piece of wire or a fine pin.

Liquid poly has it's uses, because it's so watery you can use the brush to run the glue into cracks and the like, and there's a few other tricks you can do with it too but I prefer the stuff above for assembly.

I notice that the GW plastic glue bottle has much less content and far more expensive than the Revell one too.


Other people have advised on Superglue, I'd say go for the gel stuff if you can. Normal superglue is so runny is has a tendancy to get everywhere and end up in unexpected places. Unless you're careful with the application, it has a tendacy to run I don't know why it happens, but I defy you to find a modeller who hasn't stuck their fingers together at some point.

Oh, and I wouldn't buy any plastic glue that comes in a metal tube. Superglue often does, but plastic glue is available in so many better containers.

Application goes thus; Squeeze, nothing, squeeze, still nothing, squeeze - whoosh.

Why some manufacturers persist in making it in metal tubes like toothpaste is beyond me, it's like we're living in the '50s.

The Revell cement I am talking about is in a plastic bottle with a nozzle consisting of a thin metal tube. It's called the Pro cement.

http://shop.avicraft.co.uk/product_info.php?currency=GBP&products_id=3044

I totally agree with Mr Treesong that the normal stuff that comes in a toothpaste tube should be avoided.

Hmmm, I may not be able to get the Revell Cement. I'm currently trying the Testors Glue in a Bottle(Yes I avoided the Tube when I was at the Hobby store). I have 3 Orks made up with the stuff and seeing how well they hold together. I think I like it over the GW stuff and I hope it holds very well.

I tried the Testors Glue and it works very well for this. I'm also very please with the results that I get. The other question I have is PVA glue, which kind cheaper to buy to use? Does Elmer make one that I can use?
Thanks.

Elmer's Glue IS PVA glue. I think it's a GW strategy to call it PVA to try and screw you out of a couple extra dollars. Of course, I think you're probably familiar with the prices on Elmer's Glue, but GW's stuff is about five times more expensive. Just as long as you buy the white glue (and not the blue gel stuff), you'll find that it's the exact same thing.

Testor's plastic cement holds up very well, and in most cases, you have to actually try pretty hard to break your bonds apart. Sometimes you even have better luck breaking the solid plastic itself than the bond.

GW isn't trying to screw you, but in the UK (correct me if I'm wrong) they call it PVA glue, not white glue or Elmer's glue.

For super glue I will put a vote in for Loctite gel.

I use GW's superglue. It gives me about 5-10 seconds to manipulate the pieces to get them just right. then they're pretty much set and I can hold them and move them no problem. Yea, it is more expensive, but it works well for me. I think I have put about 50 models together and still have over half a bottle left.
I tried the Insta-Cure stuff the FLGS sells and I hated it. The stuff would lock pieces together the instant they touched and there was no way to move them around without breaking the plastic. :( I broke the arms on several of my AoBR marines trying to get the arms to connect on both sides. It may be good stuff, just not my style.
I do not want to use the plastic glue because I don't want my pieces melted together, I may want to take them apart some day and with regular superglue I can with some Castol. I am becomming a huge fan of magnets on arms, etc so I definately want the ability for a re-do. Heh.

i dont know why people use cement, its like ruining your model in the process by making his parts stuck in there when you can just use super glue.(or the GW one)

Maybe because superglue tends to break much easier than plastic cement does?

I don't know what you mean by "ruining the model".

well it may break, but in my own experience, i never had trouble with my models breaking up during a game or when im lugging them around, maybe its the GW foam that helps? anyway, i've had a bad experience with plastic cement as there's no real way to get that weapon out of the dude's hand or a head you want to replace with completely ruining the part you want to remove.

1) Your right GW hobby products are expensive!!! Don't buy them unless you have to. I personally don't use plastic glue and have no personal exerience with it but everyone else seems to have that covered.

2A)I have yet to glue any of my blackreach models together yet. I prime and paint everything seperately then put it al together so the primer has made thes models almost impossible to even put together, I doubt they will be coming off. You can glue them or not it's really up to you.

2B) oops you were talking about the feet, um I use greenstuff to fill in the slot gaps on all my models with bases like the AoBR set (including metal models) for bigger models such as the Dreadnaught and warboss I pin them to the bases by making a "hook" that comes out of their foot under the base and grabs into the little super mario pipe hole thingies on the botom of the big bases. But yes glue will also work.

3)I use Zap-A-Gap for all my crack filling needs (lol take that how you will). I also use Gorrilla glue brand Super glue, it takes a little bit longer to dry because it is "ruberized" but I have dropped models that would have broken with any other glue but it hasn't with this. The only downside to the Gorilla Glue is that the tip is very large and it seems to be very drippy into the lid. It has yet to sieze up on me yet as superglue usually does. Super glue generally takes a muinet or two to set and ALL glue takes 16-48 hours to DRY COMPLETELY. (I know it seems long but that is about how long it will take to reach FULL strength). This however doesn't mean you have to wait a day to handle the model, you can generaly safely do so after about 5 mins. Just glue a bucnh and by the time your done the first one will be set securely enough for you to paint/prime/play whatever.


My addiotional advise, try different glues and use what you like. I recommend you get a 1/2 quart of acetone (or more) to clean your fingers off if you get glue on them. acetone free fingernail polish remover also works but not nearly as well. wash with soap and water AFTER acetone. DO NOT USE WATER VERY BAD THINGS HAPPEN. Trust me white cyanoacrilate mittens are not fasionable any time of the year. I recomend you pin most everything that is metal to metal white Dwrf jsut had a good articlce on pinning there are also some good ones on Dakka in the articles section. You can also watch how to videos on it on youtube. For a pin vise I recommend the Privateer Press one the GW one is kind of expensive plus the Privateer press one comes with a few sizes of pinning rod lengths, very good stuff.

Hope this helps

According to my A-Z scratchuilding article *coughshamelessselfpromoter*

Glue: You will use four main types in modelling.

1: Super glue, which is good for gluing everthing, but bad because you need to be ventilated and it will eventually stick you to something. Melts plastics including unpressed Styrene. Dries clear.

2: Plastic Cement, which sticks plastic to plastic , but nothing else. Dries clear. It can scar your models if you are over liberal. Melts plastics inc. Styrene (this is how it works on your models - Chemistry fans).

3: PVA, which is not used, usually, directly on your models, but to coat bases or models with 'flock' or to give a weathered look (with flakes of styrene) to vehicles. Does not melt styrene and, used liberally to coat styrene, will give to protection to styrene from Aerosol Propellant. Dries Clear (though opaque in large enough quantities)

4: 'Hard as Nails/no more nails' or equivalant. Can be used to stick (large) components to each other, but is very slow acting. Can be sculpted slightly when damp, but will craze on drying occasionally. Can be messy (or is that me?) Can be sculpted, carefully, when dry or to fill cracks instead of modelling clay. Dries Opaque. Will take paint.


___


As far as 1 and 2 go, the definite order of preference should be:

1: Brush on
2: Gel
3: Liquid

Good tips there, Amen, but why no mention of the humble two-component epoxy? I've found it invaluable when working with both resin and metal. My warjacks become invulnerable to damage thanks to heaving pinning and epoxification.

You have to include Araldite.