What glue to use?

Quick Question here.


What glue is best to use for putting plastics and metals together?

Or do I put something in between first?

Superglue? Plain and simple. Has worked for me for years.

For metal parts it is often a good idea to pin the parts in addition.

doesn't the superglue "eat" the plastic part?

Gobbo Freak wrote:

doesn't the superglue "eat" the plastic part?

Nope.

"Plastic Glue" slightly melts plastic, so plastic to plastic joins with plastic glues are welds, but super glue doesn't melt or eat anything.

I use super glue for all bonds, since it can actually be cracked apart later if I screw up the model's pose. The only situation where I think plastic glue is superior is if you are a bit rough with models or tend to drop them as super glue will crack apart and cause loss of model bits.

Using normal superglue on plastic just doesn't hold that well and sometimes, once they're dry, they snap off easy and of course it doesn't hold metal miniatures at all. I use citadel plastic glue for plastic models and some industrial superglue brand for metal ones. The citadel plastic glue has pretty much of the stuff in the bottle, so it's pretty well worth the price. Not like their superglue though, very small bottle, not worth what they are asking for it. Hopefully this helps. Just my two cents into this matter.

Kaptain Dedgob wrote:

Using normal superglue on plastic just doesn't hold that well and sometimes, once they're dry, they snap off easy and of course it doesn't hold metal miniatures at all.

What? I've been using super cheap superglue for more than 10 years and never head problems. I'm now using 1 EUR superglue (3 packs for 1 EUR) from those cheap stores. Works perfectly fine.

I usually use Pattex superglue on my metal mini's and the basic Plastic glue from GW for my plastics.

Since I don't glue plastics to metals that frequently is why I asked

I have been mixing metal and plastic parts a lot and never had problems. Don't know... Maybe it depends on the make you can have some real bad luck with the glue?

cianty wrote:

I have been mixing metal and plastic parts a lot and never had problems. Don't know... Maybe it depends on the make you can have some real bad luck with the glue?

Superglue works with both of course, but I'm just saying that plastic glue keeps the plastic parts together really well. It all depends on what kind of superglue you use, if you use that kind of more "solid" stuff, it holds better even with the plastics, but it sometimes leaves bigger spills, but if we're talking about the running kind superglue that citadel does, it doesn't hold the plastic parts together that well.

Kaptain Dedgob wrote:

if we're talking about the running kind superglue that citadel does, it doesn't hold the plastic parts together that well.

Never bothered with anything hobby-related from GW other than the miniatures and books themselves. My usual glue is rather fluid though. Oh well...

For plastic minis/models I use Plastic Surgery, a type of "super" glue formulated specifically for hard plastics...works well on wood also. For most metal minis I use Crazy(Super) Glue &, with REALLY big metal minis, two part epoxy cement.

cianty wrote:

Never bothered with anything hobby-related from GW other than the miniatures and books themselves. My usual glue is rather fluid though. Oh well...

Likewise I avoid GW products other than their usually lovely minis...their stuff is VERY overpriced.

I use super glue and then when that has dried a very thin layer of pva which stops it from snapping off. If the pva is to thick it obscures the details you just need a slight skin to hold it together.

After using GW PVA glue, I notived I might as well use Woodglue... It's the same stuff

I just returned from a railroad modelling fair here, and bought THE superglue... it's called "Olba Industrielijm" and it glues pretty much anything. 10 euros a bottle though, but in the demo we glued some metals, rubbers, plastics and whatnot, after which we IMMEDIATELY held a little game of tug of war, putting our entire weight into it... and the stuf held! crazily effective, and no need to use much of it... so I'm ditching my already great zap-a-gap for this stuff!

those railroad modelling people always have the good stuff