styrene glue application question

[dmess62]

Hey guys I have a quick question about how to apply bondene and like products. I don't figure some of the plastic applicators would work since it would probably weld it together. I tried using a small paint brush but I'm not quite getting enough of it on the strene. By the time I do its dried up. Just wondering what you guys use, and where to pick it up from?
Thanks for any help

[rowings farms]

what i use is called touch n flow. it looks like a piece glass with small a piece tubing on the end, works good . i got from lhs but tower hobbies carries it also. hope that helps.

[Dreamweaver]

I use it with the brush that comes in the bottle. The trick I have found is coat it once, let it sit for a few seconds till it dries (softens the styrene) then re-apply and stick them together.

You have to work quickly with this stuff no matter what you do. However after I stick them together I brush on a little more on the seams if I need to adjust anything. But even with this you HAVE to work fast.

[WhiteWolf McBride]

Gotta agree with rowings,

The Touch'n'Flow is great, but seems Deluxe Materials has made a copy with a replacable tip! Its called a " Pin Flow Applicator " and a demo can be found on YouTube:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pZs_A8QkJHY

They've separated the glass pipette from the tips, & I've yet to acquire one, locals don't have it in stock yet. Its also higher priced, $8 for a T'n'F (locally) where the PinFlow is $13. Anyone got one/tried it?

But for fine application of solvent glues, ditch the brush, use the T'n'F or Pinflow... 'cause it flows the solvent right into a seam. Once you've used one, odds are, you'll never go back.

WhiteWolf

[Dunga_CZE]

What about a diabetic syringe instead? It's almost for free in any pharmacy :)
http://www.mcglynnrx.com/images/insulin.jpg

[WhiteWolf McBride]

No Dice...

I tried that, and the issue is the MEK in the glue eats the rubber plunger of the syringe. One good 'whiff' of the solvent, the plunger swells/melts, and you loose anything thats in the syringe at the time. As they say, been there, tried it, survived to get the tee-shirt.

I've thought ot the 'gas-sampling' ones on eBay, but they were all US-based, and I don't trust it not to be seized at Customs.

Notes:

- any-old needle will NOT do, you need at least 27 guage or smaller. Anything larger, and capillary action won't hold the glue in, and it leaks.

- don't DIY with an eye-dropper and fine tubing, as MEK eats most epoxies, including JB-Weld, and CA as well - my first attempt came-apart in the bottle.

Bottom line - don't be a cheap-*ss and just buy the ~right~ tool for the job. I know, I'm not one to be saying that, but in this case, I've not found any cheaper alternative than the T'n'F.

PS: If you already own one, and are prone to getting clogs, take the T'n'F tool to a music store, and get a length of guitar string ($0.80 for 36") and for reference, 27 guage needle is 0075" ID. Hey presto, you have a bore-ream!

WhiteWolf
- with a few feet left over, if I can find it.

[JDH429]

Touch'n'Flow...very cool, Thanks for the info.

[Espeefan]

Like the others mentioned, glue that actually melts and welds the plastic together, begins to set and cure almost right away. You have to work fast. It's just the nature of the beast.

I usually coat both parts to be bonded, and quickly set them in place. You get about 2 - 5 seconds to wiggle them around and get them where you want them to be. Once they are where I need them to be I follow up with an application of the glue along the seams. You can lay it on somewhat heavy, and I like to get a tiny little gusset puddle, for lack of better words, that looks like fillet weld, along the seams and edges. It dries and will disappear, but the reason I do the follow up application is because capillary action will draw the glue into the parts, so if you missed a spot, the glue will suck in. You can also bond things using nothing more then the capillary action, by placing the parts where you want them first, and then hitting the joints with a brush of the glue. You can't have the parts clamped down tight, but if you keep light pressure on them, and hit the joints of the outside edges, the glue will draw itself in.

For bigger areas that you need to cover with glue, use something that dries slower. Testors make a good cement for that. It's much slower to cure, and doesn't evaporate as soon as you apply it. :D But it does still bond plastics by melting them.

Oh, and I always use the supplied brush, that comes in the bottle, for all the glue applications. I just wring some of the glue out, because with small parts the brush holds so much that it will flood the area you apply it to.