bootneck Posted May 9, 2019 Share Posted May 9, 2019 Original post edited as follows: I have been trying to build some stuctures that need clear sheet, such as windows etc., to be glued to styrene sheet, or other clear sheet pieces, but neither my contact glue or Tamiya thin works with them. After many suggestions of solutions I now think that I must be using the wrong type of clear plastic material. Does anyone know, with practical experience, of a clear plastic/styrene sheet that is available which will glue simply to white plastic/styrene sheet with normal plastic glue/cement? I normally use 20thou and 30 thou white plastic/styrene sheet, such as Evergreen or Plastruct, and would like to obtain clear plastic of a similar material which doesn't require 'specialist' glues to adhere them together. cheers Mike Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DMC Posted May 9, 2019 Share Posted May 9, 2019 Hi Mike, You might try this. I’ve used for canopy’s, small widows, etc. No haze no craz. There’s a blob of it on the canopy, stays clear. Not sure how it would hold up under a load though. Available on that auction site. Cheers Dennis Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bootneck Posted May 9, 2019 Author Share Posted May 9, 2019 Hi Dennis, yes, that is good stuff and I use it for ship railings etc., however I think it is mainly to apply dabs for holding small pieces. I am hoping to find something more pourable, I'm sure that you would agree GS-Hypo is a very slow pourer, to cover a wider area. Having said that, it is a good glue, especially for applying on tiny bits of P.E. Cheers Mike 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bmwh548 Posted May 9, 2019 Share Posted May 9, 2019 Revell has a special adhesive for clear parts as well: Contacta Clear. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bootneck Posted May 9, 2019 Author Share Posted May 9, 2019 Ooh! I didn't know that. I must look that up. Thanks Mike Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bootneck Posted May 9, 2019 Author Share Posted May 9, 2019 I thought I would show what I am trying to do with joining clear sheet to plastic. I have started to build my Apollo/Saturn tower but the platform gratings are see through. I haven't found a decent enough metal/brass mesh that matches and so have cut my own from clear plastic sheet. The intention is to join all the red plastic underframes to the clear plastic gratings. The large opening is for the lift/elevator shaft and the small for the staircase. As can be seen below, there is a fair amount of the underframes that need to be glued, otherwise the grating could lift in places This is a view of the test jig I've made (painted grey) to keep the platforms aligned as I build up. This is all experimental at the moment, so the pieces have rough edges and paint missing etc., plus the elavators, stairs and power units need to be built. cheers Mike 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Black Knight Posted May 9, 2019 Share Posted May 9, 2019 Have you tried UV-setting resin/glue? It usually comes in a pen style dispenser. You can flow a bead of the resin along the frame, put the mesh on then set and harden the resin using UV light. The UV light is often attached to the end of the dispenser. The resin is supposed to set in 5 seconds but I usually go over it for about 30 seconds The resin is crystal clear Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Schwarz-Brot Posted May 10, 2019 Share Posted May 10, 2019 This, or just simple 2k-Glue. The one I use (Uhu) dries clear and becomes extremely strong but won't flow. Contacta clear won't flow either. You might get lucky with thinner or acetone. Find something that melts the mesh. Maybe you can find something that also melts the structural parts. If not, roughen them up to give some key and melt the mesh into place. That's what I would try, not tested! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bootneck Posted May 11, 2019 Author Share Posted May 11, 2019 Thanks to all those who contributed suggestions but I think I must be using the wrong type of clear sheet. Although I got it from a model shop it seems obvious that it's not good for simple model building. So, I need to change my request: Which clear plastic/styrene sheet do I need that will glue to white plastic/styrene sheet with normal contact glue? I normally use 20thou (0.10mm) and 30thou (0.20mm) plastic sheet, such as Plastruct or Evergreen, so anything that is of a similar material but clear would be great. cheers Mike Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bootneck Posted May 12, 2019 Author Share Posted May 12, 2019 I have had a look on Plastruct's site and they sell clear sheet in three types: Clear styrene sheet; clear Acrylic sheet and clear copolyester sheet. Has anyone used these with standard contact glue (Revell/Humbrol etc.) or liquid cement (Tamiya thin etc.) with success? If so, which type is best with the contact glue or cement? Appreciate any helpful replies, thanks. Mike Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
azureglo Posted May 16, 2019 Share Posted May 16, 2019 On 5/12/2019 at 7:11 PM, bootneck said: I have had a look on Plastruct's site and they sell clear sheet in three types: Clear styrene sheet; clear Acrylic sheet and clear copolyester sheet. Has anyone used these with standard contact glue (Revell/Humbrol etc.) or liquid cement (Tamiya thin etc.) with success? If so, which type is best with the contact glue or cement? Appreciate any helpful replies, thanks. Mike Hey Mike, I have gazillion different types of solvent like Dichloromethane that I use for glueing different materials. I regularly use Mr Hobby cement S/ Dichloromethane ( see ebay also known as EMA Plastic weld at extortionate prices) as a brush applied capillary glue to weld my hokey acrylic stands together so I know it works as solvent for those. I have some clear styrene, petg etc as well a regular styrene parts/sheet to simulate what you're trying to do so will do a test will all my voodoo solvents to see what works with what and post results tomorrow. BTW all the solvents I use I get easily from ebay but I have a strong feeling Dichloromethane is going to be the one. Folks in the movie andand architectural model building business us everything from ABS to PLA (and stuff I'm sure is imported from Tattooine on rebel ships) and use Dichloromethane as their main glue and its telling EMA who sell said materials to said folk also sell it as their universal "glue" Stuff like GS Hype, contacta and UV cure resins (they're not actually glues, just sold as such) wont really work and are thick and difficult to apply. BTW See this short video from deluxe re their Plastic Magic ( which I don't have oddly enough) and is apparently capable of doing what you want but is some nasty stuff ... http://www.farnell.com/datasheets/1833490.pdf PS this reminds me a bit of a giant mound of plastic trellis work I seem to have acquired that is allegedly a "North Sea Oil Rig"... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bootneck Posted May 17, 2019 Author Share Posted May 17, 2019 Hi Anil, that Plastic Magic could be a solution, if the evaporation time is slower than normal cements. As you can see, in my post #6, there are a lot of long thin strips to be coated and the first have usually evaporated before I have got to the last frames. I have had a go with epoxy's and two-medium mixes but these are too thick to apply to these 1mm frame strips.This is my main problem, covering the equivalent of fourteen 1mm strips in each frame (the red pieces in the photo's) so that they adhere to the clear plastic of the grating. It is also becoming too expensive for me to keep "buying and trying" and I really could do with help from someone who has actual experience of this type of glueing. I have found a material that sticks with ordinary glue, such as Revell Contacta Professional, and that is the clear cover of a CD case; however the cover is just a little too thick to be in scale. If I could find a rigid clear plastic of the same material as a CD cover but only about 30 thou (0.75mm) thick then I think my problem would be solved. I'm looking forward to hearing of your successful results on your tests Anil. With regard to that Oil Rig.......... haven't you finished that yet? cheers Mike Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
azureglo Posted May 17, 2019 Share Posted May 17, 2019 Hey Mike here's the first test: : This is ordinary polystyrene section and the clear is 0.2mm PETG from Eileens emporium: I used Dichloromethane (behaves the same as plastic magic) to test dissimilar materials and a solvent ( red dot) and glue'n glaze as bonding agent (green dot) Both give a strong bond with solvent being stronger. Glue n glaze is prefered choice of architectural model guys as you can be messy but it dries clear, they thin it with water , let a light tack develop and then get the pieces together first time to avoid smears. This will method work better if the styrene is painted, The solvent method will be easier of if you're working with unpainted styrene , lay the two together and use capillary action for an instant bond- I didn't bother with the their touch n flow applicator and just used a brush , hence its a bit messy-. You have to be careful and practice because for obvious reasons , the solvent version with melt the clear so using their needle applicator would be the best idea. Hope that helps. The Oil Rig is for definitely a retirement kit!! Cheers Anil Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JWM Posted November 7, 2020 Share Posted November 7, 2020 I am using ready made things - so CD/DVD box or some other boxes (chocolates or Gillette razors... - all made of styrene) Here are examples Regards J-W Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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