Zip Kicker Woes

I mainly use enamels, and haven't found CA a problem on that, though I have noticed paint damage on acrylics. I also use a different brand of accelerator.

In the future, spray the zip kicker into something else (a piece of paper towel, a piece of aluminum, etc) and then use q-tips or a microbrush or some other mechanism to apply the zip kicker to the CA.

The spray almost always sprays way way way way way way way way more than you need for most modeling applications.

You can use the needle/syringe thingie, (You dip into Pro Weld, or Tennax and then use it to *drop* small amounts of glue where you want) to get just a DROP or two right where you need it. I will *force* the info sheet out of it's tube and post more info if ya want.

Otherwise, dip a small paintbrush into the accelerator and then *drop*a small amount where needed. Personally, for gap filling, I let it dry on it's own, keeping watch of a clock or stopwatch to see how long it takes the CA to become easily sandable.

For small PE parts, I've gone to using five minute epoxy. Stronger joint, although can be messier if not used sparingly ! For the landing gear in your case, epoxy is what I would have used. (just me, thats all)

Please post pic's, the Rata is one of my favorites !!

Some sort of base (as in, alkali). Much the same as our old paint remover friend, Oven Cleaner, but less potent.

Yeah; you can get a significant speedup just by unscrewing the sprayer and putting the open bottle near the glue and letting the vapors drift over.

I use the Testors Kicker in a bottle. I just use as much as the eye of a small needle will hold. That gets the job done usually. I've had the same bottle for a year and it hardly looks like I've used any at all. (:>

haha. that's generally the way I learn.

like the fave martini method. open the vermouth a few feet away and wave some molecules to the gin. don't overdo it!

Use a drop of cold water. Almost as fast, no mess.

Art

As other's mentioned - I don't spray accelerators. I use some sort of applicator. I've been using Micro-Brushes lately and they work great. The smallest white colored ones.

I've also accumulated about half a dozen of various ACC Accelerator brands. Some are "hotter" than others. Zip-Kicker does attack paint and bare styrene. The mildest one I've found is INSTA-SET from Bob Smith Industries. It doesn't damage paint or styrene and actually has a semi-pleasant odor. Higly recommended!

Peteski

I use a Q-tip dipped in the accelerator. Works like charm. Used to use toothpicks, but they absorb the stuff too quickly so it's harder to apply the stuff. But yeah, use it extremely sparingly and quickly. Don't want the Q-tip glued to the part! (speak from experience)

--Stephen

The best I've found is to get some insulin syringes with a fine needle and draw some up some Zip Kicker. You can put it exactly where you want in minute amounts, like along a seam line.

The organic solvents in the Zip Kicker end up slowly swelling the plunger of the syringe, but by then you can throw it away and start with another. The accelerant lasts a lot longer as well, since you're not wasting most of it in a spray.

those are great for gluing and even painting. and when they're dead, you can post a picture of your fave in law on a corkboard and see how good your aim is. but be careful who you invite to your modeling room. why mother jean, i don't know how that got there, honest?

A long time ago (12years or more) I found some pipettes that were marketed ( I think) under the Dr Microtools name. They are glass pipettes about 6" long with a very tiny diameter steel tube at the dispensing end. I use them for applying plastic solvents and CA accelerator. I had the same expereience too, the spray accelerator has a sledge hammer effect when you really need just a gentle touch. Anyway when I saw these I bought three of them. They will dispense accelerator one drop at a time by gravity or if you touch an item it will flow out slowly. I use the touch method with solvents allowing it to flow between parts that are being joined, and the drop method with accelerator. You don;t want to touch the tip to the super glue or it will hopelessly clog up. One has been clogged, the other two have been doing fine. I would like to find these again, they are getting old. To fill them up I use a plastic bulb type syringe and stick it on the open end and squeeze it then dip it into the liquid and let the suction draw some into the pipette.

Geoff

That reminds me of my old tiny liquid transfer device, which is now lost... take a sewing needle, cut the end of the eye off so it's now a little fork that picks up a teeny drop by surface tension. Gotta make one again, they're wonderful.