Date
1 - 19 of 19
plastic solvent cements - again
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ed_mines
Has anyone recently bought plastic solvent cement that isn't too fast to evaporate? I bought white label plastruct solvent cement which doesn't gack up the brush like orange label, but it dries so fast that the brush is frequently dry before it hits the model. Currently sold Duco cement is also lightening quick to dry. In their zeal to eliminate unfriendly chemicals from the environment, the government has eliminated many products that work, replaced by products that barely work at all. Ed Mines |
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Todd Sullivan
Hi Ed,
I still like Testor's Plastic Cement. It has a decent working time, and I use it 95% of the time in assembling plastic models and parts. It actually can be used to clean brushes that have paint or plastic residue on them. The only downside is that it stinks (by design). Todd Sullivan Liverpool, NY |
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Jared Harper
I do not think anything could be better than good old MEK.
Jared Harper Athens, GA ---In STMFC@..., <sullivant41@...> wrote : Hi Ed, I still like Testor's Plastic Cement. It has a decent working time, and I use it 95% of the time in assembling plastic models and parts. It actually can be used to clean brushes that have paint or plastic residue on them. The only downside is that it stinks (by design). Todd Sullivan Liverpool, NY |
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vincent altiere
Ed,
Try Testors plastic cement.It is slower to dry- gives you several seconds
to adjust parts.Although some people don't like it, I have had good results with
it. I also Plastruct orange and white label cements,as well as Ambroid Pro Weld
(which is as fast and as strong as Tenax-but you get more for your money), as
well as CA cement (esp. gap filling).
Vince Altiere
In a message dated 5/30/2016 11:38:18 A.M. Eastern Daylight Time,
STMFC@... writes:
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Bill Welch
AMEN, AMEN, AMEN
Anyone have any of the old square squat jars they want to pass on? Bill Welch |
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Tony Thompson
Bill Welch wrote:
Bill, I'm with you on the "untippy" old bottles. And you don't have to fight with the "safety" cap. Tony Thompson Editor, Signature Press, Berkeley, CA 2906 Forest Ave., Berkeley, CA 94705 www.signaturepress.com (510) 540-6538; e-mail, tony@... Publishers of books on railroad history |
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Todd Sullivan
I made a 3" square of 1" thick hard plastic foam and made a hole in the center for the bottle, and I save old bottles without the safety caps. I transfer about 1/4" of cement from the new bottle to the old bottle, and refill the 1/4" when I use it up. This prevents most bottles from getting tipped over, and also limits the spill if I get really 'thumbsy' and knock the bottle around or over.
Todd Sullivan Liverpool, NY |
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ed_mines
My recollection is that I used Testors before I bought the 2 too fast drying plastruct solvents and it was slower drying. But I must have had that jar for years. In my last job I had a drum of MEK plus smaller amounts of 20 other solvents. Ed Mines |
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Bill Welch
My latest foray to a hobby shop to purchase liquid Testors to refill my 20-year old square bottle resulted in purchasing two partially empty (or full depending on your perspective) bottles. Did not pay "full" price of course. It looked to me that there was lot that made it out of the factory with the tops not screwed in properly. My message is to examine your purchases.
I have to admit I hate the safety tops, they are really hard to get loose. I remember on more than one occasion cutting the plastic part away because I could not get it to function. Having said this I really like the way it works. No one has mentioned the two Tamiya offerings. One comes in six-sided low squat bottle w/orange cap and label. The other in a little bit taller square bottle labeled "Extra Thin." Both have built-in brushes, the Extra Thin brush is a small diameter. I have 2-3 small 10/0 paint brushes I use w/Testors. When I am working with it I leave the cap off with one of the brushes sitting in the jar. It sits to my left so I am not breathing it in. Bill Welch |
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I don't mess with the hobby shop solvent cements at all anymore.
To keep my Testor's square jar full, I get methyl ethyl ketone (MEK) by the gallon at my local paint store (which, curiously, is next door to my LHS). Be sure NOT to get the MEK equivalent thinner -- it is not equivalent! MEK is also available in quarts. If you want something a little different try toluene, also at the paint store. It used to be the main ingredient of Testor's tube cement. I don't know if it is faster or slower drying than MEK, but you can get a quart of it and experiment. Finally, if you want something that dries very fast get a gallon of methylene chloride. You'll have to get that online and it ships as hazmat, but a gallon will last you a lifetime (or a large club for 5 years or so). Just be very careful cuz methylene chloride is hazardous by inhalation and can cause carbon monoxide poisoning. Just use with plenty of ventilation. This is the active ingredient in Tenax 7R and some other cements, including one of the Plastruct cements (I forget which one), Flex-I-File "Plast-I-Weld" and the original MicroWeld (not the current one). Just be sure to keep it in a glass jar with a teflon seal, cuz it will dissolve just about anything else. I actually prefer chloroform as a solvent cement, but that is getting hard to find, because it is considered a medicine, even though it is less hazardous than the methylene chloride! It dries slower, but is considered a carcinogen or a possible carcinogen -- something like that. One last thing. Although not used for a cement, xylene (or xylol) works great as a thinner for ScaleCoat I paint. It dries slower than ScaleCoat I thinner (a/k/a lacquer thinner) and gives you a high gloss -- love it! Thanks to Steve Hoxie for that suggestion. -- John |
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golden1014
Hi Ed,
I think I've used them all over the last 40 years. I prefer Tamiya the best and use it exclusively. Try Tamiya 87038 Extra Thin Cement Glue with the green top. I accidentally left the lid off my bottle last week and the next day most/all of the solvent was still there. I recall leaving the lid cracked on my Testors and/or Tenax and after a day or two it was gone. Hope this helps. John Golden Albersbach, DE -------------- 2a plastic solvent cements - again Mon May 30, 2016 8:38 am (PDT) Posted by: ed_mines Has anyone recently bought plastic solvent cement that isn't too fast to evaporate? I bought white label plastruct solvent cement which doesn't gack up the brush like orange label, but it dries so fast that the brush is frequently dry before it hits the model. Currently sold Duco cement is also lightening quick to dry. In their zeal to eliminate unfriendly chemicals from the environment, the government has eliminated many products that work, replaced by products that barely work at all. Ed Mines |
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pennsylvania1954
Ed--I heartily agree with John--Tamiya Extra Thin. It comes in a tip resistant square bottle like Testor's. It also has the most useful applicator brush I have ever used. Very fine tip which makes it easy to wick into small places.
Since Tamiya has been mentioned, I am also an ardent supporter of Tamiya Masking Tape, the yellow stuff. It comes in various widths and comes off the roll with a sharp edge. I will use the blue painters tape for masking a large area, but around the edges on the color lines, it has to be Tamiya. Somewhere along the line the folks at Tamiya sat down with real, finicky, rivet counter types like us and asked what do we really need. They have met the need. Steve Hoxie Pensacola FL |
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frograbbit602
Bill Welch wrote:
' AMEN, AMEN, AMEN" 'Anyone have any of the old square squat jars they want to pass on?" No, too valuable, even if bottle brushes attached to cap have dissolved due to age. My empties now contain items such as MEK, MEK goop, and Zip Kicker. Lester Breuer |
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midrly
I can and have knocked over the old square Testor's bottles.
The solution for me was to cut a 4" square of 1/4 acrylic, gluing a 2" long piece of 1 1/2" ABS pipe to it vertically in the centre. The round Testor's bottle drops right in, as do Floquil, etc. bottles. Even I have trouble knocking this over now. Steve Lucas |
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thecitrusbelt@...
In a tool clinic years ago I was introduced to a simple acrylic stand for holding nail polish bottles at an angle. The clinician recommended this for round solvent bottles so I manned-up and walked into a beauty supply store and bought one. It is perfect for Plastruct bottles and I have used mine for years.
I could not find a similar stand illustrated on the Internet but I did find something that might be even better. Here is a link to an image of the stand:
http://www.bookofjoe.com/images/2008/07/08/huyuy_2.jpg
It has an adjustable neck and arm.
Here is a link to the source:
Bob Chaparro Hemet, CA |
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Jon Miller <atsfus@...>
On 5/31/2016 11:17 PM,
thecitrusbelt@... [STMFC] wrote:
simple acrylic stand for holding nail polish bottles at an angle Six dollars on ebay and $10 on Amazon. I
just ordered the ebay one. -- Jon Miller For me time stopped in 1941 Digitrax Chief/Zephyr systems, JMRI User NMRA Life member #2623 Member SFRH&MS |
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On Jun 1, 2016, at 3:54 AM, STMFC@... wrote:
1a. Re: plastic solvent cements - againThe Ambroid ProWeld was good stuff but went unavailable. It's now been duplicated by Minuteman Models...saw it at the RPM in Enfield CT last weekend along with a full and glorious selection of Scalecoat II paint on his table. It warmed my heart to see it all available as it's still my preferred paint. Craig Zeni Cary NC |
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mwbauers
I discovered that I had a couple of stored away Plastruct cement bottles that had allowed some of the contents to seep away.
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I resorted to a very vintage ‘fix’ that I once read about…… I smeared the bottle threads with Vaseline petroleum jelly and re-closed them. I don’t know if that’s a great fix for this. But it does work well for sealing our model paint jars. If it slows down the evaporation of the solvent when closed up, I’ll be satisfied. Best to ya, Mike Bauers Milwaukee, Wi On Jun 6, 2016, at 9:25 AM, Craig Zeni > wrote:I accidentally left the lid off my bottle last week and the next day most/all of the solvent was still there. I recall leaving the lid cracked on my Testors and/or Tenax and after a day or two it was gone.The Ambroid ProWeld was good stuff but went unavailable. It's now been duplicated by Minuteman Models...saw it at the RPM in Enfield CT last weekend along with a full and glorious selection of Scalecoat II paint on his table. It warmed my heart to see it all available as it's still my preferred paint. |
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Nelson Moyer <ku0a@...>
Another vintage fix is to add a recycled gasket to the cap. Many bottles don’t allow the cap to fully seal around the gasket, resulting in evaporation. Adding the second gasket improves the seal. For paints, I cut waxed paper into 2 x 2 in. squares, lay one over the top of the bottle, then screw down the cap. The waxed paper provides a seal around the threads. For new bottles of paint, I first clean all the paint from the cap gasket with a piece of paper towel. The waxed paper keeps the cap clean through the life of the bottle, keeps paint off of the threads, and I change the waxed paper each time I use the bottle. I also make sure to securely tighten the caps on cement and paint bottles. I have partially used bottles of Floquil that I bought in 1978 for 95 cents, and they’re still good.
Absolutely the worst sealing bottles I’ve found are those sold by Paasche for storing air brush mixes. The gaskets don’t seal because the bottle isn’t threaded enough to pull the cap down to the gasket. Nothing I’ve found prevents evaporation with these bottles, so be warned. Nelson Moyer From: STMFC@... [mailto:STMFC@...] Sent: Monday, June 06, 2016 12:39 PM To: STMFC@... Subject: Re: [STMFC] plastic solvent cements - again I discovered that I had a couple of stored away Plastruct cement bottles that had allowed some of the contents to seep away. I resorted to a very vintage ‘fix’ that I once read about…… I smeared the bottle threads with Vaseline petroleum jelly and re-closed them. I don’t know if that’s a great fix for this. But it does work well for sealing our model paint jars. If it slows down the evaporation of the solvent when closed up, I’ll be satisfied. Best to ya, Mike Bauers Milwaukee, Wi On Jun 6, 2016, at 9:25 AM, Craig Zeni > wrote:I accidentally left the lid off my bottle last week and the next day most/all of the solvent was still there. I recall leaving the lid cracked on my Testors and/or Tenax and after a day or two it was gone.The Ambroid ProWeld was good stuff but went unavailable. It's now been duplicated by Minuteman Models...saw it at the RPM in Enfield CT last weekend along with a full and glorious selection of Scalecoat II paint on his table. It warmed my heart to see it all available as it's still my preferred paint. |
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