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Yep, probably exists somewhere else already, but how is it POSSIBLE to glue white metal privateer press models? Is it possible to use green stuff?

With glue?

On a more serious note I have run into the same problem with Infinity's white metal, I found the best option for me was to take a hobby file and rough up the surfaces there were going to be glued, it helps to give the glue something to bond to.

Super glue, or any other glue that claims to be suitable for metal.

I prefer ethyl-2-cyanoacrylate.

Which glue did you use?

Super glue (AKA cyanoacrylate). Will be in any model shop. I've seen green stuff used too, but mostly to make a sort of mold for the part (green stuff on one part, press the other against it and add super glue). I've also heard of either the blue or yellow part being used by itself with glue, but I'm having issues with the search right now.

EDIT: Damn, triple ninja'd.

Superglue and pins would be best.

asides from that you could epoxy but i wouldn't do it personally

I'd recommend pinning metal befor glueing. Will make your life much easier down the road.

I prefer epoxy to superglue. I use either Araldite or E3000. With both of them you have to arrange a support for the parts until the cement sets properly. Blue-tac works well for that.

Pinning is a good idea whatever type of cement you use.

Roughing the surface is good with epoxy, bad with superglue which likes flat surfaces for joining.

First clean your minis, usually metal miniatures are covered in a mould release agent which makes them look whiter than they are. Use warm water and dish soap to soak them in, and then run warm water over them after a couple hours (maybe even half an hour, depends on the mini size and how many). Then pin the parts and glue them together, or drill holes into the two pieces, fill them with GS, and superglue them together. The GS/superglue combo works pretty well, but I suggest using pins instead.

What's epoxy?

I usually dunk my minis in a bath of white vinegar then rinse them in warm water. Seems to clean and prep the surface for priming.

If it is a big surface epoxy and pins is alright. If it is small surfaces, superglue. Unfortunately I find that when you do not pin metal, it often comes apart, even if you take all necessary precautions.

 The Wolf Of Fenria wrote:
What's epoxy?

Basically resin. In this case we're talking about using epoxy resin as an adhesive.

 Deunstephe wrote:

 The Wolf Of Fenria wrote:
What's epoxy?

Basically resin. In this case we're talking about using epoxy resin as an adhesive.

It tends to be a 2 part chemical, like green stuff, that when mixed begins to harden. I always found it fiddly and messy to workwith and would also recommend superglue of some kind (liquid or gel, depending on what you're working with).

metal is horrible. i tend to avoid it.

the parts never seem to fit together very well.
pinning would be best. drilling into metal with a pin vice is time consuming and a pain in the ass.

Super glue works just fine. You can wash them, but it isn't required. I have 1000+ Battlemechs with smaller connection joints than most GW or PP minis and they have stayed together for years, some as long as 18 years.

Superglue. If you're using GW's piece of crap excuse for glue, then all I can say to that is "Well there's your problem!".

Get some good stuff from Wilkos and you'll be much better off.

kb305 wrote:
metal is horrible. i tend to avoid it.

the parts never seem to fit together very well.
pinning would be best. drilling into metal with a pin vice is time consuming and a pain in the ass.

The old school part of me likes metal for some reason, but yeah, plastic and resin are far better now...

Something else to do with a superglue is to apply a very light dusting of baking powder before gluing as it will set a lot faster and the bond seems to be slightly stronger. Be sure to use a very small amount though or the join will be brittle.

Palindrome wrote:
Something else to do with a superglue is to apply a very light dusting of baking powder before gluing as it will set a lot faster and the bond seems to be slightly stronger. Be sure to use a very small amount though or the join will be brittle.

It also releases a small amount of cyanide gas, basically zyklon-b, yeah it's pretty evil stuff. Best to use an accelerator, fumes from that as well though. I don't know which is worse.

I'm going to go ahead and say it actually depends on the model, and the type of joint in question.

I've gone ahead and butchered my Steelhead Halbardiers because the arms simply DO NOT align with the shoulder sockets. Then, the hands are also a nightmare to work out, so there was no way in seven hells that you could glue and epoxy those models into submission. I drilled those bastards six ways to sunday to make sure that on gluing everything together, it did in fact stay together. Same thing with my metal kodiak warjacks. Drilled them out, and now they are more likely to sustain damage before falling apart.

If you want metal to stick to metal..... pin it.

I use super glue. Or, if it's a particularly difficult model, I coat one part with super glue, coat the other part with super glue, and then put a small ball of green stuff in between them and sandwich the two parts together. Trim up the excess green stuff when it's cured, and you're good to go.

 Kilkrazy wrote:


Roughing the surface is good with epoxy, bad with superglue which likes flat surfaces for joining.

Superglues prefer surface area to smooth surfaces. A slight roughening up of both surfaces will both increase surface area and provide tooth for the superglue to grip into (and make it more resilient to torsional stresses).

Superglues or epoxy for metals. You can use greenstuff in addition to superglue (metal part-glue-greenstuff-glue-metal part. The GS provides a buffer zone from stresses).

Green stuff is not a glue. Find a BSI super glue or LocTite.

 SoloFalcon1138 wrote:
Green stuff is not a glue. Find a BSI super glue or LocTite.

no, but it's a gap filler and more resilient than gobbing on ridiculous quantities of superglue. It's also easier to remove than a giant gob of superglue that's stuck into a socket.

 virx67 wrote:
I use super glue. Or, if it's a particularly difficult model, I coat one part with super glue, coat the other part with super glue, and then put a small ball of green stuff in between them and sandwich the two parts together. Trim up the excess green stuff when it's cured, and you're good to go.

I'll try that, then. I just don't get it. PP make miniatures like the Conquest and the Long Gunners, and make them out of METAL.
It sucks.

 The Wolf Of Fenria wrote:

 virx67 wrote:
I use super glue. Or, if it's a particularly difficult model, I coat one part with super glue, coat the other part with super glue, and then put a small ball of green stuff in between them and sandwich the two parts together. Trim up the excess green stuff when it's cured, and you're good to go.

I'll try that, then. I just don't get it. PP make miniatures like the Conquest and the Long Gunners, and make them out of METAL.
It sucks.

you still haven't mentioned what model you want to assemble. It might be for the best to show us the photos of the issue you are having so I can see for sure.

I started out hating metal models, but now have developed a preference for them, even when they get harder to assemble.. Even when they drive me nuts, I find metal preferable.

For my metal Feral Warpwolf, I used blutac and lathered cheap superglue onto it.

It hardens the outside of the blutac and it's actually a strong bond. Nothing has happened to it yet!

lead/pewter are both incredibly molecularly robust metals with not a lot of room for other molecules to bond once they form together, this si why heavy metals are often used to shield from radioactivity. comparatively modern plastics have significantly more molecular space, then most resins probably have the most

two of my recommendations:

join metal how you are supposed to
1) Soldering, on my toughest metal parts a little bit of solder has held some insane weights/stresses so far indefinetly

or safer

2) you can often make any super glue a billion times stronger if you give it a little bio substance on the parts you are trying to glue. my dad used to used tiny bits of baking soda or tiny dab of dried veg juice on his old trains.
sounds crazy but i'de like for you to consider what happens whenever crazy/super glue touches any of your own bio-mass. sometimes all a lil glue needs is some electrons to move over so molecules can actually bond

 Mattlov wrote:
Super glue works just fine. You can wash them, but it isn't required. I have 1000+ Battlemechs with smaller connection joints than most GW or PP minis and they have stayed together for years, some as long as 18 years.

Ive made tons of Mechs and 28mm infantry sized metal minis with just superglue and never had a problem. Never washed any of them, though it probably wouldnt hurt.


Automatically Appended Next Post:

jeeb_sound wrote:

2) you can often make any super glue a billion times stronger if you give it a little bio substance on the parts you are trying to glue. my dad used to used tiny bits of baking soda or tiny dab of dried veg juice on his old trains.
sounds crazy but i'de like for you to consider what happens whenever crazy/super glue touches any of your own bio-mass. sometimes all a lil glue needs is some electrons to move over so molecules can actually bond

Superglue is an industrial relative of medical glue. It works so great on skin because thats what it was originally created for. That being said, superglue has some chemicals that medical glue doesnt, so using it for cuts and such isnt recommended.