ship69

Hello I am trying to create a "hinge" on a flap on my model. The flap is about 5cm x 30cm x 3mm. The flap needs to move freely, without resistence. Materials My current model is made from styrene and s far I have been trying to use various types of adhesive tape (e.g.Diamond Sellotape, 3M's Crystal Tape) but they fail to resist contant loads very well (esp when the model is left in direct sunlight, where they seem to just melt!) I have also tried type types of specialist 3M tape: A) I tried 3M's "4411N Extreme Sealing Tape" but it is way too thick. I then tried 3M's "396 Super Bond Polyester Film". It is nice and thin - which creates a nice, freely flapping hinge - but the adhesive is made from rubber-resin. This adhesive is extremely tacky and has a strong "grab", however it eventually tends to fail (and shear) when under a sustained load. This is particularly bad in warmer temperatures (such as direct sunlight). i.e. The core problem is that the adhesive never actually sets! So now I am wondering about using book binding materials. However I know almost nothing about this subject! I am wondering if I could find a finely woven fabric or cloth of some sort (e.g. Bondaweb? Vilene/Solufleece? maybe silk even??), together with some sort of flexible adhesive that actually sets. (e.g. PVA adhesive??) Also, rather than using styrene to model with, possibly I could use some form of "dead trees" such as MDF or hardboard (AKA High-Density Fiberboard (HDF)? Any thoughts? Cheers J

Hello I don't know where to ask this question: "Is there a type of Sellotape / "sticky-backed plastic" that resists constant pressure, resists heat and sunlight, and which forms a permanent bond?" Background: I am making a large hinge in my model (for a prototype of an obscure new product). I have been using various types of "sticky-backed plastic" - such as Diamond Sellotape, 3M's Crystal Tape - but although they all work great for a while, they don't resist constant pressure very well, don't age well, and they all melt in the sun! In truth I'm not 100% new, but I can't see which forum would be best to answer this question. - Any thoughts? J

Hello I need to buy some more solvent/cement for bonding stryrene-to-styrene. What to do you recommend and why? Background It would be good to get something that isn't too toxic when you accidentally inhale some. Also I want something that has a reasonable 'bite', but without evapourating too quickly as I am working on a fairly large model (36cm wide) that uses 3mm thick HIPS styrene and need to be able to paint the stuff on over a large area without it disappearing too fast actually still be there when the two pieces are firmly pressed together . In the end I need something that has enough 'bite' to form a really strong bond (or 'weld') between 2 pieces of styrene. Also I want something reasonably cheap so that I can buy a large volume of the stuff and paint it on so as to smooth the sanded surfaces. Also I don't really like using a brush as you keep having to refil it. So I was thinking about using a squeezy bottle or refill-able syrin Any thoughts? Cheers J PS There seem to be a HUGE number of plastic solvent type "cements" all of which sound rather similar: e.g. - "Ambroid ProWeld" [does it still exist?] - "Black Swan PVC1 PVC Cement" - "Bondloc 500ml Pipe Bonding Cement/A" - "Deluxe Plastic Magic Liquid Glue AD-77 (with brush and applicator)" by DELUXE MATERIALS - "EMA Plastic Weld Cement" - "Everbuild P16PIPE P16 Plumbers PVC Pipe Cement" - "Faller Expert Plastic Glue" - "Flex-i-File Plas-i-Weld Professional Plastic Welder" - "FloPlast SC250 250 ml Solvent Cement - Clear" - "GLUE PLASTIC MODEL MR. CEMENT DELUXE" - "Humbrol Precision Poly Cement 3" - "JUNESUN ABS Plastic Model Cement Special Glue Acrylic Plexiglass Fast Adhesive" - "lacquer thinner" ?? - "Liquid Solvent Cement" - "MEX" - "MEK-PAC"? - "Mr. Cement S" (from Mr Hobby) - "Plastic Cement Weld Glue Perspex Acrylic Hobby Crafts DIY 250 ml Styrene ABS" - "PLASTRUCT Bond-2 Bondene" - "TENSOL 12 Acrylic Adhesive, 50ml Bottle/Perspex Bonding Glue Cement" - "Tamiya 87012 Plastic Cement" - "Tamiya extra thin cement" - "Tenax 7R" ... All very confusing! Also which of these products have been banned in the UK? And which are said to cause cancer?!

I'm not sure you folks understand. The thing is that by sloshing a LOT of solvent over the top of a model all the roughness of a piece of sanded styrene disappears and you end up with a nice shiny finish. When you have a larger surface area to work on, working your way through all the gradeds of sandpaper can take 'forever'. Whereas painting with a solvent is a quick and dirty way to create a smooth finish.

Hello If you paint a solvent/cement onto your styrene (HIPS/Plasticard) model, it briefly dissolves the outer surface and when it evapourates it leaves a nice smooth finish. Do you have any tips about how to do this? I have tried Slaters MEK-PAK but it's pretty agressive and doesn't smooth itselve out very well as it dries. I also tried Tamiya Extra Thin Cement, but that seems almost weak and doesn't do a particularly good job of smoothing. I tried pure acetone but rather surprisingly, as I was led to believe that it was the strongest solvent out there, but that doesn't dissolvethe styrene at all! Cheers J PS Also what happens if you paint your solvent/cement onto your styrene model TWICE? It seems that the new deposit of smooth styrene that forms after the solvent evapourates is slightly different from the original, virgin styrene. For one thing it seems to be slightly harder than the virgin styrene when you are sanding it. Also, one of my test samples seems to have formed an outside layer that then cracked and ended up looking like a surface of old paint(!). I've not been able to replicate this, so I don't quite know how that happened...

OK I have now been trying this. The results are rather mixed. I don't like having to wait to apply endless layers, so I have been putting it on quite thick. Yes it does of course shrink as the solvent/cement evapourates, but to compensate for this I have been applying it in extremely thick blobs. One unexepected problem is that where I put a drop of solvent/cement onto the styrene, that has only a small amount of styrene dissolved in it, it actually burns a depression in the surface. i.e. When the solvent/cement dries out it must be leaving a layer of styrene that is more compact than the virgin styrene originally was. To compensated for this effect, I have now been working with a much higher concentration of styrene in the solvent/cement. This of course makes the stuff quite goo-ey when you put it on. The other problem with putting it on quite so thick is of course that it then takes rather a long time to evapourate. And whilst it is still soft it won't sand down properly. So I have put my model onto a central heating radiator to help drive the solvent out. It looks like it will now take 24 hours to evapourate properly before I can sand it down. But from what I can see these "painted on" styrene are more or less just as hard as the original virgin styrene of my model.

OK interesting, however I'm not sure where that leaves me! I need a filler/cement/glue/adhesive that: - Has a low viscosity in order to get into the smaller gaps - Does not shrink when it dries (in order to avoid multiple applications) - Gives a good strong bond onto the styrene - Has some flexibility (to stop it from cracking in use) - Can be sanded easily So any specific recommendations? J

Wait, I am no expert, but my understanding is that many 1-part adhesives/fillers/sealants work by reacting with the moisture in the air, no?

I need to fill the gap between quite thick (3mm) pieces of HIPS styrene (Plasticard). Do any fillers exist that: A. Are low viscosity and so can penetrate small gaps effectively B. Do not shrink as they dry C. Give a good strong, semi-flexible bond D. Result in material that is of about the same hardness as the stryene itself and so can be sanded without leaving ridges. Thanks J

Interesting suggestion. I am trying to get some styrene to dissolve in some Slaters MEK-PAK as I write this. The main problem of course is that it shrinks in volume as the solvent evapourates. So as you say, you need to build it up in layers... and this is time-consuming! I have also ordered some epoxy putty/filler (Milliput) however I fear that it will be too viscous to get down into the cracks properly. Does Revell shrink as it dries?

Yes I was thinking of cutting strips of similar styrene and then jamming them in, and then paint over with some sort of cement (i.e. solvent!) to melt the surfaces together. But what do you mean by "styrene filler"? Either way cutting long, thin strips will be very time consuming as I have long, thin, tapering gaps. Also I'm not sure which cement to use. I have: 1. Slaters MEK-PAK 2. EMA Plastic Weld3 3 "Mr. Hobby / Mr. Cements 4. Tamiya Extra Thin Yes, Milliput looks interesting, even though it is still a two-part thing (i.e. an epoxy) that you have too mix. It looks relatively easy to handle by hand and it may not stick too badly to things when you handle it but it looks like it will be hard to get into a long, thin crack, no? On the down-side it looks like you need to put some sort of chalk (dust/flour?) down to stop it from sticking to you work surfaces, plus it look like you need to use gloves when handling it. J

Hello What filler type of adhesive can you recommend for filling quite large gaps in 3mm Plasticard / HIPS styrene? I am trying to avoid epoxy adhesives that come in 2 parts that you have to mix. I have nonetheless jkust ordered some "Devcon Home 5 Minute Epoxy" (from here https://www.wonderlandmodels.com/products/javis-devcon-home-5-minute-epoxy/) but I don't really like using epoxy because I find it quite hard to work with. [ Personally I find epoxy always tends to be rather too viscous and I find it hard to get it to flow into where I want it to go. And then if it is the quick setting type it will then go stringy which makes it hard to work with because it attaches to everything that touches it... and it will still take a while (e.g. 24 hours ) to cure properly and reach full strength. Also it's slightly hard to get mix the two components at exactly 50:50. I was recently using "1 minute" "Repair Power Epoxy / All Purpose" epoxy by Unibond but I found it starts to set way too fast, even though it doesn't reach full strength for c 24 hours. Hopefully the Devcon 5 minute stuff will give a more sensible working time. ] What is the alternative to epoxy? Ideally it mustn't drip slowly and it certainly mustn't shrink when it cures either. It would be good if it was clear too. Many thanks J PS And where is the fastest place here in the UK to buy it from? Amazon was going to take a couple of weeks for delivery.

Hello Can you recommend a good quality, hand held miniature drill? I need to buy a small high speed drill for engraving/grinding/cutting and drilling minute holes - i.e. between say 0.5 to 3 mm. I have and old 12v Richmond that does 13,000 RPM. But there bearing are shot. Unfortunately Richmond appear to have gone out of business/don't make them any more (??) Any suggestions for something of good/better quality. Needs to be variable speed and have a chuck that can be removed so as to handle exceedingly small drills. Having good torque rather than just a very high top speed would be helpful. Good robust bearings would definitely be an advantage. Must do at least say 20,000 RMP. Also at some point I may want to put it on a stand rather than just use by hand. Minicraft MB150 Hobby Drill (c.£25+VAT) http://www.rapidonline.com/Tools-Equipment/Minicraft-MB150-Hobby-Drill-no-Accessories-85-8000 Proxxon Precision Drill FBS 240/E (£59.79 - somewhat expensive) http://www.ema-models.co.uk/index.php/power-tools/proxxon-hand-held-tools/precision-drill-fbs-240-e.html Wait,here is a list of bands: http://www.rapidonline.com/Miniature-Power-Tools - Draper - Dremel - Maxicraft - Minicraft - Proxxon - Rotacraft - Sealy - Weller Any strong views? Thanks

Hello A new problem: I now need to connect styrene to a moderately waxy plastic (probably PE polyethylene or possibly PP polypropylene - I'm not 100% sure). All my experiments with plastic friendly epoxy glues & CA so far all say "won't work with PP or PE" ! One option would be to insert a couple of metal pins. But even then, aside of going for a good tight push fit, so far I cant find anything to actually bond to PE or PP. Any suggestions? Many thanks P.S. What about this: Starloc's "The 100% UNIVERSAL BONDING PACK" Which claims to bond: "TEFLON, PTFE, DELRIN, PVC, POLYETHYLENE, POLYPROPYLENE, SILICONE" http://www.shop4glue.com/universal-glue-bond-adhesive-repair-pack-metal-all-plastics-ptfe-polyethylene-polypropylene-silicone-81-p.asp The whole site looks extremely dodgy (!) and could well be a scam. But anyone here tried any of their stuff?

> Make sure it's polished I have sanded it down with Wikes Specialist Finishing Paper ("320G Super Fine"). Do you think that will suffice / what else did you have in mind?