06-16-2014, 09:17 AM
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.
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
Board administrator and
founder of the CANYON STATE RAILROAD