I haven't built any of these kits but plenty of others. Is there a glue that works better or that Intermountain says to use? (Finally getting wise in my old age, ask first buy once......) Thanks and HAPPY HOLLIDAYS to all. Paul
Best Glue for Intermountain kits?
Dec 11, 2003
5 Replies
"Best" is a subjective term -- especially when you don't give any criteria for measuring what makes one adhesive better than another -- but I have had good results using Tenax 7R on Intermountain freight car kits.
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Tenax is pretty much my all-purpose styrene adhesive, which covers most plastic kits. [Exceptions whic require different adhesives include some Plastruct shapes (Plastruct Plastic Weld is pretty good) and cases when the styrene needs to be glued to a different material such as wire or cast metal.] If I recall correctly, all of the parts in Intermountain kits are styrene, so you should be able to assemble the whole model using just one adhesive.
Ditto for Testor's "watery" liquid solvent (not the thick liquid or the tube), though I use an applicator bottle by A-West.
I use any of the water white, liquid styrene cements. Tenax, Plastic Weld, Testors. These are all "solvent" cements. They are something really active in the solvent dept like MEK or tricloromethane which softens the plastic and turns it sticky. When they evaporate, the plastic hardens. Done right, such a joint is as strong as the virgin plastic. You can mate two pieces and brush the cement onto the hidden side of the joint and capillary action will suck the cement into the joint and bond it. For styrene to styrene joints, it's the strongest way to go. For styrene to anything else, you don't get any adhesion at all. Best to use something like CA or expoxy in that case.
David Starr
=>I use any of the water white, liquid styrene cements. Tenax, Plastic =>Weld, Testors. These are all "solvent" cements. They are something =>really active in the solvent dept like MEK or tricloromethane which =>softens the plastic and turns it sticky. When they evaporate, the =>plastic hardens. Done right, such a joint is as strong as the virgin =>plastic. You can mate two pieces and brush the cement onto the hidden =>side of the joint and capillary action will suck the cement into the =>joint and bond it. For styrene to styrene joints, it's the strongest =>way to go. For styrene to anything else, you don't get any adhesion at =>all. Best to use something like CA or expoxy in that case. =>
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=>David Starr
Just make sure you don't sniff the stuff. :-)
Seriously, MEK ansd TCM are very, very bad for you, so use good ventilation, keep the lid on the bottle, etc.
Wolf Kirchmeir ................................. If you didn't want to go to Chicago, why did you get on this train? (Garrison Keillor)
Spills can be a disaster. The stuff will dissolve just about anything including asphalt floor tiles. It's also quite flammable. A two fluid ounce bottle won't do too much damage, but I'd be careful with the larger quart cans of MEK available in hardware stores.
David J. Starr
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