Plastic cement
#1
A lot of you probably know this already, but for those who don't, while putting together my current challenge model, it dawned on me that for the most part, I've been assembling my parts with liquid "plastic cement". Well, not really. I bought a one ounce bottle of it many years ago and saw where it "contained MEC". Well, at the cost of $3.69, I got upset because I didn't tighten the lid and it evaporated quickly and it was a good 20 miles to the nearest hobby shop. So, I went to Walmart (or Home Depot) and bought a quart of MEK for less than $10 and poured some in the bottle. There was no difference, MEK dissolves the plastic just every bit as good as the Testor's plastic cement. I suspect that "contains MEK" really means, "100% MEK".

Just a few numbers,
Testor's Plastic cement = $3.69 per oz. (that's $118.00 for a quart and $1743.00 for a gallon)
MEK at $11.00 a quart = $0.35 per oz
MEK at $22.00 a gallon = $.018 per oz

A quart has lasted me probably five years, and I've still got half of it left. It is cleaner to use than the "modeler's cement" in a tube, which, incidentally, is just MEK in a thickening agent.
Don (ezdays) Day
Board administrator and
founder of the CANYON STATE RAILROAD
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#2
Don, I use lacquer thinner (a tip from Drwayne) and I use a hypodermic syringe to apply it. You can buy 100 non sterile ones for under 10 bucks and they can be reused many times before the rubber tip pulls off the plunger. I also find them good for oiling small locomotive bearings as well as applying a little dab of ATF to the track for cleaning purposes.
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#3
Charlie B Wrote:Don, I use lacquer thinner (a tip from Drwayne) and I use a hypodermic syringe to apply it. You can buy 100 non sterile ones for under 10 bucks and they can be reused many times before the rubber tip pulls off the plunger. I also find them good for oiling small locomotive bearings as well as applying a little dab of ATF to the track for cleaning purposes.

Yeah, I had a hypodermic syringe, but the rubber shrunk on the one I had and I just haven't thought to look for a new one yet. Nope It's a lot easier using one than using a brush.
Don (ezdays) Day
Board administrator and
founder of the CANYON STATE RAILROAD
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#4
Hypo syringe needles can be purchased with "blunt" ( square cut, as opposed to angle cut...helps prevent accidental injections of "glue" )tips. I use one for applying carpenter's glue, when building small wood structures. It got a lot of use, so far, with the "Lobster Pound" construction.
I keep a short piece of Brass rod ( of the required diameter to fit ) in the tip of the needle. It helps keep the glue, in the needle, from drying out and plugging the needle.
MEK, is a great plastic cement ! H O W E V E R , Seriously !!, use adequate ventilation, and avoid, as much as possible, skin contact. MEK can do ugly things. I use a small paint brush to apply the MEK to the joint. ( it evaporates too quickly to apply it to the part and then try to join it to the model, or another part )
MEK was used to assemble this "Junkbuild" space craft, out of plastic pill bottles, flash cubes, salvaged plastic kit parts, etc.
Oh yeah, there's a plastic "shot glass", and a Ping Pong ball in there too ! Icon_twisted Wink Big Grin
   
We always learn far more from our own mistakes, than we will ever learn from another's advice.
The greatest place to live life, is on the sharp leading edge of a learning curve.
Lead me not into temptation.....I can find it myself!
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#5
Sumpter250 Wrote:Hypo syringe needles can be purchased with "blunt" ( square cut, as opposed to angle cut...helps prevent accidental injections of "glue" )tips. I use one for applying carpenter's glue, when building small wood structures. It got a lot of use, so far, with the "Lobster Pound" construction.
I keep a short piece of Brass rod ( of the required diameter to fit ) in the tip of the needle. It helps keep the glue, in the needle, from drying out and plugging the needle.
MEK, is a great plastic cement ! H O W E V E R , Seriously !!, use adequate ventilation, and avoid, as much as possible, skin contact. MEK can do ugly things. I use a small paint brush to apply the MEK to the joint. ( it evaporates too quickly to apply it to the part and then try to join it to the model, or another part )
MEK was used to assemble this "Junkbuild" space craft, out of plastic pill bottles, flash cubes, salvaged plastic kit parts, etc.
Oh yeah, there's a plastic "shot glass", and a Ping Pong ball in there too ! Icon_twisted Wink Big Grin
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I like the MEK because it wicks between the parts and doesn't leave any ugly residue behind. I agree, it there is no working time when you use it. I did find another syringe that I had, but no needle, so I'm using a small bottle that I had with a fine needle on it. I forgot about these things until Charlie mentioned it. Thank you Charlie, I can now put away the bottle with the brush in the cap.... Worship

Pete: really neat warship. It looks like you had a lot of salvaged parts. Thumbsup Thumbsup
Don (ezdays) Day
Board administrator and
founder of the CANYON STATE RAILROAD
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#6
I bought this bottle with needle at LHS . You can get different sizes of needles on the cap. Just siphon e material from its bottle and on you go....as I remember, the packaging was from a fabric supplier...apparently it was designed to use when gluing fabrics and for needlepoint...


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Cheers,
Richard

T & A Layout Build http://bigbluetrains.com/forum/viewtopic...=46&t=7191
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#7
ezdays Wrote:Pete: really neat warship. It looks like you had a lot of salvaged parts. Thumbsup Thumbsup

My last tour of duty was as an instructor at Great Lakes ET class A school. One of the other instructors made a "daily tour" of the dumpsters, looking for aluminum cans he could sell to recyclers. Whenever he had to move a trashed plastic kit, or model, to get at a can, he'd move it to his vehicle, and about once a week he give me a cardboard box full of these models and kits.
I "salvaged a lot of goodies" that way. :mrgreen: :mrgreen: :mrgreen:
We always learn far more from our own mistakes, than we will ever learn from another's advice.
The greatest place to live life, is on the sharp leading edge of a learning curve.
Lead me not into temptation.....I can find it myself!
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