Glue type

[philly777]

Hello All:

 

I apologize maybe for a naive question but what type of adhesive do you use primarily?

 

• Zap a gap
• Weldbond adhesive
• PVA (what brand for US users?)
• Something else?

 

Thank you in advance!!!

[Keith_W]

I stock 3 types of glue:

 

- Polyvinylacrylate (PVA) glue. I stock two types - Titebond original (http://www.titebond.com.au/products/index.htm) and regular white PVA. I use Titebond the most. It works like regular PVA, but it sets much faster, stronger, and is waterproof. The downside is that it dries yellow - this is why I have the regular PVA in case I don't want it to dry yellow. 

- 2 part epoxy (both in slow curing and fast curing varieties). Excellent for joining dissimilar materials (e.g. metal to wood). I use the slow curing type if I have many parts I need to glue and I don't want to keep having to mix up a fresh batch. The downside is that if you apply it too thick, it will seep out and be almost impossible to clean up. If you apply too little, you won't get a good bond. 

 

- Cyanoacrylate (Superglue), and CA accelerant. I stock 2 types of CA - fast curing liquid, and fast curing gel - but I use the gel the most. The major downside of CA is it's low surface tension, which means it goes everywhere. CA gel alleviates this problem. CA gel can sometimes be slow to cure, which is why I use the accelerant spray. 

 

The brand I buy for both CA and epoxy is Bob Smith Industries: http://www.bsi-inc.com/hobby/hobby.html

 

Should be available in the USA. After all, it's made in the USA! 

Edited August 16, 2016 by KeithW

[Canute]

Phil, I second Keith's recommendations.

 

I usually use Titebond, but have used Elmer's wood glue. It works well, too. And Elmer's for white PVA glue.

For epoxies, JB Weld is available in many good hardware outlets.

The Bob Smith CAs are great, but a good fallback is Loctite, since many chain hardware stores carry that brand.

[philly777]

Thank you very much for valuable information!

[philly777]

I've seen some people from AU use Selleys Aquadhere but couldn't find it in US though.

 

[Jaager]

Weldbond is a PVA adhesive.  It is pH 4.5 instead of pH 3.0 for Titebond II so it is 15 times less acidic.

Not a significant factor for wood to wood,  but possibly makes a difference in longevity with paper or natural fibers

: linen, cotton.

[CDW]

Along with the 2 part epoxy and cyanoacrylate glues, I most often use the original formula of Titebond rather then the new formula Titebond. Why? Because it is not waterproof. Over the course of my model building career, I have learned I am prone to making mistakes from time to time. By using the original formula glue, I can take it back apart if I need to do so by slightly moistening the area with water. This has saved my projects many times.

Of course, there are times when a water resistant or waterproof glue is a must.