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Heya folks. Quick little tutorial for you, for something I recently discovered when thinking about how I could use my old Loctite plastic dispensers as cool-looking terrain.

Steps with pictures:

These are the glues I'm talking about. Doesn't matter what type (gel, extra time, whatever), the insides are all the same.


Step 1:
Use your fingernails or something to loosen and pull out the bottom cap. It can be pretty snug and take some effort, but the real trouble is getting a good grip on it in the first place. Once it pops out a little and you can get your fingers on it, it comes out easy.

Inside you'll see the actual glue container, a little metal tube. If you're like most people and stopped using your glue when it seemed like you were squeezing as hard as the bottle would let you, you'll be surprised to see that there is still a significant amount left in the tube.


Step 2:
Grasp the bottom end of the glue tube with your fingers (or, if you aren't blessed with tiny girly hands like me, use a pair of pliers) and get a firm grip on the base of the nozzle. You may need pliers to grasp the nozzle because there isn't much for your fingers to find purchase on, and it may slip. Keep the top cap ON in case any glue comes out the nozzle during this step. Now, holding the nozzle firmly, twist the glue tube anti-clockwise. The picture indicates which direction to twist, but if you're still not sure, just remember: Righty Tighty, Lefty Loosey. You can also try to turn the nozzle in the opposite direction, if you can manage a stellar grip on it, to expedite the process.


Step 3:
Once the cap is unthreaded from the glue tube, you can pull the tube free of the plastic dispenser (pull straight down). If you're using a very fluid type of glue, please be careful in order to avoid spillage. Now you can simply replace the nozzle and cap for both precision application and storage!



Voila! Tons of extra glue from each tube.

Now, if this tutorial doesn't apply to you because you're not using Loctite glues regularly... why the hell not? Their Gel Control glue is absolutely the best general-purpose glue you can use.

CNA glue is CNA glue. I use the dollar store version - 2-3 tubes that size for a dollar.

Walmart. Black and yellow pack for $1.59. Comes with 4 tubes. Stuff works great. You're all welcome.

I put my superglue in a small vacuum bag. I've been able to use the glue till its finished.

 Vulcan wrote:
CNA glue is CNA glue. I use the dollar store version - 2-3 tubes that size for a dollar.

It's not quite so cut and dry, my friend. Have you actually used different types of glue and then spent some quality time considering their strengths and weaknesses?

Not all glues are created equal. For instance, the gel glue I frequently use is easy to control during application, and is tacky, meaning that small or lightweight parts will stay in place while the glue is solidifying. It makes putting together gun-arm combinations very easy, for example. Other glues can have extended drying times for positioning pieces; some are incredibly fluid such that they flow into cracks very easily. Each glue has its place, and in my opinion if you're just buying dollar store glue for every application, you're gimping yourself. It's not like glue is ever an inordinate expense, especially compared to what you're willing to spend on the models themselves.

There are plenty of thin and gel CA glues from any model shop and no doubt most hardware stores that will be far better value than paying for loctites big selling point (the advertising).

Get more for your money in one simple step.

Buy better value glue.

StandardFiend wrote:

 Vulcan wrote:
CNA glue is CNA glue. I use the dollar store version - 2-3 tubes that size for a dollar.

It's not quite so cut and dry, my friend. Have you actually used different types of glue and then spent some quality time considering their strengths and weaknesses?

Yes.

Not €all glues are created equal. For instance, the gel glue I frequently use is easy to control during application, and is tacky, meaning that small or lightweight parts will stay in place while the glue is solidifying. It makes putting together gun-arm combinations very easy, for example. Other glues can have extended drying times for positioning pieces; some are incredibly fluid such that they flow into cracks very easily. Each glue has its place, and in my opinion if you're just buying dollar store glue for every application, you're gimping yourself. It's not like glue is ever an inordinate expense, especially compared to what you're willing to spend on the models themselves.

If I felt I needed gel CNA glue, the dollar store has that as well. 2 tubes for a dollar.

I've been doing this for a couple decades now. I started with Zap-a-gap in it's various incarnations, tried GW's, tried Loctite, tried a dozen others. There's no difference between any of them that I ever noticed, aside from the specialty versions like the gel and extended dry time ones.

I've noticed more variation from a single bottle of glue over time than I ever did between brands. (And that's because in a humid environment like the Midwest, CNA absorbs moisture out of the air and becomes steadily less 'super' as time passes once you open it.)

If YOU find this-or-that works better for YOU, be my guest. I don't notice the difference, so I don't miss it either.

Likewise, if dollar-store glue is your thing, I can't stop you. I always recommend Loctite glues because I love them--pretty much 100% because of the dispensers. I really really love the dispensers, and I haven't found any other brand that sells a similar product.

So the purpose of my initial post was to help out other folks like me, who really really like the Loctite glues, get more out of them. It's not like it's an intuitive thought, that there's almost double the glue behind the plastic dispenser than what one typically uses, so I wanted to share my discovery. I'll make sure not to plug my favourite brands in the future, don't worry.

One of the best values out there for Cyanoacrylate glue is Bob Smith Industries. A 2oz/56.7 Gram bottle runs about $10. It is over 25 times the amount in those little tubes.

I usually buy hand use whatever brand the dollar store has that day, but I've become increasingly fond of Krazy Glue's Color Changing Brush On variety.



The brush makes it easy to apply, and it goes on purple. Both features make it much easier to apply without getting any on your fingers.

BSI (BobSmith) for the win.

I used to use their purple labelled one, which is really quite cheap (around $4 for a 1/2 oz that lasts a very long time?), but now I use their odor-free one because it doesn't mess up canopies if I put too much glue on -- it's about $12 / 1oz.

BSI is indeed awesome. Most folks probably don't know it as BSI but it's the brand that your local hobby shop stamps their name on. http://bsi-inc.com/hobby/hobby.html
A fair price for comparatively big bottles of a high-quality glue and you can get it in just the consistency you need. Superglue/Cyanoacrylate is not a one-type-fits-all product.

I like to have the blue bottle of "Instacure" (water thin) for seams with a perfect match and the light pink bottle of "Instaflex+" (thick rubberized) bottle for gap filling and anything that might need some more impact protection. I have taken to using Gorilla "Impact Tough" rubberized instead of Instacure, but only because it's alot easier to find.

The only thing to know is that Instacure really needs to be stored upright.

Karnophage wrote:
One of the best values out there for Cyanoacrylate glue is Bob Smith Industries. A 2oz/56.7 Gram bottle runs about $10. It is over 25 times the amount in those little tubes.

And after a year unsealed in St. Louis humidity it's about as super as PVA (flagrant exaggeration, but you get the point). CNA glue just does not take prolonged exposure to humidity well. This may not be a problem for YOU, but it's a very large problem for ME.

BSI does indeed have a nice range of products. It's a pity that no shop in my area carries any of them.

 Vulcan wrote:

Karnophage wrote:
One of the best values out there for Cyanoacrylate glue is Bob Smith Industries. A 2oz/56.7 Gram bottle runs about $10. It is over 25 times the amount in those little tubes.

And after a year unsealed in St. Louis humidity it's about as super as PVA (flagrant exaggeration, but you get the point). CNA glue just does not take prolonged exposure to humidity well. This may not be a problem for YOU, but it's a very large problem for ME.

That's just the risk you run with Cyanoacrylate which activates with moisture. I have heard of modelers in humid climes keeping their cyanoacrylate bottles in a lidded jar and some even keep some rice in the bottom of the jar to absorb any moisture that gets in.

On another tack, I don't think any opened bottle of any kind of CA is supposed to have a shelf life of over a year anyway.

Well, since I rarely go through more than one or two of those little tubes from the dollar store packs in a year, that would make it a waste for me to get a bigger bottle then.

YMMV, of course.

 Eilif wrote:
BSI is indeed awesome. Most folks probably don't know it as BSI but it's the brand that your local hobby shop stamps their name on. http://bsi-inc.com/hobby/hobby.html
A fair price for comparatively big bottles of a high-quality glue and you can get it in just the consistency you need. Superglue/Cyanoacrylate is not a one-type-fits-all product.

I like to have the blue bottle of "Instacure" (water thin) for seams with a perfect match and the light pink bottle of "Instaflex+" (thick rubberized) bottle for gap filling and anything that might need some more impact protection. I have taken to using Gorilla "Impact Tough" rubberized instead of Instacure, but only because it's alot easier to find.

The only thing to know is that Instacure really needs to be stored upright.

Yes! I have Instacure too Great stuff!

I actually like their whole line. The Debonder is great too (Uncure?), if you get glue on your fingers. it turns your skin white for a day or so, but it cleanly removes the superglue from fingers and is less harsh than acetone.

Neat tip: If you live in the U.S. and have access to a Dollar Tree, you can pick up a bottle of stuff called LA's Totally Awesome.

I use it for stripping paint, but its real beauty comes from the fact that it also dissolves super glue bonds. I don't know for sure how long that takes, but I do know that the stuff is extremely skin-friendly, so it might be worth leaving it on the bond for a few hours rather than use a debonder product that messes with your skin like that.

StandardFiend wrote:
Neat tip: If you live in the U.S. and have access to a Dollar Tree, you can pick up a bottle of stuff called LA's Totally Awesome.

I use it for stripping paint, but its real beauty comes from the fact that it also dissolves super glue bonds. I don't know for sure how long that takes, but I do know that the stuff is extremely skin-friendly, so it might be worth leaving it on the bond for a few hours rather than use a debonder product that messes with your skin like that.

They now have this in the Canadian Dollar Tree's as well if anyone is looking for it!