No, it bl**dy does not!

[Lucky13]

Anyhoo....does CA glue have a "best before date", I'm wondering because the one that I'm using, is about as thick as most politicians!
Thinking of getting a thicker and a thinner CA glue this time....is Zap-A-Gap still the best for PE to plastic and PE to PE?

 

[Wurger]

I would say it is. The matter is how much you are going to apply for sticking. All around glue excesses don't look good , do they?

 

[Lucky13]

They definitely do not....thought that I'd snoop around, since this one has reached the end of the line it seems....
Been thinking about getting a small(ish) soldering iron for some PE....

 

[Wurger]

Although the soldering of the PE parts is possible I wouldn't recommend that way for joining pieces. IMHO the way for putting together is good but for large and quite thick parts only. Here my soldered , copper legs for 1/96 Guillows balsa/tissure F6F Hellcat model.

 

[Lucky13]

Aye, that's what I was thinking, for the larger parts....

 

[Wurger]

Please notice that the legs are for 1/96 scale model. That's the difference if we talk about 1/48 or 1/35 scale.

You may browse the thread ... in order to see the effect of soldering PE parts for small scale.

1:350 Trumpeter USS Essex

 

[fubar57]

I use this stuff...

​

....a bottle lasts a lot longer than Zap-a Gap. It's available in gel as well

 

[Crimea_River]

I've stopped buying zap-a-gap as the bottles are too big. The CA inside does get thicker over time, despite putting the cap on securely, so much so that the CA doesn't flow once only half a bottle is used. Lately, I've just bought small bottles of generic CA at my grocery store.

 

[Lucky13]

Might just give that Gorilla stuff a shot then....
What's the pros and cons of it?

Hmmmm....

 

[GrauGeist]

I've had some success with storing the bottle upside-down if it's going to be stored for a length of time. While it may not make the product last forever, it seems to slow the "drying out" process.

 

[Wayne Little]

I'm with Andy.....

 

[Airframes]

I've been using some stuff from the local 'Poundland' store, six bottles for £1 - it works well for me.

 

[mikewint]

CA type glues cure by taking up water from the environment. That's why they stick so well to human skin as there is invariably a film of water present. If you are not using your CA (once opened), keep it in a plastic zip-lock bag with a moisture absorbing packet inside.
I also do not purchase large bottles, generally 1/2 oz (14g) to 1 oz (28 g) at the very largest. I also do not like the super thin varieties as they flow all over everything.
Once they thicken there is no way to re-thin. Counter-intuitively CA Uncure will almost instantly solidify what's left in the bottle.
Don't know what's available "cross the pond" I buy the cheapest I can find on Ebay

 

[fubar57]

Worth a shot Jan. It will thicken up eventually but a lot slower than Zap and I believe it is cheaper. Like everyone else, I buy the smallest bottle I can find

 

[Tom17]

Storing super-glue in the fridge helps (allegedly, I've never tried)
Tom