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I can't decide if I should use Tamiya Extra Thin Cement or Testors Non-Toxic Cement.

I've heard that the Tamiya Extra Thin is great because is seeps into all the crevices of the model. Is the Testor's Non-Toxic any good? Ideally I would like to use that one as it is "healthier"

Or if I were to use the Tamiya Extra Thin, would a P95 respirator prevent the vapors from harming me?

The reason I ask all of this is that I have limited ventilation where I plan to assemble and paint my new models.

IF you have limited ventilation, it might be best to stick to push-fit models.

ALL adhesives REQUIRE good ventilation. It's written on the bottles. It's not just a neat idea to do.

 chromedog wrote:
IF you have limited ventilation, it might be best to stick to push-fit models.

ALL adhesives REQUIRE good ventilation. It's written on the bottles. It's not just a neat idea to do.

To give you a quick perspective, I have a few different options regarding possible workstations.

1.) 14' x 12' bedroom with my desk sitting right beside a 4' x 3.5' window with a ceiling fan. I can open the window wide open and blast the ceiling fan and hopefully that would create sufficient air circulation to push all the fumes out of the window. I'm just a little worried that the fumes from the glue would seep into my drywall and bedsheets. I'm pretty sure this is my top choice as I am DIRECTLY beside the window.

2.) My bathroom which is an enclosed space but has a vent on the ceiling. This could potentially suck out the fumes and I don't have any materials in there (such as bedsheets) where the fumes could get into.

3.) Living room. There is no direct ventilation here but the room is fairly large and I wouldn't be worried about the fumes getting into any materials.


Please provide feedback as I really want to get into this hobby but I also want to do so in a safe way that won't pose any long-term health problems.

Unless you are working in a cupboard and applying glue with a paintbrush ventilation is not going to be a problem. Your bedroom setup is ideal. You should not be using enough glue for fumes to build up anywhere. The fumes are a problem because the glue is a solvent that vapourises easily. Unless youpour the glue on the walls or sheets, there will not be a significant build up. A respirator will not be necessary.


Automatically Appended Next Post:
The thing to keep in mind is that if you start getting a headache or your nose starts to sting a bit, then close the glue and open the window more for a while. In my experience this is only likely to be a problem if you leave the top off the glue for long periods, or you are assembling a large model requiring the deposition of lits of the glue. Its good to be cautious, but you are probably at more risk from the occasional alcoholic drink, or from diesel fumes in a built up area.

I use Testors liquid cement for plastic models. Comes is a squarish shaped bottle with a metal applicator. So you can really apply just enough.

So it's great to work with during assembly but you never have enough glue out for fumes to be a problem.

here's the msds

http://www.stanbridges.com.au/files/pdf/MSDS87038.pdf

personally i wouldn't trust it too much if it recommends a gas mask.

I would consider doing your glueing in the larger liveing room. Sometimes the small can linger and its unpleasent if it hasn't aired out in time for sleep due to late night building seasons on the weekend. Just my advice from experience.

The non-toxic stuff in my experience results in a less than satisfactory bond with model plastics (styrenes - whether it's GW's kits or airfix/tamiya/etc), so I'd still go with the Tamiya extra thin - however, it IS a specific cement for a specific job and takes some time to learn where and when those jobs are.

When it comes to plastic glues, there really isn't a "healthy" option. ALL of them are solvents that MELT polystyrenes together to form a bond. Most are breathing irritants and a few are downright nasty. The 'non-toxic' forms generally just contain a less active solvent and will take longer to work and/or have a weaker bond.

If you can get the testors modelmaster stuff in a bottle with a nozzle, it would also serve your needs. Just avoid the thick gel type ones - they are difficult to get the right amount onto a piece and with smaller pieces, will usually just dissolve them.

Your bedroom has sufficient ventilation. Just open the window (you needn't have it FULLY open, just open it enough to get some air in or out. Big enough to poke your arm out is enough.) and have the fan on. The airflow doesn't have to be tornado level of breeze.

Unless you are using sufficient quantities of cement to bathe in, the fumes won't permanently soak into your bedclothes.

I've been doing this for the last 32 or so years (modelmaking, not just assembling gaming models). There have been no long-term health issues for me from using the liquid poly cements in a bedroom of your size in all that time (used as directed. I don't huff the stuff or mainline it). I have always ensured I had good ventilation, was away from ignition sources and that was enough.

My bedclothes never retained the smell of the fumes nor did my clothes.

kb305 wrote:
here's the msds

http://www.stanbridges.com.au/files/pdf/MSDS87038.pdf

personally i wouldn't trust it too much if it recommends a gas mask.

This is talking about large quantities in an industrial context, not the tiny amount that you use when assembling models.

 Peregrine wrote:

kb305 wrote:
here's the msds

http://www.stanbridges.com.au/files/pdf/MSDS87038.pdf

personally i wouldn't trust it too much if it recommends a gas mask.

This is talking about large quantities in an industrial context, not the tiny amount that you use when assembling models.

Quite true. It is better to be well informed rather than just get all panicked about the CYA text which gets put on packages and what not.

On an MSDS - the term you want to look for is the TLV. This is how much a person who works with a material every day, 8 hours a day for a job can be exposed to without risking significant long (or short) term effects. The TLVs for the active ingredients in Tamiya's cement are acetone and butyl acetate with TLVs of 500 and 150 ppm respectively. When you convert the ppm all the way over to something useful you get 1.5 and 1 cc per cubic meter. Assuming that his bedroom has 8 foot tall ceilings, that would give him roughly 39 cubic meters of volume in the room (unless my math is off). So - 39 cc (mL) of the butyl acetate and 58 cc of acetone.

If he were to spill a whole 40 mL bottle of the cement on his desk - there would be little risk to his health. The localized concentration would be higher momentarily, but provided there was some air movement within the room (even just convective flow from a heater of some form) - the chemicals would circulate and even out rather quickly and it would be safe enough to continue working in without the need to get a respirator or other form of breathing protection.

Under normal use - most the cements are perfectly fine. Even when I am gluing up full sheets of acrylic to make things like aquariums using solvent (Weld On 4) in quart cans - I normally am well below the TLV and am able to remain comfortable and clear headed using nothing more than a relatively low powered exhaust fan to move the air. That stuff has much lower allowable levels and is much more dangerous as well when compared to something like hobby cement which is generally fairly innocuous.

And keep in mind - that TLV number would need to be entirely vaporized. Although the cements to evaporate pretty quickly, even an open bottle doesn't vaporize that quickly.

"'m just a little worried that the fumes from the glue would seep into my drywall and bedsheets."

Unless you are opening a 5 gallon drum of the stuff, its a non issue.

Though if your really worried you could always get a small vent system to take it directly out through the window. its also nice for airbrushing if you get into it.

I use Testor's Liquid Cement, and have since I got in the hobby. It works ONLY for plastics, and won't do anything for metal or resin models.

http://www.amazon.com/Liquid-Cement-For-Plastics-1-15oz/dp/B0006N6ODS

I usually buy two at a time and they last for quite a while. The residue wipes off of skin easily, and has a nice set time, which allows you to re-position the model before it rubberizes and dries.

As for super glue, I use Gorilla Glue. Unless, as Desubot said, you're using gallons of it at a time, you needn't worry about ventilation. A fan would work if you want to pull away any excess fumes, but unless you're working in a tiny closet, you should be fine.