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Heya,

I'm looking to find some glue for a large forgeworld model, and the backs of the stronger glued use the chemical names of the plastic to say if they're useable. Was wondering if anyone knew the resin compound name, so I can figure out what will work rather than just recommendations.

Thanks,
Thetallestgiraffe

It's polyurethane. You won't find a solvent that will bond it (even plasticweld won't). There are a few that WILL ruin it.

First CLEAN IT. Seriously, it'll be covered in mould release when you get it. 20 minutes work at the sink with a toothbrush, some lukewarm water and washing up liquid will save hours of headaches later. When working keep your hands clean or wear gloves to avoid greasing up the parts again. I've seen someone eat pizza while assembling a model and then wonder why he his primer messed up. Don't be that guy.

For a strong bond on it, you need to pin or key the joint.

Small parts will hold very well just with a good superglue (Gorilla Glue 'gel' is amazeballs).

Keying is putting small holes in the surface at counter angles on each part. The glue goes into those and hardens forming little 'hooks' to hold it all together. This works well for medium size parts (think pretty much anything up to dreadnought size).

Larger parts (titans etc) you'll want to pin properly with good brass rod and then glue with an epoxy resin adhesive (again, I like Gorilla Glue brand epoxy).

To pin, drill a hole in one part (just a pilot hole using a small drill - you can enlarge it once you've got it located both sides). Aim to go along the axis that things go together. Wet it thoroughly with spit (works best, I've tried a lot) and then press a small amount of bluetack over the hole. Dry fit both parts and press together. Pull them apart, and the bluetack should be left stuck to the other part with a nub showing where you need to drill and at what angle. Drill the other side with a pilot hole again, dry fit with a small pin or bit of wire, then enlarge and put the proper diameter pin in if it's working. Otherwise you need to adjust where the pin is so start again.

Keying - just scratch the surfaces to be joined with the point of a modelling knife or give them a quick run over with a rough file.

Superglue (cyanoacrylate glue) will work fine. The curing reaction is catalysed by water, so a bit of moisture can help to set a join quicker (I breathe on the parts, or on occasion I've licked one surface before applying glue). Be careful, though; if you speed up the curing time for superglue, you can end up with a weaker or more brittle bond.

For a stronger joint, 2-part epoxy will be fine.

You can also email forge world an request the chemicals and materials used. I did it and they gave me a complete break down of what it's made of, I requested it because of health reasons.

Just don't lick the part after putting the super glue on

Thanks guys, all really useful advice, especially the licking stuff. I've used regular super glue for smaller stuff before, but it is pretty brittle and this is a knight Atropos, the biggest thing by far I've ever done

 Flinty wrote:
Just don't lick the part after putting the super glue on

I did that by accident once, and almost glued my tongue to my teeth.

 thetallestgiraffe wrote:
Thanks guys, all really useful advice, especially the licking stuff. I've used regular super glue for smaller stuff before, but it is pretty brittle and this is a knight Atropos, the biggest thing by far I've ever done

You'll want to pin the legs together, hips, waist, weapon to upper arm, shoulder to torso mounts.