Whats the best glue to use for plastic miniatures?

IM A ENT!!! · **Posted:** Sun Mar 27, 2011 1:43 am

Hey everyone.
Whats your favourite plastic glue and why?
Does gamesworkshops plastic glue take your fancy or revell's precison tip make you feel more comfortable gluing?
Any other types of glue that have made a difference?

kidterminal · **Posted:** Sun Mar 27, 2011 3:32 am

Revell or Testers brush on works best for me.

dave85uk · **Posted:** Sun Mar 27, 2011 5:52 pm

Yh i rarely if ever buy any GW overpriced materials or tools. You can get twice as much for a third of the cost. Spoecificly i use any well known super glue from a stationers/craft store no cheapo ones from pound land - the last one i bought was a brand called Loctite.

Cyndra the Grey · **Posted:** Sun Mar 27, 2011 8:04 pm

Yeh Loctite is a great brand, and widely available as well.

Cyndra the Grey

Slythar · **Posted:** Sun Mar 27, 2011 8:05 pm

I'm no expert but I use Plumbling Contact Adhesive (Amazing Goop) from the Hardware Store. It works great for glueing figs onto bases or if you have broken Horse legs (no pin) or no slot. Just be generous and support them while it drys. For small jobs its no good... too thick so I use Crazy Glue for that and my metals.

geezer of rhun · **Posted:** Mon Mar 28, 2011 12:23 am

I use "Testors Cement for plastic models" in the tube.
It is specifically made to glue plastic models.
It has never failed me and the tube glue is a thicker consistency that can fill small cracks or seams.
I use 5 min epoxy or Super Glue on Metal models, depending on the job.

Elros of Numenor · **Posted:** Mon Mar 28, 2011 6:25 am

IM A ENT!!! wrote:

Does gamesworkshops plastic glue take your fancy or revell's precison tip make you feel more comfortable gluing?

I can't stand revell's precision tip, but then you already know that :-D

Looks like I'll have to try testors! :mrgreen:

hithero · **Posted:** Mon Mar 28, 2011 6:57 am

Any glue designed for plastics, so anything by you plastic model kit brands, Humbrol bottle with brush is my favourite.

IM A ENT!!! · **Posted:** Mon Mar 28, 2011 8:40 am

Gee thanks gents for the advice, Elros already knows this but the reason why i asked this question is becasue im doing a large high school project. "How to paint miniatures " is what im researching and assembly is involved with that as im learning.For example if you use a glue thats nice and precise then when it comes to painting you wont get any nasty glue line that are more obvious than a stamped of mumarks trying to be stealthy lol. Compared to, if you use a glue that is very awkard to apply then its easier for your steady hand to stray off target and then a lovely mess and when painting doesnt look as good as possible.

Once again thanks for the posts need the advice for my project.

IM A ENT!!! · **Posted:** Mon Mar 28, 2011 9:03 am

Ok ive tried revell its seems very good(especialy for 40k miniatures with many sides and strait lines to glue).
Im going to test gw glue soon but i dont have high hopes for it.

This is a BEAST OF WAR building of a 40 k imperial guard sentinel video. It like 26 minutes long but it has some good practial use of the revell plastic glue showing how precise it is.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_CabA8Zq9l0

TheBucklandBrewer · **Posted:** Mon Mar 28, 2011 9:42 am

I'm using UHU plastic glue... a 30g bottle with a fine precision-needle to apply the glue.
It's probably exactly the same as Revell plastic Glue with the precision needle, but I got this bottle for free from an modeltrain-hobbyist who could take his hobby with him while moving to another country...

I'm pretty satisfied with the bottle... A little disadvantage is that after applying the glue, the needle easily keeps leaking a fine drop (probably still some pressure in the bottle because of me squeezing a bit too hard)...

Years ago I used Revell plastic glue in a bottle with brush-dop... but because of me being to clumsy I spilled many of those bottles allover my desk (lack of coordination to put the brush into the bottle again :s ).

But actually, most of the time I just use a superglue (CRC Quick Fix) which works for just anything...

In general, for most glues, it's just the name you pay for...
Superglue is superglue, no matter what brand it is, they're all about the same (just breath on your parts before sticking them together, the extra moisture (waterdamp) of your breath makes it stick much faster, and a small amount of water is needed to start the superglue-reaction of every brand of superglue).
Most plastic glues (such as GW, Revell, UHU, ...) contain butylacetate (which is the component that causes the smell of these glues). It's one of the basic solvents to make the (most) plastic parts "melt" on eachother...
Because of this melting, it's sometimes not even necessary to fill gaps with greenstuff (if you're lucky)

IM A ENT!!! · **Posted:** Tue Mar 29, 2011 9:31 am

OK, yeh i had the same truoble with the revell bottel glue with the brush. Its so small and weighs almost nothing I spilt it many times as well.
ps

I would love to get a glue that can be like an alternative to greenstuff to a certian extent.

If anyone esle has a favourite glue or gluing system please comment.

Elros of Numenor · **Posted:** Tue Mar 29, 2011 10:19 am

You could make your own plastic glue... since it is butyl acetate, make it using butanol and ethanoic acid (vinegar) by refluxing them with a bit of sulfuric acid :-D

then distilling the ester to purify it. And then simply drip it onto what you want to glue. ta dah!

dave85uk · **Posted:** Tue Mar 29, 2011 10:22 am

IM A ENT!!! wrote:

Compared to, if you use a glue that is very awkard to apply then its easier for your steady hand to stray off target and then a lovely mess and when painting doesnt look as good as possible.

I guess soemthign else you could add to your report:

For glues that are awkward to apply due to its container, you can just put some on an applicater (a straightened paper clip) the only problem with that is if your not careful you can waste alot of glue. I tended to anyway, so went to precision super-glues.

Elros of Numenor wrote:

You could make your own plastic glue... since it is butyl acetate, make it using butanol and ethanoic acid (vinegar) by refluxing them with a bit of sulfuric acid :-D

then distilling the ester to purify it. And then simply drip it onto what you want to glue. ta dah!

Show off!! :rofl:

Elros of Numenor · **Posted:** Wed Mar 30, 2011 9:42 am

dave85uk wrote:

Show off!! :rofl:

Blame it on year 11/12 chemistry and looking at plastic glue bottles/tubes out of curiosity.... :-D

theOneRider · **Posted:** Fri Apr 01, 2011 5:41 pm

TheBucklandBrewer wrote:

Superglue is superglue, no matter what brand it is, they're all about the same

Afraid I have to disagree on that. I've had lots of different results from the various gels, liquids, etc. that I've tried. On the main, I get the best results across the board with Locktite liquids, though there are better options for specific tasks - I've even used JB Weld on a couple Mordor troll metals once & they're still holding together pretty well.

For plastic minis, though, I really like using a plasti-weld. I don't know the brand I've got offhand - I can check for you when I get home. In any case, the way they work is that they actually melt a little of the plastic where they contact and gradually re-solidify it. I haven't noticed the joint to be more brittle than the rest of the plastic, and a careful hand can actually leave no seam.
Plus, I've used it to create effects on a 40K model I picked up for fun.

kidterminal · **Posted:** Fri Apr 01, 2011 5:52 pm

Yes a Plastic-weld is best.

Whats the best glue to use for plastic miniatures?

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