Anyone try this stuff as a replacement for CA Glue?
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Donivanp
Major
I've used it. Works as advertised but kinda expensive and didn't last long for me.
I've found that for fixing small parts it is frustrating to use. However it is BRILLIANT for creating wingtip navigation lights in 1/72 scale, just cut out the area, fill with the glue, cure in 5 secs with the uv lamp and file/sand to shape. It is also good for putting the "glass" in instrument panels and for filling in gaps around canopies. It has a vile smell until cured. Here in the UK you can get it remarkably cheaply if you shop around. - Some dealers charge huge inflated prices for this "Miracle glue" - I've seen exactly the same product on eBay for as little as £2 up to as much as £19.
Builder 2010
Staff Sergeant
I'm using Bondic (another UV product) constantly. That said, it does not bond well to styrenel, but it bonds absolutely to previously printed 3D UV resin printed objects. I've also used it for making transparent parts for styrene models. I've created 1:350 canopies for US Navy aircraft in the USS Essex project when the Trumpeter styrene ones broke. I've also found it terrific for filling in larger scale (1:32/1:24) instrument faces to glaze over the decals much more believably than using clear coat. and like you, making landing light lenses.
But my main use is a filler to repair defects in 3D printed parts and to adhere one resin printed part to another. Since it is essentially the same chemical composition, only thicker, it literally welds the parts together. One of the drawbacks of the UV products is they must be accessible to the UV curing light. This precludes using it in blind joints. However, when working with the 3D printed resin parts, they are semi-transparent to UV light at that wavelength (405nm) and therefore, blind joints cure. Therefore; you can use the UV product as a glue, not just a filler. To fill large spaces I do it in layers curing each layer as I go. It cures in about five seconds.
I resisted buying this stuff for years thinking it was a gimmick. I'm a convert. It's not for everything, but for the things it does, it does very, very well. The beauty of it that it stays viscous until you irradiate it. That's a big improvement over CA which can start to cure before you're ready.
BTW: to glue small PE details, I've started using gel CA. It has a long working time so you can position small parts without it curing. It also has some tackiness so the parts stay put. I cure it with a toothpick soaked with accelerator. You don't even have to touch the CA. Just bring it in close proximity and the accelerator does its job. In fact, touching the toothpick to the joint invites the toothpick being incorporated into the job. Not advises!
But my main use is a filler to repair defects in 3D printed parts and to adhere one resin printed part to another. Since it is essentially the same chemical composition, only thicker, it literally welds the parts together. One of the drawbacks of the UV products is they must be accessible to the UV curing light. This precludes using it in blind joints. However, when working with the 3D printed resin parts, they are semi-transparent to UV light at that wavelength (405nm) and therefore, blind joints cure. Therefore; you can use the UV product as a glue, not just a filler. To fill large spaces I do it in layers curing each layer as I go. It cures in about five seconds.
I resisted buying this stuff for years thinking it was a gimmick. I'm a convert. It's not for everything, but for the things it does, it does very, very well. The beauty of it that it stays viscous until you irradiate it. That's a big improvement over CA which can start to cure before you're ready.
BTW: to glue small PE details, I've started using gel CA. It has a long working time so you can position small parts without it curing. It also has some tackiness so the parts stay put. I cure it with a toothpick soaked with accelerator. You don't even have to touch the CA. Just bring it in close proximity and the accelerator does its job. In fact, touching the toothpick to the joint invites the toothpick being incorporated into the job. Not advises!
